Hey guys, new to the forums and new to streetbikes. Ive worked on off road bikes for years, so i know my way around an engine for the most part, but im still nervous about valve work.
So lets start off with the bike. 2003 CBR954RR. Nothing fancy. Previous owner let it ride by itself, resulting in 3 case cracks and a demolished stator cover. Cracks are welded, cover replaced, oil filled. Bike has 88xx miles on it. As soon as i repaired the bike, i turned it over to make sure it wasnt locked from lack of oil or something stupid. It tried to crank, so i let it. It hadnt been run in around 3 years so i was even amazed that the fuel in it started up (i put conditioner in it ahead of time). The pipe was damaged, so i put a yoshi slip on exhaust my friend had. Shouldnt have made a difference. So i rode the bike around 5-10 miles after this. My father made the comment that it sounded like it was firing on 2 cylinders, but besides the occasional misfire, i didnt notice anything wrong. I figured it was old fuel. So then i sucked most of the gas out of the tank, put a gallon fresh in it. Well that ran fine IMO, but then the low fuel light came on. No biggie eh? WRONG. I was letting it idle for less than 2 minutes in the building after riding a bit with the light on, and it died. So i assumed out of gas. Went and got fresh gas, no start. Hmm this is odd. So i fiddle around with starting fluid, i got one or two pops but never caught. So i pulled plugs. Plugs were dark colored, so i cleaned them off, and then checked them. Bright spark, and i gapped them correctly. (0.85mm im pretty sure) Put the tank back on, tried to start.....nothing. So i thought maybe i sludged up the fuel lines. So i cleaned those and the regulator. Checked vacuum line, dry. Tank back on, no fire. GEEZ. So i think on it, decide to check pump and filter.....AH! there we go, buildup on and around the filter. So i take it all apart. cleaned it and the tank so good it looks factory. There was enough buildup to block the fuel im sure. So it has to start now........wrong again. Absolutely nothing. So now im sitting here thinking what havent i checked. I even unhooked the ECU and battery. No problems with fuel pump, still primes everytime.

What is left to check on this thing other than valves? Its got 88xx miles, there is no way valves are out. So please guys give me some input. It was fun for fifteen miles, but its already a headache

Also, when i turn it over now, the oil pressure light is on until i try to start it. then the red light comes on like 2 flashes but goes away after i let go. Come to think of it, the screen flashes randomly when turning it over like theres a loose connection, but there has been no problem yet when it runs.

 

Have you pulled the plugs again after cleaning and trying to crank it? I would just pull the plug to make sure it's actually getting gas. You know it has spark and air, so it must not be getting gas. Something could have dislodged itself in the fuel lines after your short ride and clogged the injectors or it could be an electrical problem like you said. Check the bank angle sensor, not sure how it works on this bike.

 

..... I was gonna suggest the injectors as well ..... wouldn't take much to clog one up if anything got past the filter and pump, like varnish in the lines from the leftover fuel just sittin in there ... as far as you being worried about it being something wrong with the valves, I would guess not looking at your description of the events ....

there's three things that a motor needs to run (as most of us know) ... fuel, air, and spark ... it's not getting one of the three it needs ... you've said it's getting good spark for now when you checked and gapped the plugs (check that one off) .... and unless something crazy is goin on to keep it from getting air (which i doubt cuz you said it was running fine before it just died ... another check for air) ..... so that would just leave fuel on my list .... hopefully its something simple as that and you don't have to go into some major overhaul .... :\ ... did ya check the simple stuff like fuses and such too? ...

Anyway ... report back with any news ... and good luck man ... that's a good bike to have running ...

 

As bad as i hate to say it, i did not check fuses. I assumed all was well with them because once in a blue moon it would fire, and that i was getting spark and the pump was running. Is there an easy way to check these injectors to see if they are spraying good? Im guessing the easy way to clean them would be in a can of BG correct?

I did pull the plugs either twice or three times. Im not sure but first time i cleaned them, second time i did too but it had less color on it. And from what ive read the bank sensor will stop the pump from running. Its running but if the BAS cuts off injector pulses, Itd be worth checking out

 

Well the fuses would be like a 5 min check ... but since you're saying it fired here and there ....... that just really sounds like a fuel starvation problem ... is it throwing out any kind of codes ? ... (if you know how to check the codes that is ... if not we might discuss that) .... it could possibly be a bad sensor too ...

We're lookin at several things to check here so far .... possibly a bad Fuel Pressure Regulator ... maybe clogged injectors ... or maybe a bad sensor somewhere that's not giving a signal ....

 

Not sure. It blinks 2 fast, which im guessing isnt a code, but me not knowing what to do. If you want to explain how, i would appreciate that! Also what sensor could be bad?

 

The BAS may still allow the pump to prime. Definitely seems like a fuel problem. The fuel pump priming doesn't mean fuel is getting to the cylinders. With the crash damage you mentioned, you could have some pinched wires somewhere, who knows.

 

because the bike was sitting sooo long the float in the carb maybe stuck (i.e the fuel in the reseviour evaporated slowly) and left the float in the up position and now causing the the inlet valve to remain shut.
(just a thought)

 

We're FI not Carb'd

 

With old fuel in the system for quite a while, my first guess is clogged injectors. When you crank it, is it turning like it wants to kick over or is it struggling? I would replace the plugs with fresh ones. With only 8500 miles on it, sounds like just a neglect problem. Meaning having issues with getting fuel, hence as was mentioned on here I would look at the injectors.