No start - no joy.

(Reposting this here from ADVrider. Hoping this WRR-specific community can help!)

Ok. I bought a used 2012 WRR earlier this year with about 2,500 miles on it. It was a one-owner, first-time rider, unmodified bike. I managed to put 500 miles on this summer until one day, a month ago, when I stared it up, put it in gear, rode it for about 50 feet and it died unexpectedly. I haven't been able to get it to fire up since. It will crank and crank and crank and give me nothing more than a rare backfire. What I've done:
- searched this forum and the WR250Rforum.forumotion.com site for similar problem/resolution
- checked fuses (all ok)
- checked air cleaner (ok, clean)
- checked connections on the lean angle sensor (connections tight)
- assume the side stand switch is good, otherwise it wouldn't crank (same with the kill switch on the handlebar)
- assume fuel pump is good because it primes/pressurizes every time I turn on the ignition and I can smell gas while engine is cranking
- replaced the spark plug (old plug showed signs of compression leakage and there was a little oil in the plug well)
- grounded new plug in coil pack to frame and could see spark while engine was cranking
- checked the error codes: 30 - latch up detected (lean angle sensor); 33 - Malfunction in Primary wire of Ignition Coil
- unplugged the ECU for about 6 hours to re-set it

None of the above efforts resulted in any change in the starting behavior. This evening I pulled the coil pack and checked the resistance on the primary and secondary coils, per the service manual. Secondary coil measured in specifications but the primary coil resistance measured higher than spec: normal range is between 1.19-1.61 ohms. Mine measures 2.3 ohms. (multimeter dial set on 200 ohm). That sounds to me like the primary coil has TOO MUCH resistance, which seems to support error code 33.

Now then, am I missing something or is this as simple as replacing the coil pack? If so, how common is it to lose a coil pack on a 4 year old Japanese EFI bike with 3k miles on it? I've put well over 20k on my V-strom without so much as a hiccup. What might have caused it? And should I buy the $90 replacement from Bike Bandit or a 2-pack of coils for $95 on eBay?

Let me know your thoughts and I'll gladly update this post when I get it running.

Thanks!

Not a common failure but it's not unheard of to lose a coil pack. However, before doing that I would check the wiring/grounds and even look at the lean angle sensor. Seems someone else had the same issue recently and it was the lean angle sensor. Unplug it and clean the connection and even tap on the sensor, etc.

CRFan1 wrote:

Not a common failure but it's not unheard of to lose a coil pack.  However, before doing that I would check the wiring/grounds and even look at the lean angle sensor.  Seems someone else had the same issue recently and it was the lean angle sensor.  Unplug it and clean the connection and even tap on the sensor, etc.

Yep. I did that too. Even disassembled it to check. Unless the little circuit board in it has failed, it's as clean as the day it was installed in Japan. If the lean angle sensor was bad, would the engine turn over at all?

Im pretty sure it will still crank, but not start with a tripped lean angle sensor.

If lean angle sensor the engine won't crank and the display will show code 30 until reset by turning the key off and then on again.

I'm still trouble-shooting this bike. I hate to say it but confidence in it's reliability is shaken. If this had happened in the Idaho wilderness, I'd have been sunk. Stay tuned...

Try to loosen the sparkplug, blow in some compressed air, or let it sit so excess gas can evaporate. Have you triede starting it by holden the throttel wide open? This usually helps to start a bike with a flooded plug.

After that, stop assuming things, and clean and inspect every connector. Pay special attention to all wires regarding charging, and ignitioncurcuits, aswell as clutch/sidestand and killswich wires/connections. Follow the killswitchwires down to the right side of the frame, make sure to clean and properly seat the connections there. Some have had problems with that, myself included.

Meassure battery voltage after charging, after sitting for 24 hours, and under load (like when cranking)

See if fuel is actually coming out of the injectors.

Do you have a friend you can borrow parts from, perhaps even switch them arround?

Jens Eskildsen wrote:

After that, stop assuming things, and clean and inspect every connector.

Ok, fare enough. I'll own that one. I'll dig into the wiring harness this weekend.

Thanks.

Apparently there is a connector behind the radiator that can cause issues. It seems some were not plugged in all the way at the factory. As said above, check them all....

CRFan1 wrote:

Apparently there is a connector behind the radiator that can cause issues.  It seems some were not plugged in all the way at the factory.  As said above, check them all....

Yeah, I read that too. I must bee looking in the right place because I looked all around the radiator and couldn't find any electrical connectors nearby. But then again, I haven't traced out every part of the harness yet.