Bike won't start

Hey everyone,

2008 wr250r - 3500 miles

My bike was running fine until one hot south florida day I was having fuel pump issues. Prime example of crappy fuel pump.

So I replaced the fuel pump and put a brand new battery in . Now the Bike turns over really well, but isn't firing. Fuel pump is make the priming sound.

I also put a new air filter in...

The only mod I have to is is gytr exhaust...

I AlSo check the fuses over on the left shroud panel... All fine

I'm a newbie when it comes to motorcyles so please bare with me.

I was really hoping it was the battery but that doesn't seem to be the issue. I tried starting with the throttle wide open, kickstand stand up and down, pointing the handlebars left , straight and right . And still won't get anything.... Turns over great and I can hear the pump turn on now but won't fire up

Any help would be appreciated....

Kinda hard to tell without being there, but how long since the bike last ran?
Does the bike act/sound like it wants to start?
Have you retraced your steps yet? (See if anything was left unplugged, kinked, broken, frayed etc. this is usually the culprit)

You need fuel, ignition, and compression to run. I would start by removing/lifting the seat and gas tank. From there you will be able to check if the fuel line is kinked which is actually very common and look over and check all electrical plugs/connections. The compression is likely fine I personally would only test this by just throwing her in 4th or 5th gear and try to roll her around, if you experience a good amount of resistance you probably are just fine . You can also remove the spark plug then verify spark by re-connecting the spark plug to the coil and allowing the plug to touch the frame/engine while cranking the starter, look for a nice consistent blue spark.

blusmoke wrote:

Kinda hard to tell without being there, but how long since the bike last ran?
Does the bike act/sound like it wants to start?
Have you retraced your steps yet? (See if anything was left unplugged, kinked, broken, frayed etc. this is usually the culprit)

You need fuel, ignition, and compression to run. I would start by removing/lifting the seat and gas tank. From there you will be able to check if the fuel line is kinked which is actually very common and look over and check all electrical plugs/connections. The compression is likely fine I personally would only test this by just throwing her in 4th or 5th gear and try to roll her around, if you experience a good amount of resistance you probably are just fine . You can also remove the spark plug then verify spark by re-connecting the spark plug to the coil and allowing the plug to touch the frame/engine while cranking the starter, look for a nice consistent blue spark.

Blusmoke is right start simple. Make sure you check the kick stand switch and clutch switch or better yet bypass them. Only try and start in neutral with the light on. Just try and rule simple suff out. Will it roll start?
No need for throttle being injected.
Keep the battery topped up.
Have you washed it since it ran last?
Check spark. If you go to this effort test it first but change the plug anyway and keep the old one as a spare. Plugs are cheap but a bit of a bitch to get to. Well time consuming.
Drain and change the fuel with some new fresh fuel.
The biggest and most annoying is to keep it simple and try one thing at a time helps to rule out problems especially if you don't reconnect something and the problem changes. Grab a few beers and just progress through the list with no pressure on how long it will take.

Thanks fellas,

It's been about 2 weeks since I ran it last. The pain about it is I go away on work and only usually home on the weekends. So I have limited time.

It's funny that you say that about wanting to the start... I started it up ... And it sounded like she was going through the motions... I didn't get the feeling like she was going to turn over.... It's like she was saying to me "okay pal lets get this over with already" haha

The fuel line isn't kinked I tripled checked that I was making sure of that .

I also forgot to mention I empty out old gas and put in new fresh gas....

I m going to replace the spark plug all together and see if I'm getting a spark... Havent tried that yet...

I will try to roll start it.... And I have not washed it since I ran it last...

I tired to start it in neutral with just the light on and I got nothing ....

This might sound dumb... But I'm wondering the new fuel pump I put in isn't any good ... I bought cnt fuel pump off eBay.... But it went from ..... not even turning on with the old pump .... to turning on and priming solid.... So I'm at a lost...

Appreciate the help fellas

I have struggled with my WRR from time to time.

Played with a lot of connections and such but so far what seems to work the best is if it is cranking but not firing then hold the throttle wide open and crank it for a good bit. It will usually pop a couple of times and then roar to life.

did you check to see if your kill switch is on? vapor lock?

I have had the odd time when the bike has stood unused for a few weeks and it won't start just cranks and cranks. The trick has been to hold the throttle wide open and eventually it comes to life. Every other time it fires first go. No idea why as it seems completely random.. The pump always primes when you turn the key.

jorgo wrote:

I have had the odd time when the bike has stood unused for a few weeks and it won't start just cranks and cranks. The trick has been to hold the throttle wide open and eventually it comes to life. Every other time it fires first go. No idea why as it seems completely random.. The pump always primes when you turn the key.

Are you sure it doesn't start with the same number cranks if you leave the throttle closed? I ask as with any modern fuel injected vehicle I don't believe holding the throttle open makes a difference.

-morgan

blusmoke wrote:

Kinda hard to tell without being there, but how long since the bike last ran?
Does the bike act/sound like it wants to start?
Have you retraced your steps yet? (See if anything was left unplugged, kinked, broken, frayed etc. this is usually the culprit)

You need fuel, ignition, and compression to run. I would start by removing/lifting the seat and gas tank. From there you will be able to check if the fuel line is kinked which is actually very common and look over and check all electrical plugs/connections. The compression is likely fine I personally would only test this by just throwing her in 4th or 5th gear and try to roll her around, if you experience a good amount of resistance you probably are just fine . You can also remove the spark plug then verify spark by re-connecting the spark plug to the coil and allowing the plug to touch the frame/engine while cranking the starter, look for a nice consistent blue spark.

A basic compression tester can be had for $30-$40 at most auto parts stores. It might be worth checking the compression before you start replacing expensive parts and/or going through complicated diagnostics. I once troubleshot a bike for the better part of a year before finally doing a leak down and finding it had leaky exhaust valves. A leak-down is a little more involved than a compression test but a compression test does give you an idea. It's unlikely you have a compression issue at 3500 miles but sometimes the peace of mind is worth it.

morgan9283 wrote:

jorgo wrote:

I have had the odd time when the bike has stood unused for a few weeks and it won't start just cranks and cranks. The trick has been to hold the throttle wide open and eventually it comes to life. Every other time it fires first go. No idea why as it seems completely random.. The pump always primes when you turn the key.

Are you sure it doesn't start with the same number cranks if you leave the throttle closed?  I ask as with any modern fuel injected vehicle I don't believe holding the throttle open makes a difference.

-morgan

I have the same issue with my V-Strom from time to time. It won't start by just pushing the button and I end up having to go to WOT and crank it to start. Leads me to believe that the ECU is sometimes flakey on FI bikes.

Never have that issue on the Beta or the GasGas which are both carbs.

my story might be useful reading:

https://wr250rforum.forumotion.com/t10768-ran-great-now-it-won-t-start

marksg wrote:

my story might be useful reading:

https://wr250rforum.forumotion.com/t10768-ran-great-now-it-won-t-start

Yeah I am thinking that at some point the FI system is adding too much fuel during starting and when you either let the bike sit for a long time or pull the plug you get some air back into the system.

Another way to do this is to go to WOT during starting. After messing with all the connectors and crap I haven't figured out what causes it but I am pretty sure the ECU is getting some bad inputs that cause it to fire the injectors incorrectly.

I have had this starting issue on my Strom 2x in 46,000 miles and 4x on the WRR (9000 miles).