| Author | Message | ||
     Jasont |
I just purchased a new xb12. i just got the bike, havent even ridden it yet, went to start it and the front cylinder fouled. nice. i cleaned the plug but it does'nt help. I bought new plugs but they don't come with a washer, don't they all need washers? Help! This is my first new bike, not a good start, anyone else have this problem? | ||
| M1combat  |
Yes, others have had this problem. I feel the trick is to not give it any throttle at all when you start it, and don't blip the throttle when it's cold. On the washer subject... I don't think I've ever found a plug that didn't have a crush washer. They are there for ease of indexing... | ||
| Fdl3  |
Turn ignition ON, turn kill switch ON, wait for CHECK ENGINE light to go OFF, then thumb the starter with NO throttle input. Allow bike to fire and idle on its own. Barring some other problem, this will prevent future fouled plugs. | ||
| SouthernMarine  |
Don't forget to let the bike to sit there and warm up for a few minutes. One of the reasons I fouled plugs. | ||
| Spatten1  |
You can get it going by sanding between the contacts, gap should be .040". The iridium plugs are supposed to be less foul prone. I just ordered some myself. Make sure the new plugs you bought are not tapered seat, that they are made for washers. You can get away with reusing a washer if you need to. | ||
| Hkwan |
I've heard that applying throttle when idle or when engine is cold would foul plugs. I've been keeping away from doing that. I'm wondering if someone can explain how that actually foul the plugs? | ||
| Jasont |
Thanks for all the posts, i have been riding for 25 years and havent had this problem before. My previous Buell was an X1 . The bike will not start by applying zero throttle imputs. I am in Germany and is a pain to get help from the dealers. I have cleaned the plug(not dirty just wet) and reinstalled and it still will not start. I guess I will buy new plugs, very disheartining, the bike has 4 miles on it. Thanks for all the inputs. | ||
| M1combat |
Maybe the idle is adjusted too low? If you start the bike with a little throttle and let it idle for a minute... Ride it until it's at operating temp and then take note of where the idle is at. The Buell XB's seem slightly sensitive to the idle setting, and I 've heard of a few times where HD techs will set the idle too low like they do with big-twins. | ||
| Ingemar |
Jasont, The dealer who sold the bike NEEDS to fix it. It's called warranty. It shouldn't foul plugs like that and it needs to start when you push the start-button. | ||
| Jasont |
M1, thats the problem, i can't even get it to start. did decide to set the idle a little higher(1/4 turn) but it still wouldnt start. Very frustrating for a bike with 4 miles on it. Thanks, i appreciate any input. | ||
| Jasont |
Ingemar, I agree, the problem is the dealer is 200 miles away, i am stationed in Germany. Just got back from the desert and bought this bike, it is extremely frustrating. It would require me to put it on a(borrowed) trailer and hope to get it fixed. Plus get the time off work. I imagine i will first buy new plugs, then go from there, it is cheaper than hauling it the 200 miles. Again, i appreciate allnput. | ||
| Ingemar |
I suspect you have a problem with your tps (not calibrated properly). If that's the case you really need to have a dealer look at it and fix it. | ||
| Jasont |
Ingemar, yes, i agree. I imagine i will attempt to have someone look at it. It is just very frustrating for me. I havent ridden in 13 months and am very anxious, don'treally want to waste the valuable time off travelling but may not have a choice. Thanks again | ||
| Reepicheep  |
Sounds like a good candidate to get the tool for do it yourself TPS / Idle adjustments. I know the PDA version had issues, but thought the laptop version worked well. DaveS can get them, they were "only" about the price of four DIY tps resets. Even if you just use it while overseas, I would bet you could sell it here a year from now when you get back for half price pretty easily. | ||
| Lovematt  |
There is more fuel being used when the motor is cold...at least from what I can smell. I start up the bike in the garage (door open of course) and can smell the fuel a bit. However if I do the same thing after going on a ride and close the door...don't smell the fuel hardly at all. If I smell fuel without giving it any gas then adding more is probably not needed at startup or until it is fully warmed up... | ||
| Wheelsleaning  |
Jason = I had a similar prob with some worse factors. My bike was delivered as new with 300+ miles on it and would not idle. I told them to take this sht back and get it right. They brought it back with the idle adjusted a tad higher (something the guy could have done when it was first delivered). Then they tell me I have to resign the paperwork because they had the wrong serial # on it. Then they screwed up the mileage info, had to resign again. I purchased the bike in early Oct of last year, just received the license plate a few days ago. | ||
| Blake |
If it were me, I'd take the bike back to where I bought it, inform them that it doesn't work, and ask for a new one that does, immediately. Then I'd note to never ever take a new motorcycle from the dealership before being certain that it is in proper working condition. | ||
| Wheelsleaning |
Well they were the only dealer in my area to have a remaining 12S in stock and willing to finance it without collision insurance.  | ||
| Dale |
Front spark plug wire can be pushed off the coil by the idle cable. This causes week spark. Wire tie it on. | ||
| Ingemar |
Jason, if it's a new bike and it isn't running, let them come to pick it up. My bike is a year old and when my belt snapped, my dealer came to pick it up at no additional cost. |
