2006 FZ6 Won't Start?

[Bernoulli]

Hi all,

So I finally started riding for the first time a bit today in a parking lot. Loads of fun though I was just about ready to do a bit of street riding when my bike up and died on me. I took a quick video of the issue I'm facing and since I'm very new to motorcycles and vehicle repair I figured I'd make a quick post about it.

I was encountering the issue to an extent earlier in the day but it rode fine for a few hours. Then when I went to start it back up after trying some clutch control it just wouldn't turn on? It sounds like the engine tries to turn over but won't hence why I'm thinking it might just be a battery issue. I purchased it from a dealership who installed the battery tender cables (but didn't supply a battery tender) and maybe didn't charge it for me?

Below is a link to the video.. any help getting this up and running would be immensely appreciated. It's just a bit frutstrating as it was the first day riding followed by some issues. Also, the Battery Tender might just be useless for me since I'm in the city with no nearby outlets to plug into... Any suggestions?

Also, from my research a few things I've got in mind to check out the next time I can are (checking battery first probably):

• throttle cable (read someone had an issue with slack in the cable causing the bike to not start)
  
• the battery (hoping to be able to check this with a voltmeter [that I can borrow I hope]) - And I should be able to check the battery via the Battery Tender leads right? Instead of having to lift the gas tank and do some serious work I'd love to ensure that's the issue up front.

A few other things I've noticed... when I got the bike earlier this week it had a full tank of gas (maybe overfilled?) and I saw the gas gauge blinking repeatedly. Thinking they didn't supply the first tank of gas I bought a gas can and 2 gallons of gas just to find out the tank was already full. And secondly, I may be having some issues in getting the bike back into neutral. I tend to leave it in first to lock up but felt I had to have the bike on before to get it into neutral or first. In the video it's in neutral but I managed to get it back into first somehow...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=o4iak1vJsO8

I hope this is an easy fix and I'll certainly post back with whatever I discover. I saw a few older threads in my research which led me to the battery issue but would love to hear your feedback.

I look forward to hearing from you all. Thus far, the motorcycle community has been immensely helpful... people are just so willing to help! I've been meeting people left and right that just seem so polite and helpful!

 

[iSteve]

Your video is private so no one but can see it. You need to make it public. Sounds like you have a dead battery from driving it around a parking lot.

 

[Bernoulli]

Corrected the video... apologies!

 

[tyler2011]

Sounds like two problems to me. The not starting and clicking sound is the exact symptom of the battery being low. The gauge will reset as the battery voltage drops so low the computer stops running.

As to the blinking fuel gauge, I have not seen that before but a quick search reveals it is something to do with the fuel circuit. Check that the dealer connected the sensor when the had the tank lifted to do the tender cables. You should be able to see the connection by looking under the back of the tank. One connection is for the fuel pump power, the other is for the fuel gauge. Not sure why they would have removed the connections but its not out of the realm of possibilities.

See post 16: http://www.600riders.com/forum/fz6-technical/34977-fuel-gauge-blinking-please-help-2.html

Get use to the search function on the site or type FZ6 followed by the problem into google. ex: "FZ6 Fuel gauge blinking" This site is almost always in the first three.

Side note, I fill my tank with the bike upright and right up to the metal ring thingy in the filler hole. If overfull, it will flow out the overflow tube (hose should be on passenger side by the center stand mount point), but its not like a car where there is a canister that can be damaged if you overfill the tank. This same tube allows the tank to vent so pressure does not build during temperature changes.

 

[Bernoulli]

Sounds like two problems to me. The not starting and clicking sound is the exact symptom of the battery being low. The gauge will reset as the battery voltage drops so low the computer stops running.

As to the blinking fuel gauge, I have not seen that before but a quick search reveals it is something to do with the fuel circuit. Check that the dealer connected the sensor when the had the tank lifted to do the tender cables. You should be able to see the connection by looking under the back of the tank. One connection is for the fuel pump power, the other is for the fuel gauge. Not sure why they would have removed the connections but its not out of the realm of possibilities.

See post 16: http://www.600riders.com/forum/fz6-technical/34977-fuel-gauge-blinking-please-help-2.html

Get use to the search function on the site or type FZ6 followed by the problem into google. ex: "FZ6 Fuel gauge blinking" This site is almost always in the first three.

Side note, I fill my tank with the bike upright and right up to the metal ring thingy in the filler hole. If overfull, it will flow out the overflow tube (hose should be on passenger side by the center stand mount point), but its not like a car where there is a canister that can be damaged if you overfill the tank. This same tube allows the tank to vent so pressure does not build during temperature changes.

Thanks Tyler! I'll be checking these items out on Tuesday probably. I had checked out the forum and did a bit of searching (just not for blinking fuel gauge yet). Just felt it might be appropriate to make a new post since my problems are somewhat 'unique' to me at least . I love getting some reassurance and since I had taken the video I figured why not . I appreciate it your help!

 

[VEGASRIDER]

The FZ6 is notorious for not charging while bike is at slow speed or idle. I'll be taking a police motorycle training skills class in two weeks, and I'm probably going to pull out my fuse for the headlight so I won't end up with a dead battery.

 

[FinalImpact]

The FZ6 is notorious for not charging while bike is at slow speed or idle. I'll be taking a police motorycle training skills class in two weeks, and I'm probably going to pull out my fuse for the headlight so I won't end up with a dead battery.

Its far easier on a Faired bike to reach up and unplug the lamps vs removing seat, allen to pod cover and fuse. Unplug at lamp = done.


OP - I know you said Tuesday, likely your battery is drained and gauge are not related as said by others...

 

[Bernoulli]

The battery was certainly the culprit in this case... thanks everyone for your assistance!

As for the fuel gauge, it was all connected but I'll be re-investigating that issue at a later date. Perhaps some debris in the contacts but we'll see.

 

[TownsendsFJR1300]

The battery was certainly the culprit in this case... thanks everyone for your assistance!

As for the fuel gauge, it was all connected but I'll be re-investigating that issue at a later date. Perhaps some debris in the contacts but we'll see.

Yep, all the idleing and slow running ran it down. Turning the idle up to 1,300 will help as well as turning off the high beam light. And yes, you can check the voltage of the battery thru the charging cable.

As for the blinking fuel light, check the wire harness (circled in red). Its likely loose as it easily pulls out if the tank is lifted back too far. Check the connectors closely too if it seems tight.

NOTE, its extremly rare the sending unit in the tank itself to fail, wires have been known to pull out from the plug (again from someone pulling the tank back too far)