Wow have not posted in some time!

So, I moved about 6 moths ago and with work and the new house and being so hot in Florida, I have not been able to ride. My bike sat in the garage for about 5 months without being started (2001 F4i w/ 10k). I am in Florida and it has been warm the entire time so no cold temps. Last weekend (it has been bugging me like crazy!) i finally got the ol girl uncovered, cleaned up, aired up, looked over and jump started the battery. Now I knew the battery was not very strong as it had died on me at a light once when i shut the engine off as it was really hot but left the brights on and it would not crank - not enough juice.

So after letting it warm up, I took bike around the block a couple times and anytime i was below 4500 roms the engine would run really rough like chugging in and out of running smooth. Felt like someone was cutting the throttle periodically on me. Anything over 5k it ran fine. I think i could smell gas though so it may be running rich. I know the battery is not holding charge as i rode it pretty good for about and hour and then i stalled it and it would not turn over on its own. Just before that happened the RES fuel indicator light came on. I looked into the tank after I got back and fuel looks ok and was just below where the tank angles sharply down to the bottom.

Could a very weak battery not provide enough spark to make it run rough? Something else, when i jumped it before taking it out, i pulled the cables off about 15 seconds after it started and it cut out. I put them back on, started again and removed after a couple mins and it continued running on its own. I am going to change the battery but not sure if that will influence the rough running. I could try sea foam too. Just want to know what else I could look for to diagnose. Thanks

Suggestions?

 

Sounds like classic dead/crap battery to me, and I've experienced these exact issues with my bike. (all of them)

The reason it died when you removed the cables is because at idle the bike isn't charging the battery, but using it. Charging doesn't come in until over 3 or 4k rpms. Mine did the same thing.
You would think that a nice ride would charge it right up, but a bad battery will take forever if it charges at all. I think I rode for like 1hr before being stranded at a gas station.

A new motobatt solved all my issues. Good AGM battery, by the way.... and like $65 shipped on ebay. Way better than any regular wet battery I've ever had. Faster starts, even after sitting.

 

could be the rr, check the voltage on the battery at idle an at 5k i think idle should be around 12.3-12.6 and at 5k 14-15 volts but double check those numbers

 

thanks guys, I am going to replace the battery and see if that resolves the issues..Will post results for reference when I do. -thanks

 

take it to autozone so they can run a test

 

SO i got a new Motobatt AGM Battery and installed it today. I turned the ignition to on and the fuel pump primed and all looked good.

When i started the bike, it took alot of cranks (id say double amount it usually would) to start up and once it did it was idling very low rpms and I could hear a ticking noise. I let it warm up as it was running better and took it around the block a few times. Shortly in, it felt rough idling and revving felt like it was running on only a couple cylinders (very choppy and the exhaust note sounded really weird)....

Toward the last round the block, it was super hesitant to rev and would barely accelerate. I could smell gas too... When I got it back to the house i turned it off and tried starting it again and it just cranked no start...

With history of riding on dead battery, is it possible that not all the gas was burned off from weak spark and fouling the plugs or clogging up my exhaust? I am not sure where to go from here and looking for any suggestions on how to diagnose as I am not sure I want to try to ride it anywhere to get it looked at.....

Help!! thanks,

 

pics of plug...

took off exhaust nothing to report there....

 

one looks alright, second one makes me think bad rings. Seems to be it is covered in oil... And definitely rich. Though probably because the oil is preventing spark which could do the off sound and issues with electrical if it fires but takes more power... But... That is only from that plug and the glancing I got from this thread.

 

3 letter FPR