Hi all! New to the forums and found the place searching for answers on the net. So I purchased a 2001 929 from a friend who has had the bike in storage for the past 5 years. It was stored properly, and all fuel was drained before taking it out of storage this spring. Further, the bike has been operated many times over the past few months. A new battery was also purchased this spring, and just got it tested to make sure that it didn't somehow go bad.

So here is the issue. Turn the key on, hit the switch, push the starter, hear the engine turning over, but the engine will not fire up. The previous owner is a good friend and this happened while he was giving me a ride on the bike after he delivered it to me. He's also baffled on what this could be because it's never happened to him before in all the years he owned the bike. He's had battery issues in the past where there isn't enough juice to turn the engine over, but he said the engine has never failed to start like this before.

And it happened suddenly. We had ridden about 10 miles and parked for a little while to walk around. We got back to the bike and it simply wouldn't start from that point. There was no sign of anything wrong beforehand. The engine sounded fine and there was no noticeable lead up to the issue. Started up and ran fine every other instance before. We're baffled and don't really know where to start. Can anyone lend any useful advice on this issue? Thank you much!

 

Do you hear the fuel pump priming?

 

Yes, the fuel pump sounds to be operating normally.

 

Crack the bolt on the fuel rail and see if there is pressure. You should be able to get to it without completely removing the tank.

I've had the little piece of rubber hose on the pump inside the tank blow apart. The result is a pump that pumps fuel back into the tank instead of to the rail.

 

Sorry for the delay in response, I had jaw surgery and have been in recovery. The fuel rail seems to be receiving fuel when I crack the bolt, and I inspected the inside of the tank and pump, all seems to be clean and in good condition. In my time recovering I was looking for other potential issues and happened upon an 9 volt signal from the ignition switch. After checking mine looks to be delivering 8.7v, with three other lines delivering 12v on the same four pin connector. Could this be an area worth investigating further? Again, all help is appreciated.

 

I doubt that it's the 9v signal. If that signal was wrong, the Fuel Pump would not prime when you turned on the ignition key. I don't suppose you're getting any kind of blinking lights from the FI light? So would you say it seems like you're not getting any spark?

 

Lack of spark seems to be a pretty likely issue since this came about suddenly, and without warning. How would I go about diagnosing such an issue?

 

@AKorz As they say, the devil is in the details. I'd start by being as observant as I can with regard to, what do I see when I turn on the ignition key with the Engine Stop switch (on throttle handle) in the Run position. What lights light up, what lights up and turns off? Then what do I hear? Motors running, fans spinning, pumps pumping, relays clicking. Specifically identify those things. If you hear a relay, then identify exactly what relay it is? If a light turns on, then what light is it? There is a sequence of events that happens when you turn on the key. We're trying to determine which ones are happening, and which ones are not. Once we know that, we go from there.

 

Ok, so when I go through the starting procedure I get the following results;
Turn the ignition key:

1. All the lights come on
2. After a second all lights go out except oil light, neutral, and red light (solid)

Flip the engine cut off switch:

1. Fuel pump primes
2. FI light illuminates
3. Red stays on (solid), then goes out after fuel pump is primed
4. FI light goes out
5. Red light returns (solid)

Hold the engine crack switch:

1. All lights extinguish
2. Engine cranks but does not fire

Release of crank switch:

1. Oil light, neutral light, and red light (solid) return

I do appreciate all the help, as I am new to the world of bikes but enjoy tinkering. If there is any more information that would be helpful I am more than happy to follow any guidance on further diagnoses.

 

@AKorz Do you have a copy of the Honda service manual? Page 5-8 shows you how to check if there are any diagnostic codes being produced. Should be able to Google a PDF copy pretty easily.