Does bike crank with clutch lever out?

[subforry]

Hi all,

My K1100RS was running great.  When I arrive home went to shift from 2nd to 1st and it dies and wont restart.  Luck me I can roll it to its parking spot.

I turn everything off.  Then try to start it.  Key on, lights good, fuel pump makes noise, kill switch pointing forward, side stand up, clutch lever pulled in, it cranks fine but does not fire.

I can't remember if any of the safety switches keep the bike from cranking.  Would it crank if the side stand, kill switch or clutch switch was bad?  I am thinking clutch switch since it died when I pulled the lever in.

Thanks.

[Scott_]

If the clutch lever or neutral safety circuit do not function, the bike will not crank, but they have no impact/effect on the ignition circuit.
If you have fuel pump, then the side stand and kill switch circuit are ok, as either one of them will stop the fuel pump.

[John Lang]

Should the kill switch not point upwards? Such is the case on a K75.

[Martin]

Kill switch should be in the centre position.
Regards Martin.

[The Mighty Gryphon]

I turn everything off.  Then try to start it.  Key on, lights good, fuel pump makes noise, kill switch pointing forward, side stand up, clutch lever pulled in, it cranks fine but does not fire.

I can't remember if any of the safety switches keep the bike from cranking.  Would it crank if the side stand, kill switch or clutch switch was bad?  I am thinking clutch switch since it died when I pulled the lever in.

Side stand up allows the fuel pump to run.  Neutral or clutch in allows the starter to run.

I am a bit confused: is the starter turning the engine but the engine isn't starting or is the starter not turning?

My K100RS with motronic and 125,000 miles stalls occasionally when downshifting, but always restarts.  I have also had a couple problems on cold startup with flooding.  It seems that once the engine is flooded, it will continue to flood unless the cylinders are cleared of gas. 

The easiest way to do that is to disconnect the tank plug and crank the engine for 5-10 seconds with the throttle wide open.  Reconnect the tank plug and try to start.  That is what it took to get my engine to start the times it flooded.

[Laitch]

My K1100RS was running great.  When I arrive home went to shift from 2nd to 1st and it dies and wont restart.

Maybe the bike is out of fuel. Have you looked into the tank?

[subforry]

I haven't had a chance to get back to debugging the bike.  Here is what I know.  It cranks but does not start.  Then I turn the key on I can hear the fuel pump run for a very short time - this is how it has always been.  When the engine is cranked it smells like there is no gas. 

As for if it has fuel, well I have not looked in the tank, but that would mean 3+ gallon would had vaporized.

Do fuel filters get so plugged that fuel does not pass through?

[riots100]

Do fuel filters get so plugged that fuel does not pass through?

Yes they do.  In fact others on this forum carry spare fuel filters with them while they travel.

[Martin]

+1 As per Laitch check for fuel, I've heard I thought I had fuel many, many times. You need to check inside the tank for broken disconnected fuel lines. The lines inside the tank have to be rated submersible EFI rated and ethanol resistant. Non submersible non EFI rated non ethanol rated lines can cause all sorts of problems. They can harden crack, split and snap, they can turn to mush, they can disintegrate and block filter. The non worm drive fuel line hose clamps are preferred as the worm drive type dig in more speeding up delamination.
Regards Martin.

[Laitch]

As for if it has fuel, well I have not looked in the tank, but that would mean 3+ gallon would had vaporized.

Take the cap assembly off and look into the tank. Remove the fuel It could be instructive not only about fuel volume but about the condition of the tank and its various components in general.

[The Mighty Gryphon]

Look in the tank.  If the pump is actually working you should see a little bit of turbulance when the pump runs. 

Fuel filters can plug, and there are some that in the presence of a lot of water will have the element swell up and block the flow. 

A while back there was a member here who had a fuel line come apart inside the tank.

[subforry]

Thanks all.  I will start in the tank.  I am feeling optimistic about it being something simple like a filter or fuel hose.

[subforry]

It lives, but I would like a little confidence that I fixed the problem.  When cranking it today it would fire a few times then just crank.  I removed the fuel cap and everything looked good.  The fuel filter was from 2013.  I could blow through it but there was resistance.  The new one has the resistance of a soda straw, then it does not have any fuel in it.  I turned on the key with the filter off and fuel came out the hose.

I replaced the fuel filter. 

When cranking it seemed to fire a little more.  I would stop turn off the key and try again.  Every time it fired more.  After about 5-6 attempts it runs fine just like it used to.

So does this tell a good story or is there still something wrong?

Thanks.

[The Mighty Gryphon]

You had to crank it 5-6 times to fill the filter to get the air out of it.  It sounds to me like you have found the problem and corrected it.