Engine won't continue running after i got hit....

billybobjoeiv · August 25th, 2010, 04:23 PM

So im officially out of the 'riders that will go down' group. pulled out of a gas station yesterday and a guy came out of nowhere and hit me on the left side of the front wheel. my front is messed up so i gotta take it to a shop or something. also though, as i was going down (didnt go down very hard...was able to keep it from really impacting the ground at all), the engine died on me. i tried starting it again and after a few tries it started running for about half a second and then died. same thing next try. Before i send it to the shop, does anyone know what that could be? something major? or hopefully just a loose connection somewhere...
Any tips would be greatly appreciated! im not a techy guy and havent really done any hard maintenance on the bike yet.

austexjg · August 25th, 2010, 04:36 PM

Glad your okay - no idea about the problem.

kkim · August 25th, 2010, 06:03 PM

is it still doing the same thing today? sometimes when a bike falls over, the engine can get flooded. try cranking the bike with the throttle wide open for a few seconds to clear any gas that may be flooding your bike.

FrugalNinja250 · August 26th, 2010, 06:10 AM

Yeah, that's pretty normal. The air bleeds and other tiny air passages in the little 250's carbs are very small, so when fuel sloshes around in the carb when the bike goes down they get plugged with fuel. This drastically changes the mixture, enough so it won't fire well or at all. The surface tension of the fuel is high enough to keep the gas in the tiny holes, so the only real remedy is time for the fuel to evaporate. It's made worse by the fact that trying to crank without starting usually causes the engine to flood (too much fuel in the cylinder) and that usually gets the plugs wet, pretty much guaranteeing it won't start.

backinthesaddleagain · August 26th, 2010, 08:36 AM

sorry to hear you got hit, glad you weren't injured.

pooter · August 26th, 2010, 01:24 PM

Is his insurance covering damages?

kkim · August 26th, 2010, 01:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pooter

Is his insurance covering damages?

good point!

billybobjoeiv · August 26th, 2010, 06:34 PM

no. it was technically my fault. 'failure to yield'. i checked, didnt see the guy coming, and he hit me as i pulled out. so i have to pay. and apparently my insurance wont cover me so its out of pocket.......great.
I tried the bike again today. it wouldnt start. i tried 3 times (waiting between each try). tried with full throttle and with full choke independently and then together to no avail.

mrlmd · August 27th, 2010, 07:05 AM

Why won't the insurance company pay? Isn't that an "accident"? You looked and didn't see the car approaching.
Did you get a ticket for "failure to yield" and if so, doesn't the cop have to witness that?

kkim · August 27th, 2010, 11:42 AM

check for spark at the spark plugs.

billybobjoeiv · August 28th, 2010, 02:19 PM

The insurance is under my dad's name and he set it up for me. He told me that i had full coverage. This happened and he's like 'oh yeah....i forgot. i just gave you liability. sorry.' so yeah. im now out blank amount of dollars.
As for the ticket, Im not sure. I guess they dont have to witness it in ohio. I think they can get an eyeview witness or whatever to do it for them (the guy that hit me).

Ok. ill check the spark plugs next time i get a chance to look at the bike. I was talking to a friend really quickly about it and he said something might have come loose in the carbs and i might have to take em apart. would that be a possibility?

tjkamper · August 28th, 2010, 03:12 PM

Too bad you dad lied to ya. Good luck.

ninjabrewer · August 29th, 2010, 11:45 AM

Glad to hear that you didn't get hurt.

nb

JeffM · August 29th, 2010, 10:33 PM

Might be worth a try to check the clutch and kickstand safety switches. If one of those is working intermittently it could be causing your problems. If they are broken your bike will not start at all. Did it hit on the left side?

billybobjoeiv · August 30th, 2010, 04:58 PM

yeah it hit on the left side on the front wheel. didnt hit the body of the bike.

if i remember right though, with those safeties engages, the engine wont even try to start. It will turn over, and i got it to start for about half a second one time before it immediately died again.

JeffM · August 31st, 2010, 06:44 AM

Nathan, just thinking that one of the switches might have a wire or contact that is intermittent. It's a long shot.

billybobjoeiv · September 2nd, 2010, 04:10 PM

Aight, i'll give it a try. still havent had time to work on it :/. talked to one guy that had worked on bikes for a while and he said if the forks are bent at all, i may as well total it and get what i can for the remains. which makes me sad

FrugalNinja250 · September 3rd, 2010, 06:09 AM

But forks are easy and relatively inexpensive to buy! I've seen a pair with very low mileage go for $100 before.

On your bike, you should check basics first before exploring more complex failure scenarios. Pull a spark plug wire and stick a spare plug in it, then ground the plug against the engine. Crank and see if you get spark. If not, then look at kill switch wiring, coil wiring.

If you do get spark, pull the airbox lid and filter and spray starting fluid into the carb intakes while cranking, does it start?

Have you actually checked to see if fuel flows from the tank when you apply vacuum to the petcock? You have fuel, right? Opened the tank and looked inside?

Also, your plugs are probably fouled by now, probably not a bad idea to pull and clean them.

billybobjoeiv · September 7th, 2010, 08:00 PM

forks are inexpensive? that makes me happy!! ive been crazy busy with stuff so i havent had time to even look at the bike. hopefully within the next week i'll be able to take a look at your suggestions. Thanks a ton! hopefully i can get it up and running then! I'd be so happy!!

August 25th, 2010, 04:23 PM	#1
billybobjoeiv ninjette.org member Name: Nathan Location: Mason, OH Join Date: Apr 2010 Motorcycle(s): 2005 Kawasaki Ninja 250 Posts: 52	Engine won't continue running after i got hit.... So im officially out of the 'riders that will go down' group. pulled out of a gas station yesterday and a guy came out of nowhere and hit me on the left side of the front wheel. my front is messed up so i gotta take it to a shop or something. also though, as i was going down (didnt go down very hard...was able to keep it from really impacting the ground at all), the engine died on me. i tried starting it again and after a few tries it started running for about half a second and then died. same thing next try. Before i send it to the shop, does anyone know what that could be? something major? or hopefully just a loose connection somewhere... Any tips would be greatly appreciated! im not a techy guy and havent really done any hard maintenance on the bike yet.

August 28th, 2010, 03:12 PM	#12
tjkamper ninjette.org certified postwhore Name: Travis Location: Warwick, RI Join Date: Apr 2009 Motorcycle(s): 2009 Ninja 250R Posts: A lot.	Too bad you dad lied to ya. Good luck. __________________________________________________ Addicted to anything that has an engine and rolls.

August 29th, 2010, 11:45 AM	#13
ninjabrewer dirty old man Name: Chris Location: Hazel Green, AL Join Date: Nov 2008 Motorcycle(s): Blue '08 Ninja 250 Posts: A lot. Blog Entries: 1	Glad to hear that you didn't get hurt. nb __________________________________________________ Death tugs at my ear and says, "Live, I am coming." -Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr., poet, novelist, essayist, and physician (1809-1894) www.friendsofsanonofre.org

August 31st, 2010, 06:44 AM	#16
JeffM Mr. 988 Name: Jeff Location: Sandy, Utah Join Date: Aug 2009 Motorcycle(s): One Posts: A lot. Blog Entries: 1	Nathan, just thinking that one of the switches might have a wire or contact that is intermittent. It's a long shot. __________________________________________________ "I'm the one that's got to die when it's time for me to die, so let me live my life, the way I want to" - Jimi Hendrix Cancer

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August 25th, 2010, 04:36 PM	#2
austexjg ninjette.org sage Name: J.G. Location: Austin Join Date: Oct 2009 Motorcycle(s): '09 zx6r Green/Black, (ex-)Diablo Black '09 Ninja 250r Posts: 959	Glad your okay - no idea about the problem.

August 25th, 2010, 06:03 PM	#3
kkim Join Date: Nov 2008 Posts: Too much.	is it still doing the same thing today? sometimes when a bike falls over, the engine can get flooded. try cranking the bike with the throttle wide open for a few seconds to clear any gas that may be flooding your bike.

August 26th, 2010, 06:10 AM	#4
FrugalNinja250 ninjette.org certified postwhore Name: Frugal Location: Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) Join Date: Mar 2010 Motorcycle(s): Several Posts: A lot.	Yeah, that's pretty normal. The air bleeds and other tiny air passages in the little 250's carbs are very small, so when fuel sloshes around in the carb when the bike goes down they get plugged with fuel. This drastically changes the mixture, enough so it won't fire well or at all. The surface tension of the fuel is high enough to keep the gas in the tiny holes, so the only real remedy is time for the fuel to evaporate. It's made worse by the fact that trying to crank without starting usually causes the engine to flood (too much fuel in the cylinder) and that usually gets the plugs wet, pretty much guaranteeing it won't start.

August 26th, 2010, 08:36 AM	#5
backinthesaddleagain ninjette.org certified postwhore Name: Greg Location: Rhode Island Join Date: Apr 2009 Motorcycle(s): 2013 ZX6R 636 Posts: A lot.	sorry to hear you got hit, glad you weren't injured.

August 26th, 2010, 01:24 PM	#6
pooter ninjette.org member Name: Peter Location: San Francisco Join Date: May 2010 Motorcycle(s): 2007 Kawasaki Ninja 250 Posts: 67	Is his insurance covering damages?

August 26th, 2010, 06:34 PM	#8
billybobjoeiv ninjette.org member Name: Nathan Location: Mason, OH Join Date: Apr 2010 Motorcycle(s): 2005 Kawasaki Ninja 250 Posts: 52	no. it was technically my fault. 'failure to yield'. i checked, didnt see the guy coming, and he hit me as i pulled out. so i have to pay. and apparently my insurance wont cover me so its out of pocket.......great. I tried the bike again today. it wouldnt start. i tried 3 times (waiting between each try). tried with full throttle and with full choke independently and then together to no avail.

August 27th, 2010, 07:05 AM	#9
mrlmd ninjette.org sage Name: Marc Location: Crawfordville, Florida Join Date: Jan 2010 Motorcycle(s): 2005 Suzuki S50, 2006 Kawasaki Ninja EX250F, 1990 Honda PC800, 2000 Yamaha TW200 Posts: 848	Why won't the insurance company pay? Isn't that an "accident"? You looked and didn't see the car approaching. Did you get a ticket for "failure to yield" and if so, doesn't the cop have to witness that?

August 27th, 2010, 11:42 AM	#10
kkim Join Date: Nov 2008 Posts: Too much.	check for spark at the spark plugs.

August 28th, 2010, 02:19 PM	#11
billybobjoeiv ninjette.org member Name: Nathan Location: Mason, OH Join Date: Apr 2010 Motorcycle(s): 2005 Kawasaki Ninja 250 Posts: 52	The insurance is under my dad's name and he set it up for me. He told me that i had full coverage. This happened and he's like 'oh yeah....i forgot. i just gave you liability. sorry.' so yeah. im now out blank amount of dollars. As for the ticket, Im not sure. I guess they dont have to witness it in ohio. I think they can get an eyeview witness or whatever to do it for them (the guy that hit me). Ok. ill check the spark plugs next time i get a chance to look at the bike. I was talking to a friend really quickly about it and he said something might have come loose in the carbs and i might have to take em apart. would that be a possibility?

August 29th, 2010, 10:33 PM	#14
JeffM Mr. 988 Name: Jeff Location: Sandy, Utah Join Date: Aug 2009 Motorcycle(s): One Posts: A lot. Blog Entries: 1	Might be worth a try to check the clutch and kickstand safety switches. If one of those is working intermittently it could be causing your problems. If they are broken your bike will not start at all. Did it hit on the left side?

August 30th, 2010, 04:58 PM	#15
billybobjoeiv ninjette.org member Name: Nathan Location: Mason, OH Join Date: Apr 2010 Motorcycle(s): 2005 Kawasaki Ninja 250 Posts: 52	yeah it hit on the left side on the front wheel. didnt hit the body of the bike. if i remember right though, with those safeties engages, the engine wont even try to start. It will turn over, and i got it to start for about half a second one time before it immediately died again.

September 2nd, 2010, 04:10 PM	#17
billybobjoeiv ninjette.org member Name: Nathan Location: Mason, OH Join Date: Apr 2010 Motorcycle(s): 2005 Kawasaki Ninja 250 Posts: 52	Aight, i'll give it a try. still havent had time to work on it :/. talked to one guy that had worked on bikes for a while and he said if the forks are bent at all, i may as well total it and get what i can for the remains. which makes me sad

September 3rd, 2010, 06:09 AM	#18
FrugalNinja250 ninjette.org certified postwhore Name: Frugal Location: Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) Join Date: Mar 2010 Motorcycle(s): Several Posts: A lot.	But forks are easy and relatively inexpensive to buy! I've seen a pair with very low mileage go for $100 before. On your bike, you should check basics first before exploring more complex failure scenarios. Pull a spark plug wire and stick a spare plug in it, then ground the plug against the engine. Crank and see if you get spark. If not, then look at kill switch wiring, coil wiring. If you do get spark, pull the airbox lid and filter and spray starting fluid into the carb intakes while cranking, does it start? Have you actually checked to see if fuel flows from the tank when you apply vacuum to the petcock? You have fuel, right? Opened the tank and looked inside? Also, your plugs are probably fouled by now, probably not a bad idea to pull and clean them.

September 7th, 2010, 08:00 PM	#19
billybobjoeiv ninjette.org member Name: Nathan Location: Mason, OH Join Date: Apr 2010 Motorcycle(s): 2005 Kawasaki Ninja 250 Posts: 52	forks are inexpensive? that makes me happy!! ive been crazy busy with stuff so i havent had time to even look at the bike. hopefully within the next week i'll be able to take a look at your suggestions. Thanks a ton! hopefully i can get it up and running then! I'd be so happy!!