2003 Night Train Not Starting
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2003 Night Train Not Starting
Bike starts fine when I first start it up. The problem comes after I have ridden for awhile and stop for fuel or a break. After bike sits for 5-10 minutes, bike does not want to start. It will sometimes start if I pull choke out, and push start button as I give it some throttle. I know this shouldn't be happening if bike is already warmed up. It also sounds like it is sucking in air through the carburetor. I have checked the intake hoses from fuel petcock to carb and no leaks. Any ideas of what could be causing this? I was thinking carburetor, but some people have said its an ignition problem.
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From: Northern California
First thing I would look at is fouled plugs. If they are wet or sooty, you are likely running too rich. When the bike is hot, it should start right up with a little throttle and no choke. Too much choke will foul the plugs pretty quick. A clean or new set of plugs would be my first move.
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I had the carb cleaned about 2 months ago, but the problem just started. No other changes. I bought the bike used so not sure if the previous owner changed the plugs or not. I will get some new spark plugs tomorrow and see what happens. Thanks
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Sometimes when things get put back together, it doesn't go just right. The sucking air problem could be a hose or gasket... Perhaps the carb cleaning person also tweaked the mixture too much as well.
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Check for air leaks around the intake manifold where they go into the cylinder heads. When you pull the choke out you are activating in layman terms a mini carb i.e more gas. When the motor is hot everything expands including the atomized fuel. If the fuel molecules are too far apart they will not support adequate combustion. So when you pull the choke you supply more fuel & less air. When you examine the spark plugs they should be a rust or tan color indicating balanced combustion. If the are a sooty black you are running rich, if they are white you are running too lean.
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Changed spark plugs today. The old ones were very black, so I guess the bike is running rich. After changing plugs, the problem is still there. Talked to a buddy that has an '02 NT, and he said he sounds like it is the ignition module. Guess I will be getting that looked at too.
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Ultimate HDF Member
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From: Northern California
Changed spark plugs today. The old ones were very black, so I guess the bike is running rich. After changing plugs, the problem is still there. Talked to a buddy that has an '02 NT, and he said he sounds like it is the ignition module. Guess I will be getting that looked at too.
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Ultimate HDF Member
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From: Northern California
Likely because the carb problem is not sorted out. A hot bike with an overly rich mixture, plus a hissing noise at the carb, unknown mods to the intake(?) by the previous owner, all are clues to the problem. There could be other things going on, so you need to get it looked at by a motorcycle mechanic. Just trying to point you in the right direction...it's nearly impossible to diagnose a problem without hands on the bike. Good luck with getting back on the road.