So I was sitting at a light today and my 05 500r just died. I was running a little low on gas so i tried to start it off the reserve, but my battery was also really low.

A friend came by and tried to jump it, but it still wouldn't turn over. It would crank and act like it wanted to, but not turn over. I bought some gas at the local grocery store...its probably not the best gas ever, so I'm hoping thats the problem. I bought a can of octane booster and dumped it in there, wouldn't turn over but I'm not sure its gotten through to it yet.

The bike currently has 10.2k miles on it. The original owner said he had the plugs changed around 2k along with something else which I forgot what it was. I have changed the oil twice since I've had it, once recently.

Any tips on what it could be? Just happened tonight so I havent got a chance to look at it, hopefully Sunday. Would it be bad to dump another bottle of octane booster in it?

Thanks!
-Cody

 

No more octane booster.

Need more information. Bike just suddenly died? How long had it been running, (i.e. how many miles had you ridden before approaching that stoplight)?

If the previous owner had to change the plugs at 2000 miles, he's done something very wrong with the bike. Does your bike have the stock exhaust and jetting?
If the bike has an aftermarket exhaust, the previous owner may have changed the jetting, which would foul the plugs, causing him to have to change them at 2000 miles, and other problems (like the one you're experiencing now.)

If the battery is still strong, but the engine is not firing to life, chances are very good you've fouled the plugs (or "flooded it").

To clear a flooded engine:
~disengage the choke completely (lever all the way forward)
~twist the throttle all the way back (wide open)
~press the start button for about 5 seconds (keeping your most cat-like reflexes ready to release the throttle if the engine should happen to start)
~Turn the key off for a minute or two and give the battery a chance to recover
~attempt to start as normal.

One way to avoid fouling plugs (and helping your engine last much longer) is to use the choke only for a minute; less is better. I use the choke only to get the engine running, then feather the lever forward so that the engine is idling at about 1500 rpm while I put on helmet and gloves. Then I ride GENTLY away and disengage the choke as soon as I'm rolling.

Try this and let us know how it goes. (Or answer my questions so we can determine if it is possibly a more serious problem.)
-CCinC

 

my 7-R sis this on one occasion.. it was definitely fuel starvation.. i didn't get it in reserve mode fast enough, but even when i flipped it over, it would not fire.. a full tank and back on "on" and it fired right up.

might be a simple problem, but like chris said, a lil more detail is needed..

 

No more octane booster. I only did this because I thought it might have been really crappy gas by chance.

Need more information. Bike just suddenly died? How long had it been running, (i.e. how many miles had you ridden before approaching that stoplight)?

I had gone about 2-3 miles in traffic, stopped maybe at 2 more lights previously. Never above 50 mph, most of the time i had the throttle between 6-8k rpms...little high because the cagers here are extremely stupid, so I need the power to get out of the way.

The previous owner was an older man who made absolutely no changes to the bike. He took it in for a routine maintenance and he was told by a friend that changing the plugs around 3k miles is recommended for bikes. From the way youre talking, his friend was wrong. But I really am 100% confident that the previous owner absolutely babied this thing and never put anything aftermarket on it other than a blinking brake light.

The battery is about a year old. I replaced it in sept of last year because i left the parking lights on. I didnt want to chance the fact that i mightve damaged the battery, so i bought another.

When it died:
I was sitting at a light, slight incline, slightly low on gas. I *think* I mightve let the clutch out a little too much while i was holding it in (I was in 1st gear)...just got a little too relaxed with my grip. But it seems to me that it died overly easy...i have done that before on occasion but the engine would start to bog down, i would pull the clutch in, it would stay running. But like I said, i know that normally wouldnt have killed it...im just trying to give as much info as possible.

Its currently on the trickle charger, I will try what you said as soon as the battery is fully charged...so probably tomorrow morning.

Thanks for the quick response Chris. I work all day tomorrow, hopefully I will have a better chance to look at it on sunday.

BTW, I do exactly what you do on using the choke with one variation. It seems like it really gets one chance to start, as soon as it does, I have to pull the throttle back to about 5-6k rpms for about 5 seconds so itll stay running. It seems like if it dies after I get it started initially, it will not start again.
-Cody

 

Ok, well, in my infinite wisdom, after I tried to start it again Saturday morning, i left the key in the on position with the trickle charger on it. So today I get out to my bike to work on it and the battery is completely drained and the trickle charger says 'Trouble'

Take the battery out, a couple of the columns are less than 1/2 full of acid, so i go to oreilleys and get more acid. Its currently charging again, which eliminates my one day off to figure out what the hell is wrong with my bike.

I did hook it up after it was refilled and put on the charger for a while and tried to start it. I'm guessing its the starter relay that starts to click when the voltage is too low. It was doing that, but on the starter itself, it was only getting a little more than 1 volt while trying to start, even though the battery would be about 7V after the starter button was engaged (about 11.8 at rest). Could that be part of the problem or does it just not allow it to send that much voltage if the voltage on the battery is really low?

Now I'm probably going to have to replace the god damn battery....grrrr
-Cody

Edit: After letting it charge longer, it does allow more voltage to go to the starter once it has more voltage. Still not fully charged so I'm done for today.

 

I would not rev a cold engine past 4000 rpm. In fact, I would try to keep it below 3500 rpm until the needle has crept into the 'normal' range.

Was the choke disengaged during that 2-3 miles you rode before the stop/stall? Riding the bike with the choke engaged will foul the plugs faster than you can say 'disconnect the petcock hoses and lift the tank.'

-CCinC

 

No. In fact, I don't think I even engaged the choke when I started it.

I'm beginning to think its the battery. The charger has been on it for the better half of the day and its getting better, but I'm not sure at the rate it should be. I will try again in the morning, hopefully with a full charge.

It just sounds funny when its trying to start now. Either not enough power or maybe its not getting spark. I wish I was more mechanically inclined so I could explain it better...
-Cody

 

The battery is officially screwed. Bought another battery, charged it while I was at work....left it at work. Hopefully I'll know tomorrow afternoon if that was the problem or not.
-Cody

 

New battery installed, still not working. It doesn't sound the same while cranking like it used to when it was working, like its not getting gas or something...maybe its not getting spark?

What should I check next?
-Cody

 

Did you already try the advice on my first post, (clearing a flooded engine)?