Another bandit not starting :(

[PuPuhawkins]

Hello there I'm running out of things to try on my bandit and need some help.

The bike is the V import power valve job and fitted with a 33bhp kit but i believe the kit is nothing to do with my problems.

Basically the bike was running sweet as a nut all summer, and late October early November the bike gradually came to a halt after becoming more and more difficult to start. It would rev right up with the choke then die, after coughing alot and dying many more times it would slowly start

The bike had been left standing for a while by the previous owner and shortly after I bought it from him in April i had to change the plugs to get her started. After changing the plugs I then had no problems till now.

My first thoughts were the jets were blocked so after a look I took it apart and yes 1 was blocked and many more were getting there, I had all the jets and the carbs ultrasonically cleaned and put back on the bike. This unfortunately did nothing. The bike turned over but didn't fire up at all. After changing the plugs again this still had no effect only by opening up the mixture screws from all the way in to about 7 turns it fired up and gradually i turned them in so that it was working on 2 and a half turns. The next day after leaving the bike to go cold I tried to start it again, but now it wont start even if i open the mixture screws all the way out. There seems to be no fuel getting through the carbs even though they've been cleaned and blown through with a compressor, the bowls fill up fine ( i now have a filter on the fuel line ). There's nothing blocked and all the o-ring's are fine but it wont start.

After turning the bike over till the battery dies from a full trickle charge the plugs are dry, the exhaust doesn't smell like petrol. I've got 2 sets of plugs all give a big juicy spark the air filer has been cleaned and the choke works fine.

The carbs are clean the plugs are fine and give a good spark. The starter turns the engine over there is compression as i can feel it through the exhaust as it turns over. The inlets to the air box are all done up theres no diaphrams ripped. Doesnt start with mix screw in 2,3,4 or 7 turns out.

The petrol is 3 months old and premium - higher octane
I've not tried a different battery but have left mine to charge for 2 days on a trickle each time it dies

Any suggestions greatly appreciated
Luke

[Variablevalves suck]

Firstly are you sure the fuel tap is flowing ok, if you take off the little plate from behind the on/off lever you can turn the tap to always on to check.
If the tap is good you will always get the same question with the Suzi-are you sure the o'rings are 100% as if bad they really mess the carbs up, they should all be a really good fit.
If they are good it sounds like the pilot system is blocked.

[PuPuhawkins]

The fuel tap is 100% working the orings are next on the list to be changed they seem to have swelled a bit and are not fitting as they should..

[Variablevalves suck]

I do an o'ring kit for £11.

Chris.

[PuPuhawkins]

just squirted fuel onto the air filter and its fired up.. way up. So its just the carbs not getting the fuel through. Bowls are full so its not the tank tap...

£11 posted ?

Message me your paypal addresse and ill send £11 to you then

[PuPuhawkins]

used the orings and adjusted the float height to what it says in the manual, the starter motor still cranks over doesnt fire and the plugs come out black and wet, the mix screws are set to 1 and 3 quater turns and it doesnt make a difference whether the chokes on or off air filter is in or out... It seems to develope a cough when i turn the screws to 1.5 turns out. When i could get it started i found the carbs were balanced just needed turning and a rebalance but then it stopped firing..

I have found the caps were giving you 2 or 3 times the resistance they should so theyve been changed and theres a much bigger spark and now fuel...

Theres a 33bph kit installed but i cant see how thats effecting it starting

Does anyone know the reccomended starting point for the mixture screws ?

The Idle screw also needs setting up, I've ajusted to what i can see from the manual to be the right point but im not big on setting up carbs

If i cant get it to live in the next couple of days its going to the garage and then ebay and im back to walking for a while

Any help is appriciated and if you want to know anything else just ask

[PuPuhawkins]

Anyone know a good mobile bike mechanic in or around kent ?

Need a set of carbs setting up on a bandit 1993 vvc

Been ultrasonicly cleaned and now the carbs wont work as they were set up to run with blocked jets..

[templin]

hi to all i just want to shead some light to every1 onsome common mistakes made that kills our beloved toys

#1 wrong spark plug , the bandit 400 must use CR8EK if you fitt C9E or CR9EK the combushion temp runs to cold and the bike has hard starting as well as when she does run show on the plug that she is running rich which lead people to fiddle and its good bye bandit this has been the case of every bandit that has entered my garage

#2 carb settings if you have a stock exh. sys and airbox with std filter dont rejet use std settings how ever due to verious factors many bandit dont have correct slide needls so if she wont go with needle at 3rd from top go to 2nd from top hard starting can also be due to pilot curcuit been to lean check for blocket pilot jet and air corrector over time the air screw rubber seal and spring shrinks and when checking mix setting many people over tighten the mix screw and get wrong setting said results in hard starting poor idol dispite the fact the bike may run ok above 4000 rpm - the fix with carbs in your hand turn screw in till it lightly seats if pilot screw tip is vissable in card throat prob found turn screw out till screw tip is aprox .05 mm below throat then turn out 2 turns this will give a good starting point for many if idol a bit lumby turn extra half turn till smooth note do this with motor warmed and choke off then make shur float level is correct most bandits respone well to 15mm and make shur the fuel pipe and filter is big enough to small and bike starves under hard runs jetting well at sea level non vc motors with 33mm carbs prefer 100 mains and 35 pilots many have 32.5 that is ok give extra quarter turn on mix screw the 32 mm carb use 102.5 main all else same the only carb that will be ok with 90/95 is the type that does not use a rubber plug after pilot jet that leads me to next problem the carbs that have the rubber plug (identify by checking for passage way from under main jet to pilot jet appercur) if plug hard it can leak causeing floading problems this can be cured by using a 3x1mm o-ring when reinstalling float assem wet o-rings with grease it makes assem easer DO NOT USE sealer in carbs the petrol eats it out and it then blocks jets and a real bitch to clean out afterwards once carb sorted check for airleaks on throttle shafts mannifold points and carb top by vacum connector

also check that the emulshen tube are ok if warn they have a egg like shape this causes puddling and bike runs kak also check that the air vent for the carbs (located between#2 & #3 near cable) is not blocket if it is the float chambers over flow like a stuck float needle

#3 battery throw away the YTX7-BS convert to YTX9-BS its same size but has more power for the starter motor as if there not enough power the cdi wont work and bike wont start check starter motor brushes and armiture that they are sound

#4 no spark ? check main ign fuse in fuse box its on the left side rearward of the four fuses many non running bandits blow that fuse because the battery not strong enough to protect the ign curcit use 10 amp fuse only if you unlucky and blew the ign. box dont stress it can be repaired

#5 valve clearance make shur valves are closing as tight valves can bring about a kak day


well hope this helps all distress riders our there

[Capey]

I too bought a 400 Bandit as a non runner and couldn't get it to start. I've followed Templin's advice and success! It started tonight for the first time. Thanks Templin.

It struggled initially to fire up and I had to start it using full choke. While it was warming up it would rev between 2000 and 4000 quite easily but seemed to want to die if I tried getting it to rev above 4000rpm. After it warmed enough allowing me to close the choke, I was able to adjust the throttle stop screw so it would idle on it's own.

I am running it without the tank on and with the airbox off. I have the vacuum pipe which goes to the fuel tap blocked. However the breather between carbs 2 & 3 is open....no pipe on. There is an engine breather (rubber pipe) at the top of the engine which I think goes to the airbox. A lot of smoke comes out of that pipe. Is this normal?

[Gimly56]

That breather hose you refer to at the top of the engine sits over the cam chain aye? I think a small amount of smoke or even steam would be ok? Especially while the bike is warming up. I imagine a very small amount of condensation might build up internally??

Anyone else have any thoughts on this??