Should dipped beam headlight come on when ignition is switched on?

Rewop

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I am having problems starting my 2013 Gen 1 S10. Last week I had a short ride of 15 miles on the bike and everything was running normally. When I got home I stopped the bike and rolled into my dry garage. Yesterday I tried to start the bike and the engine turned over weakly but would not fire up.

I tried to jump start the bike from my car battery, and whilst the engine turned over much faster it would not fire. The bike was still on its original battery (Yuasa YTZ12S) and I'd been meaning to replace it so I went out and bought then installed a new Yuasa YTZ14S. I then tried to fire up the engine but still no joy even when attached to the car battery. Engine turns over , strong smell of petrol, but not firing up.

I've looked at all the fuses and they seem OK, but I've noticed that the dipped headlight is not coming on when I turn on the ignition. When the ignition is turned on the main beam headlight flasher does not work. The small front sidelights are on, all other lights (turn signals, rear light, brake light) are working. Please would someone confirm that the headlights should work with the ignition switched on but the engine is not running. If so this would indicate I may have be experiencing an electrical malfunction rather than it being a typical "Hard Start" issue. This could help me to trace the problem before I start removing the spark plugs etc.

Any advice appreciated, thanks
 

bimota

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IF you turn just the igbition on the main lights are off they only come on when the bike starts up, i,m UK as well

i just changed my headlights for the novsight hid kit put the bulbs in ok turned the ignition on nothing press the start button and the lights fire up been caught out buy this a few times

rob
 

bimota

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mine is a gen 1 2013, i changed my battery a few months ago for a ytz14s to from a 12s, having starting problems my problem ending up being the STARTER SOLENOID above the battery looked ok BUT pulled it apart and all the conections were rusty dirty, cleaned the connections up put the starter solenoid back together and the bike fired first time on the old 12s battery never mind the new one i had on the floor

rob
 

Rewop

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IF you turn just the igbition on the main lights are off they only come on when the bike starts up, i,m UK as well

i just changed my headlights for the novsight hid kit put the bulbs in ok turned the ignition on nothing press the start button and the lights fire up been caught out buy this a few times

rob
Hi Rob,

Thanks for confirming head lights only come on when bike starts up. This has saved me from messing about checking connections, changing fuses etc (for now anyway). I'll approach the problem as a typical "hard start" issue

Thanks for your help
 

Rewop

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mine is a gen 1 2013, i changed my battery a few months ago for a ytz14s to from a 12s, having starting problems my problem ending up being the STARTER SOLENOID above the battery looked ok BUT pulled it apart and all the conections were rusty dirty, cleaned the connections up put the starter solenoid back together and the bike fired first time on the old 12s battery never mind the new one i had on the floor

rob
Hi Rob, thanks for this tip, I'll take a look (once I've found "starter solenoid" in the manual), cheers
 

Boris

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I pretty sure if it's turning over then the starter solenoid is okay.

Sounds like hard start to me.

Fuel, good battery, WOT and it should start.

Where are you in the UK.
 

stutrump

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Rewop. Take out the EFI fuse and hit thd starter a few times. Then put the fuse back in and start again....should be fine. Im in uk too...midlands basdd if thats any help.
In the future (once you're all sorted) NEVER let go of thd starter button until the bike is really running. In my experience that has prevented me ever experiencing the hard starf problem again.
What the others have said about the lights is correct
 

nwrider

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I also have a Gen 1. If you're smelling fuel the bike is flooded. This will sometimes happen if it's started from cold and shut off before it's fully warmed up. It's also happened after not being ridden for a period of time. Hold the throttle wide open until it starts. I just went through this with mine after being in storage for 9 months. The battery wouldn't turn the motor over fast enough for it to fire (voltage drop). Jump started with my truck battery, full throttle, it started within a few revolutions. I've ridden it since with no issues with the same battery in the bike.
 

Rewop

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I pretty sure if it's turning over then the starter solenoid is okay.

Sounds like hard start to me.

Fuel, good battery, WOT and it should start.

Where are you in the UK.
Hi Boris, yes I think it is Hard Start as solenoid wiring all looks good, but grateful for Robs input as dodgy solenoid could have been an easy fix. Fuel, good battery and WOT not doing it yet so still scratching head...
 

Rewop

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Rewop. Take out the EFI fuse and hit thd starter a few times. Then put the fuse back in and start again....should be fine. Im in uk too...midlands basdd if thats any help.
In the future (once you're all sorted) NEVER let go of thd starter button until the bike is really running. In my experience that has prevented me ever experiencing the hard starf problem again.
What the others have said about the lights is correct
Hi I've not heard of this EFI fuse trick. I'll give it a go now and get back to you...
 

Boris

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Not sure if it's internet BS, or actually helps, but I read somewhere to kill the engine with the kill switch and not the ignition.

I've used this switch off method since the one hard start I had about 18 months back, no more since.

Could be nonsense, but nothing to lose by trying.
 

Rewop

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Hi Boris, yes I think it is Hard Start as solenoid wiring all looks good, but grateful for Robs input as dodgy solenoid could have been an easy fix. Fuel, good battery and WOT not doing it yet so still scratching head...
P.S. I'm in Harrogate, North Yorkshire
 

Rewop

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Hi I've not heard of this EFI fuse trick. I'll give it a go now and get back to you...
Bingo! Bikes fired up - I took out the EFI fuse as Stutrump suggested, turnd the bike over a few times and it seemed to cough and clear its throat, then put EFI fuse back in and pressed strter with WOT and bike roared into life :):cool::p:D Happy Days. Thanks for all the help guys and for replying so quickly, all the best...
 

WJBertrand

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I like to use the kill switch, dunno if it's just ritual or fact, but I feel like the fuel pump does not run until the KS is on? If I start with the KS off, turn on the key, wait for the dash to initialize and then start the bike, KS on and cranking simultaneously, seems like I can get the engine cranking over a split second before the fuel is delivered keeping the chambers from flooding? This could all be my imagination but it's my ritual now.

My theory is that the battery size is marginal for the bike and doesn't really provide strong enough cranking and spark to keep up with the fuel delivery if it doesn't start immediately.
 

stutrump

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No probs Rewop.
I've used that trick a few times (always works). Now all you need to do is use the bike dvery day and never let go of that starter button until the bike is fully fired up then you'll never have that problem again.
 

bimota

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Bloody hell,

i have had my tenere four and a half years, never had a hard start issue but for a while my bike would not fire up , and now and then on the button start.
i must be the only one that has had this corroded starter solenoid issue, soon as the plugs were pulled off and cleaned up it,s been fine not heard of anybody else have this issue. lol

glad you got that bike started rewop

all the best Rob
 
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