Not starting after bike went down

[williamcryan]

On Thanksgiving day in Oregon, the day was dry for a change and I decided to head out for a quick ride on my favorite road on my 82 Suzuki GS1100G. I was pretty cautious on the curves since there were wet spots and as I went around one corner, my bike ran over some gravel that had washed down and very quickly my bike and I were sliding down the road each on our side for about 20 feet or so. I was going maybe 30 mph.
I got some road rash in two spots. A passing fellow rider stopped his car and helped me push the front wheel that was in a little low spot on the side of the road and we pushed it safely out of the way to the other side of the road.
I then checked for damage and there was a little scratching on the edge of my vetter fairing, the right back turnsignal was scraped up and needs to be replaced. The case guard where there is a foot rest was bent slightly.
The bike would not start after repeated attempts and I had it towed home.
I thought the foot rest on the case guard had been pushed into the ignition cover and punctured it or something and damage the electronic ignition.
I pulled the ignition cover off which was undamaged and did a visual inspection and no damage is apparent.
The bike had recently had a lot of work and was running great. Now it is not.
I would like to do some self diagnosis before taking it to the shop. If I understand the basics. Check fuel, fuel OK. Check electrics, see if the plugs are firing. On this item I need some advice. Do I just crank the engine with a plug removed and see if there is a spark? Any other advice on things that I can do to isolate the problem would be greatly appreciated.

 

[williamcryan]

Also, coils were replaced several years ago. Bike was running strong at time bike went down.

 

[Agemax]

just remove a plug and lay it on the cylinder head while cranking to check for a spark.
check all fuses are good and all the electrics are working as they should.
check for obvious "silly" things, like kill switch is in the run position, fuel is on ,(try putting it on prime, if the bike was laid down for a while, the fuel may have drained out of the carbs)

 

[Guest]

Fuel probably drained from the bowls as it lay on it's side, put it on prime for a minute or to then try to start it. That would be the most logical explanation.

 

[Guest]

As Agemax said, check the basic "silly" things first. Here's a couple more.

- make sure the vacuum line to the petcock is still attached

- gently tap all the carb bowls with a rubber mallet to release a possible "stuck" float.

How much gas did you have in the tank? I have tried starting a bike that I "thought" had plenty of gas only to discover the opposite. Those big "G" tanks can appear to have a lot of fuel in them as you peer into the fill hole, but that petcock doesn't let it drain all the way down to dry. I'm always surprised at how much fuel is still in an "empty" tank.

Also, it sounds like you laid the bike over on the right side - could it be the remaining fuel in the tank "sloshed" over to the tank's right-side lobe, leaving the petcock side dry?

Must be something basic if the bike was running fine before the drop...

Good luck - keep us posted.

 

[Crankthat]

I would start looking at your electrical connections to see if anything possibly exposed and grounded out from when bike was jarred on its side.
Would most likely be noticeable by melting or discoloration near the connectors. (happened to me before)
May have even pulled loose connection.
Lift up the seat first and take a peek, don't forget about connections in the headlight bucket.
Have kickstand shutoff on that bike?
Would be another thing I would check if it applies.

 

[rapidray]

USUALLY, when a bike goes down, it floods the cylinders. Hold the throttle wide open & crank it over. This will clear the cylinders & 95% of the time is the issue after a drop. Ray.

 

[Guest]

I the kill switch on RUN?

 

[49er]

Probably flooded as Ray has suggested.

But.......since the points cover case guard was damaged, check that the igniter wires in that area haven't been severed where they appear from below the engine/frame and enter the side case. On the same side, check that the kill switch wires haven't been damaged where they attach to the switch.

 

[barnbiketom]

USUALLY, when a bike goes down, it floods the cylinders. Hold the throttle wide open & crank it over. This will clear the cylinders & 95% of the time is the issue after a drop. Ray.

+!

I'd try this !!

 

[Guest]

Yes, flooding often occurs after a bike has been down, glad you're OK, too, that's the important thing.

 

[Big T]

Bill, pull all 4 plugs and spin the motor for a bit, then let it rest

Post up some pics of what your plugs look like

 

[Maddevill]

Flood

Flood

Many times when a bike goes down it floods the cylinders. Try removing the plugs,ground them and crank it for a bit. Replace the plugs after cleaning them and try again. If it still fails to fire, hold the throttle wide open while cranking. It took me 20 minutes to get my Seca 650 to re- start after a tip over.
Good luck.

 

[Crankthat]

I thought he posted the bike went down in November?

 

[tom203]

I thought he posted the bike went down in November?

Yeah, he probably got distracted with holiday stuff- certainly ain't flooded now!

 

[williamcryan]

Sorry, haven't gotten back. I've been working extra hours and the bike is outside covered and it's been too cold to get deeper into it. I'm ready to begin seeing what's wrong and fixing it. Thanks for responding guys.

 

[williamcryan]

Thanks guys for the feedback. I'm healed from a couple of spots of road rash and doing fine. I have checked the run switch and it is on. I did pull plugs and they seemed OK and put them back in. Cranked for a while and no life. I hadn't thought of cyclinders flooded and I had just had the top end worked on with new rings put in. I did check the points cover case and no damage. I then pulled it off and I didn't see any damage to points or wiring. I will pull plugs this week and try suggestions to hold throttle wide open and crank it over to remove any fuel in the cyclinders. I've got new plugs, so I will replace them at the same time. I will post results this weekend. Thanks again, as I mentioned, I've been working extra hours and the bike is outside and it's been raining. I'm in Oregeon, what else would you expect. My baby is covered though and has survived several winters with no problems.

 

[tom203]

When you get back at it; make sure you're getting fuel to carbs, so open and drain one fuel bowl into cup; then put petcock on prime and check that the bowl gets refilled. During a cold start after a little cranking, plugs should be slightly wet when "choke" is applied.
Pull one spark plug, reattached plug wire, and hold against ehgine and check for good spark during cranking. If you got fuel and spark, it will fire.

About the gravel stuff.... It takes practice to avoid braking when you sudddenly find gravel/sand in your turn- you're in it, so it's too late to slow down. You will drift sideways, but revolving tires offer nice gyroscopic resisting force- getting your inside leg down will help with your comfort level as you drift. Happens to me regularly- easier (i.e less fear) when you're on a 250 lb dirt bike than a 500 lb street bike but principle is the same. It will happen to you again, so practice- borrow a friend's dirtbike and have some fun!

 

[tkent02]

You park it outside all winter in Oregon and have the audacity to call it your baby?
The reason it's not starting now is most certainly not the same reason it wouldn't start after being dumped.

 

[williamcryan]

Mr. Tkent02, not a very kind comment. I don't have a garage, I do the best I can. The bike is covered. In the winter, I start it every week, keep it clean and I ride it whenever it is not wet. The bike has not complained, it rides great and has for the seven years that I've owned it though the winters. It always starts right up. I have had the top end rebuilt a couple of times. The bike not starting has nothing to do with keeping my baby outside in the winter, although I wish I had a better place to keep her, but I don't. I had the top end rebuilt the past fall and until I dropped my bike it ran strong. You should take a look at your audacity in commenting when you don't know the situation.