Well after replacing the r/r on my 1998 f3, my bike started up perfectly fine and had no issues for about a month. After that, once again it had trouble starting. Placed the battery on a tender every night and the next morning still wouldn't start. For about 2 or 3 weeks the only way to get it started was to push start it which got very aggravating very quickly. Then one day I was in the parking lot trying to push start it and it wouldn't go at all. Come to find out, I was out of gas (my trip doesn't work and with only being able to push start, starting a bike at a gas station by push starting is a pain in the ***). So i go to put more fuel in it and what do you know, it still doesn't start. Just purchased a new battery for a hefty price of $70 and nothing. It does turn over and all lights work fine and they did even before replacing the battery. Replaced it and tried to push start and still...nothing. Once i would get it up and running before it would run like a champ no problems. I checked the stator (coil looking circular thing) and it doesn't look burnt out or anything. I only put a little over 1,000 miles on it until now after purchasing it with about 38,000 total. The guy who I bought it from said he replaced both the stator and the fuel pump so I'm at a complete loss. Any ideas?

 

Bump

 

id start with the fuel pump, you said the PO replaced it, but if he got a used one off ebay it could have the same problem. search the forums, theres a thread somewhere on here about the fuel pumps on these bikes, more time than not its just the contacts on it have gone bad but its a fairly easy fix.
other than that im really not sure what to tell you other than check your plugs/coils

 

Thanks for the response. I planned on replacing the plugs today after class. I remember reading somewhere that someone was having similar trouble and did something with their pressure regulator? Anyone know anything about that?

 

not sure about a pressure regulator, but while your replacing the plugs check the plug wires as well

 

Perhaps looking at the alternator?

 

Start from the root caused? At first, your bike only able to push start but cannot start by pressing the start button. Why.....with a new battery, did you try pulling each plug to see if spark plugs getting sparks? Check each plug...if you are getting sparks from each plugs, your coil + spark plug wire is good. Don't waste money getting a new set. Maybe when you pull the plugs, one may be foul....if so, replace a new set of spark plugs. Now if every spark plug does fire, this means you have fire ( air & fuel ) unless your air filter is completely clog, or some vacuum hose detached, most likely is fuel issue. Check to see if your fuel pump primes? Is your spark plug smell like gas? How your plugs looks? Is it dry and black? Oil maybe?

Don't keep replacing stuff and hope it works...

See what is starving? Spark or fuel....maybe air.

Even a old *** fuel filter getting clog can cause this.

 

I really appreciate all the answers. Last night i picked up 4 new spark plugs just because I got them cheap and damn was that a pain in the **** to change. The plug wires all looked new and aftermarket. Not sure if they were just really good or new (they're red). Took te plugs out and got kinda upset because they looked almost brand new. Pushed te starter with the plugs out for about 15 seconds to maybe clear everything out. Put the new plugs in and bam. Fired right up with a little bit of starting fluid. Kept it running for about 10 minutes, rode it aroun the block, shut it off, and it fired right back up no problems. I'm guessing since I kept trying to start it constantly last month it might have flooded or something. It needed a new battery anyway but it's good to go now. Still not sure if it was te plugs or just build up but at this point don't really care because its solid. Just confused because te plugs really were almost white. One looked a wee but tarnished however still not what I would consider bad. Thanks everyone for all the help. This forum is by far the friendliest I've ever been a part of. Cheers

 

I'm thinking about replacing the fuel filter and some other odds and ends over the winter to give me something to do and so it continues to run smoothly. Maybe order that $30 fuel pump switch and replace that just because its a 15 year old bike.

 

Any other ideas that aren't hundreds of dollars that I should look into this winter???