Started bike up after 2.5 months,Clunky feeling

z1ggy

Lifer
May 17, 2008
10,004
63
91
VERY clunky in first and on start up. I have an 01 gsxr 600 with 23k on it. Even though it's FI'ed, it has that lever you can pull that boosts the RPMs a bit for you. It was stored all winter inside of my basement, so it never saw freezing temps and I put fuel stabilizer in it anyway, just in case.

I ran it with that lever all the open because it was basically stalling otherwise. I did that for about 15-20 mins, then I set it to about half and took it out for a spin. I put it through the entire RPM range on my ride to put it through it's paces. First gear is very putty.. The bike kind of bucks a little bit for the first second or two then it feels normal again.

What could be causing this? When I first got the bike last year it did this a bit so I put in some injector cleaner and some fuel stabilizer and just rode it a bunch, which seemed to fix it. Could anything be going on internally that I should worry about?? Thanks for your help.
 
Sep 7, 2009
12,960
3
0
Fairly typical.

Personally I would siphon out the old gas, replace it with fresh, check tires etc change the oil and maybe plugs then go run the stink out of it up in the mountains.
 

z1ggy

Lifer
May 17, 2008
10,004
63
91
Fairly typical.

Personally I would siphon out the old gas, replace it with fresh, check tires etc change the oil and maybe plugs then go run the stink out of it up in the mountains.

Thank you!

Sadly no mountains near me here... plenty of country roads though! Only problem is the street sweepy hasn't gone around so it's still kind of dangerous to try pushing it around the corners...
 

z1ggy

Lifer
May 17, 2008
10,004
63
91
Fairly typical.

Personally I would siphon out the old gas, replace it with fresh, check tires etc change the oil and maybe plugs then go run the stink out of it up in the mountains.

This hasnt been working. Has had a full tank through it now with seafoam in it, plus new oil. Next going to look at the air filter and change the spark plugs. If those things don't change anything....Then what?
 
Sep 7, 2009
12,960
3
0
This hasnt been working. Has had a full tank through it now with seafoam in it, plus new oil. Next going to look at the air filter and change the spark plugs. If those things don't change anything....Then what?


Next up would be a full tune-up.. Air/fuel filter, spark plugs, check the connections to your coils.
 

JulesMaximus

No Lifer
Jul 3, 2003
74,534
911
126
Have you checked the air filter and air filter box? Sometimes rodents will get in there and make a nest so I'd check that first.
 

z1ggy

Lifer
May 17, 2008
10,004
63
91
Have you checked the air filter and air filter box? Sometimes rodents will get in there and make a nest so I'd check that first.

That is my next thing to check. Will check the wires to coils while I am in that area, too.

I also read on some forums it could possibly be some valve that is within the exhaust system loop?

It might be that it is sticking or something because every now and then when I go to rev my engine (I do this now regularly because when I am stopped, my RPMs drop really low to the point where I might stall) I actually got back fire 2-3 times.
 

cardiac

Platinum Member
Oct 9, 1999
2,082
14
81
Have you checked the air filter and air filter box? Sometimes rodents will get in there and make a nest so I'd check that first.

It was in his basement all winter. I hope he doesn't have rodents in the house ;)
 

JulesMaximus

No Lifer
Jul 3, 2003
74,534
911
126
That is my next thing to check. Will check the wires to coils while I am in that area, too.

I also read on some forums it could possibly be some valve that is within the exhaust system loop?

It might be that it is sticking or something because every now and then when I go to rev my engine (I do this now regularly because when I am stopped, my RPMs drop really low to the point where I might stall) I actually got back fire 2-3 times.

My Ducati has one of those valves in the exhaust system. It is normally closed during low speed cruising and idle though. It only opens up when you're really on the throttle. I can't see how that would cause what you're experiencing though.

Try the tuneup and see if that helps. You say you have 23k on it. Have you had the valves adjusted ever? I think your bike calls for valve adjustments every 15k miles. I know many people go over this but after a while it will need to be done.
 
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z1ggy

Lifer
May 17, 2008
10,004
63
91
My Ducati has one of those valves in the exhaust system. It is normally closed during low speed cruising and idle though. It only opens up when you're really on the throttle. I can't see how that would cause what you're experiencing though.

Try the tuneup and see if that helps. You say you have 23k on it. Have you had the valves adjusted ever? I think your bike calls for valve adjustments every 15k miles. I know many people go over this but after a while it will need to be done.

Valves in the engine? I have not done that myself, I have only put about 3k on the bike, I got it used with around 20k on it.

Just strikes me odd how I only get problems at idle and low revs, but everything over ~4k sounds and feels fine.
 

JulesMaximus

No Lifer
Jul 3, 2003
74,534
911
126
Valves in the engine? I have not done that myself, I have only put about 3k on the bike, I got it used with around 20k on it.

Just strikes me odd how I only get problems at idle and low revs, but everything over ~4k sounds and feels fine.

Yes, the intake and exhaust valves in the engine. These need to be checked/adjusted every 15k miles or so. Check your manual for the specified intervals. I'd bet it has never been done and that could cause the problems you are experiencing.

If you don't feel comfortable doing it yourself pay someone to do it. It is necessary and will prolong the life of your engine.

Might check your fuel injectors too just to make sure they aren't clogged or gummed up.
 
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JulesMaximus

No Lifer
Jul 3, 2003
74,534
911
126
By the way, my bike requires a valve check/adjustment every 7500 miles and after only a few thousand the exhaust valves were out of spec (too tight) and then at 7500 they were both out of spec again (too tight). I have almost 12,000 miles on it now and will do the next valve adjustment myself. I didn't pay for the first one because the bike is still under warranty and I was experiencing a cold stalling issue. The 7500 mile valve check I did pay for at the dealer and that was $560.

A good friend of mine owns a similar air-cooled Ducati and he did his first valve adjustment himself so he has offered to help me do mine next time it is due. My bike will need the valves adjusted and new belts at 15,000.

It is best to follow the factory recommended service intervals but many people don't seem to do this for some reason. They seem to think that bikes should just need an oil change every once in a while and that should be it. Fact is, bikes need more frequent maintenance than a car does.

Found an interesting read on the GSXR forums that might help you.

http://www.gsxr.com/showthread.php?t=32818

This guy seems to be pretty knowledgable.
The valve clearances tighten up once they wear. When that occurs there is not enough clearance in the valve train which causes more wear. Usually the valve train noise slowly steps in & just like deteriorating fork oil most owners just don't hear it or say anything is different. Just grab some tools, the manual & take a look at them! When I read threads like this on websites I always am a little circumspect. Why? The idea is generally the author not wanting to do a service that really should be done & is looking for people with the same mindset to offer support. Don't go there.

About 2 years ago I helped a friend's coworker out with his air/oil cooled Suzuki cruiser. Valve adjustment intervals on that little 600cc was every 4K miles. But, this was his main ride to & from work (75 miles one way) & the dealer wanted $200 for that service! No way man, that was too much for the owner to bear. It obviously had some valve train noise going on which I diagnosed for him. He paid me $100 for a cut rate service. I do this stuff for friends on track bikes but usually involves hot rodding forks, etc. This bike had 25K miles on it with no valve adjustments! Yikes. The valves were all way out of specs & I adjusted them on the looser end of the spectrum as I figured this owner won't adjust the valves ever again. I turned the engine over by hand a few times again & rechecked the valve clearances. Now some were tight & others were still loose. Turned it over a few more times & now the other valves that were good were now tight. Ouch. I screwed with this beat up engine & set things so the valves would stay as far in the range as I could get them. Put everything back together & started the bike back up. The engine sounded almost like it did before I did the work! Diagnosis: time for a rebuild of the head & it needed all new valves. The owner acted as if I was trying to rip him off. That was a little insulting after I had to spend 4 times as long doing this crap & wasn't getting much back in return. So eventually after clearly explaining things to him told him he was an idiot for deciding he would not do regular service to his machine & think that everything in this machine would just be fine. He ended up taking it into a shop who charged him the same I did & he got the same answer. There was his $200 he spent & he got exactly nothing out of the deal.

Every engine is different & the way you ride & how you treat your engine will be different than how others treat their engines. You will get responses from some that will tell you that they checked their valves at that mileage & all was good. But their particular engine is different than yours even if it was manufactured at the same plant almost at the same time. Then how they treated their engine will be different than how you do. So the comparison is very loose & quite a few motorcycle riders just don't understand that concept. Go by recommended service intervals & if you run the engine hard check these things more frequently. Ever put a price on how much rebuilding the head on the bike will cost you? Screw the cost of the components, price just the labor cost involved. Grab a service manual & check them yourself, this stuff is not super complicated...
 
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RedRooster

Diamond Member
Sep 14, 2000
6,596
0
76
I had that problem one time years ago. Ended up being a pinched vacuum line under the tank when I took it off to do maintenance the fall before.
You shouldn't have that "choke" lever open at all when riding, you're just flooding the bike, that's why it'd be so boggy down low I would think?
Maybe the battery? Low batteries on bikes, especially FI ones, make them do stupid things sometimes.
 

Vdubchaos

Lifer
Nov 11, 2009
10,408
10
0
Fairly typical.

Personally I would siphon out the old gas, replace it with fresh, check tires etc change the oil and maybe plugs then go run the stink out of it up in the mountains.

Too late for that. He should've done it before starting it.....
 

z1ggy

Lifer
May 17, 2008
10,004
63
91
By the way, my bike requires a valve check/adjustment every 7500 miles ....

Yeah that could be something, too. I just find it odd that the bike is only clunky down low in the RPM range. Wouldn't tight valve clearances not really matter on how fast the engine is spinning?

Anyway, I am going to be doing the plugs and replacing the air filter, then seeing what that does. If that doesn't fix it, I might just need to bring it in to a shop to see what they say.

I am annoyed because I feel like the guy I got it from last year fucked me over knowing he probably didn't take good care of it along the way. Makes me just want to sell it and buy a newer one from a dealer.
 

Mandres

Senior member
Jun 8, 2011
944
58
91
Is your tank rusty on the inside? You could have some particles clogging up your fuel filter or injectors. Another thought was that the enricher circuit (the "choke") may be sticking or something.
 

JulesMaximus

No Lifer
Jul 3, 2003
74,534
911
126
Yeah that could be something, too. I just find it odd that the bike is only clunky down low in the RPM range. Wouldn't tight valve clearances not really matter on how fast the engine is spinning?

Anyway, I am going to be doing the plugs and replacing the air filter, then seeing what that does. If that doesn't fix it, I might just need to bring it in to a shop to see what they say.

I am annoyed because I feel like the guy I got it from last year fucked me over knowing he probably didn't take good care of it along the way. Makes me just want to sell it and buy a newer one from a dealer.

It may not but the valve clearances are something you definitely want to have checked and adjusted if necessary.

I always look for maintenance records, especially on a bike. At the very least, ask what maintenance he has performed and where it was done, he should at least be able to tell you that. If he has no records or has no idea what or where it was done I probably wouldn't even bother making an offer.

I've seen some rough bikes. A friend of mine was looking at Ducatis and he went to check out a Monster S4R that was supposedly in near perfect condition. He got there and the guy couldn't even get it started. He finally gets it running and he's revving the piss out of it just to keep it from stalling. Then he takes off down the street practically redlining the engine while it is still cold.

We just got in the car and left. Sucks because we had driven over an hour to see this bike. Complete waste of time.
 

z1ggy

Lifer
May 17, 2008
10,004
63
91
Just wanted to the ppl who spent the time to comment in this thread that yesterday I fixed the problem. Cleaned the air filter out and changed the spark plugs and that seemed to do the trick. Plugs looked real dirty, but the gap looked okay...Guess it just wasn't sparking enough.

Next thing I would like to do is change my brake pads...My rear rotor is getting a bit worn. Also my front caliber bolts are extremely rusted and I am worried when I go to remove them, the torque will rip the head off. Any tips for a bike brake pad change? Thanks.
 

mercman

Junior Member
Sep 16, 2016
2
1
36
9 times out of 10 this problem is usually the spark plugs. ALWAYS check the gap though. The 01-03 GSXR600 EFI is very sensitive to plug gap. If the gap is off it can cause several issues like rough idle, boggy, off idle stumble, and/or no idle at all (requiring you to raise the idle to keep it running). Most of the time when the gap is incorrect the bike will not idle properly. I have seen one where the guy dropped in new plugs and it wouldn't crank at all (until he properly gapped the plugs). If you gap it a little too much above the recommended gap it may not crank at all. And if the gap is too close it can cause the same problems. If your bike starts to breakup at high rpm then you could have incorrect plug gap or possibly bad plug wires. A lot of guys don't realize these bikes are fuel injected and assume the cold start handle is a choke. It is just a fast idle lever that allows you to warm the bike up before you ride. Valve adjustment is also important and should be done at recommended intervals not only to keep your engine running properly but also to cutback on unneeded engine wear. I know some of this doesn't pertain to this actual post but thought I would mention this for future viewers. Good luck !
 
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Feb 25, 2011
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I know, I know, but I can only think of this:

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