Did I finally kill my FJR?

[henwil]

My 2008 FJR has just been sitting in my garage for the past three, if not six years. I did start it at least once a month, and the battery is on a tender. It always started right up, that is until yesterday. It sounds like something is seized up, since the engine won't turn at all. It is in neutral, but it won't shift into any gear. By bad no doubt due to negligence.

I'm planning to donate it to a local charity, but it will obviously be better if it is running before I do so. Is there anything that I can try?

If it will be helpful, I can add a video of what it sounds like when I press the start button.

Thanks!

 

[infrared]

What happens if you take the ignition key out, engage top gear, and push the bike forward? Does the rear wheel turn?

 

[RossKean]

If it is truly seized up, the damage is probably already done. There is, however, a good chance that the issue is with the battery. I would probably try a boost with a known good battery. Just because it is on a tender doesn't mean the battery is still good - especially after a number of years.

With the bike on the center stand, try shifting into gear while rotating the rear wheel... Clutch may be gummed up with old oil and the plates may not be releasing. If you can get the bike started, heat should fix that.

For what it is worth, you are better off NOT starting the bike regularly if you aren't using it. If the bike doesn't get up to FULL operating temperature (including exhaust pipes and oil), condensation of moisture from the combustion byproducts will collect and cause damage over time.

Good luck.

 

[henwil]

What happens if you take the ignition key out, engage top gear, and push the bike forward? Does the rear wheel turn?

I'm not able to shift out of neutral.

 

[TomInPA]

My bet is on the battery or starter, and the recommendation to attach a known good battery or charger may show the problem. To check for seized engine, remove the crank cover on the right side and turn the engine crank manually just as you would for timing or cam chain management.

 

[henwil]

If it is truly seized up, the damage is probably already done. There is, however, a good chance that the issue is with the battery. I would probably try a boost with a known good battery. Just because it is on a tender doesn't mean the battery is still good - especially after a number of years.

With the bike on the center stand, try shifting into gear while rotating the rear wheel... Clutch may be gummed up with old oil and the plates may not be releasing. If you can get the bike started, heat should fix that.

For what it is worth, you are better off NOT starting the bike regularly if you aren't using it. If the bike doesn't get up to FULL operating temperature (including exhaust pipes and oil), condensation of moisture from the combustion byproducts will collect and cause damage over time.

Good luck.

I will try to jump if from my car.

I will try shifting while turning the wheel.

When I did start the bike I would let it idle for like 15 minutes so it is well heated up, and assumed that would avoid condensation.

Thanks!

 

[CollingsBob]

I live in Winnipeg, winter temperatures get down to -45c..daytime temps sit at -20c for most of January and February. My winter storage prep involves changing the oil, regardless of the number of miles on the oil, washing the bike, then pouring several ounces of Seafoam into a full tank of ethanol free gas, riding it for 10-15 miles, then topping up the gas tank with an another healthy splash of Seafoam first.
I then hook up the Battery Tend’r, chain the bike to the floor and cover it up.
I do this with both bikes..and both of them always start easily in the spring, even though one of my bikes is 69 yrs old.

 

[henwil]

All is not as bad as it seemed. My inexperience did make me worry/panic.

I am able to shift gears when I turn the rear wheel. I had forgotten about this trick.

When I then do what infrared suggested (put it in top gear and remove the ignition key), I am able to turn the rear wheel.

It also sounds much different now when I press the start button. The starter turns the engine and I think it is close to starting. I am surprised that the battery is struggling, since I bought it last year August.

I will try again once the battery shows charged on the charger. If that doesn't work I will jump it, which I'm confident will work.

 

[RossKean]

Try again with full battery or jump.
You probably are flooded and may require starting with wide open throttle. Fully charged battery, crank 20 seconds or so with WOT. If it seems very close, go another few seconds but stop and let starter cool several minutes before trying again.

 

[BigOgre]

You mentioned jumping it with the car battery. I've never done that but believe you don't want the car running when doing so.

 

[RossKean]

You mentioned jumping it with the car battery. I've never done that but believe you don't want the car running when doing so.

No problem jumping with a car battery - same voltage. If the car is running, the higher voltage plus the MUCH higher charging system capacity could cause some damage from a high current inrush. As BigOgre said, do not leave the car running.

 

[escapefjrtist]

Nothing to add henwil, other than good to see you still around! Bike might be slightly flooded now...as mentioned above, cranking with WFO throttle will clear the extra fuel.

~G

 

[henwil]

Nothing to add henwil, other than good to see you still around! Bike might be slightly flooded now...as mentioned above, cranking with WFO throttle will clear the extra fuel.

~G

Thanks escapefjrtist! It is good to see that you are also still around, but no surprise

 

[henwil]

I was able to start the bike this morning!

First I tried with the fully charged battery and WOT for 20s, but no luck. The battery struggled.

Then I jumped it to the car and 20s with WOT also didn't start it. After a few minutes I tried again with closed throttle and it started in about 6s. Yay! Thanks for all the help.

I'm charging the battery again and will try when it is charged, without the jump.

How do I know if the battery is still good? It should be since I bought it in Aug 2021, and it has always been on the tender. It measured 12.7V in the bike with the charger disconnected.

 

[RossKean]

How do I know if the battery is still good?

Charge it fully and then get it load tested. Voltage is not a decent measure of overall health or capacity. A battery can show a healthy off-charge resting voltage but fall flat on its face as soon as you draw any current (open or near open internal cell) or it might maintain voltage with current draw but only for a short time (diminished capacity). It can also self-discharge over a few days or weeks due to a "soft" internal short. A healthy AGM battery should only lose a couple percent per month due to self discharge. (Excluding parasitic draw from the bike - which should be exceedingly low on an FJR.)

You can do a quick and dirty check by monitoring the voltage while starting - shouldn't drop below maybe 11V or so. This result is not definitive since a problem with a starter motor will cause excessive current draw (and voltage drop). Starter motor is best evaluated by measuring the starting current using a clamp-on DC ammeter - should be well less than 80 amps.

Make SURE you get the bike up to full operating temperature before turning it off. Shutting the bike off before you get past the normal enriched fast (cold) idle is the main cause for a flooded situation that caused your starting issue.

Congratulations on getting it going again!!

 

[Ignacio]

I was able to start the bike this morning!

First I tried with the fully charged battery and WOT for 20s, but no luck. The battery struggled.

Then I jumped it to the car and 20s with WOT also didn't start it. After a few minutes I tried again with closed throttle and it started in about 6s. Yay! Thanks for all the help.

Sounds like a case of Fast Starter Syndrome pinned in the very top of this forum area. Glad it sputtered back to life.

Concur with Rosskean and battery load checking. Age isn't a guarantee of life....especially if the battery has been brought to it's knees more than once.

 

[infrared]

Henwill,

Prolly worth saying - most auto parts stores can load-test your battery for free (provided that they sell batteries there).
Remove the battery from the bike (easier to be done with insulating strings or cords, through both of the terminals).

On my 2008, a plastic body panel covered one corner of the battery. That stupid panel wanted to cause me a lot of extra work, to remove the battery. I took a bare hacksaw blade, inserted down the side of the battery, and carefully sawed the panel to remove the obstructing plastic that was straight above the battery. Easy-peasy. This minor mod is invisible when the bike is buttoned up, of course.

Since the price is right, it does not hurt to have more than one company load-test your battery, to see if they all tell you the same stories. Just do not tell one store that another store has already tested your battery.

 

[henwil]

Well, I finally made time to look at this. When I started the motorcycle, the battery voltage would drop to 8V. Today I took it to the store and their test indicated that is was done for.

This is disappointing since I bought the battery in August 2021. It is a YT14B-4 Scorpion 12v 220 CCA Sealed AGM Motorcycle Battery. I just looked on the website and it only has a 1 year warranty. Several reviewers at Batterystuff.com had similar issues. I will certainly buy something different next time. Any suggestions for a battery that will last at least 5 years?

I never rode the motorcycle since I bought the battery. It was on the tender all the time, and I would start the motorcycle about once a month.

Is it possible that I might have killed the battery the last time I tried to start the FJR? Although it was in neutral, it sounded like I tried to start it while in gear. Maybe the clutch was not letting the engine turn freely since it has been sitting for so long, and that drew a lot of current from the battery. But I don't know much about this stuff.

 

[Mozey]

That motorcycle should be ridden to circulate and warm up the lubricants in the wheel bearings final drive and other moving parts. Oil and grease absorb a small amount of moisture from the atmosphere. When lubricated parts are stationary for a long enough period, the moisture can migrate, form droplets and cause corrosion pits. Ride that thing or get a volunteer to do it. That should not be too hard.

 

[Bugnatr]

Any suggestions for a battery that will last at least 5 years?

Yuasa is your best bet. I had one last 8 plus years in my Gold Wing but 5 years plus is not uncommon. I've read that it's a good idea not to leave a tender on your battery 24/7 for months on end but rather every 3 weeks turn off the tender and just let the battery "rest" for a week before turning on the tender back on.
Riding it once a month would be real helpful too.