lazy start up (dl 650 2008 suzuki)

[obalanga 0]

I use the bike for a daily commute to work. So there is plenty of water on the road this time of there year. I am having a problem starting the bike in the past couple of days. I turn the ignition. The FI fires up correctly. There is a red light on but no error codes. Pull the clutch lever in and the start button and nothing happens. But if I hold the start button in for about 3 seconds, the lights go out and it starts then everything is ok. Today while slowing down for traffic, it just cut out. The first time the bike has done that. Is there a problem I should think of fixing?
I was having a problem with the gear indicator (GI atre) but I reset and oiled the gear shift lever and it is ok now. Should I stop hosing down the bike for a while?

[fr499y 0]

bit of damp in the killswitch? salt in the side stand switch?

[Davehutch-hutchs 0]

Yes I think I would investigate in the right hand starter/kill switch part , give it a clean and some WD

[smilinjack 0]

My ZZR does it. Poor contacts on starter button.

[obalanga 0]

I did the side stand switch other day. Do you mean take the kill switch apart and clean it? Is silicone spray ok  to use Dave?

[Davehutch-hutchs 0]

@obalanga wrote:

I did the side stand switch other day. Do you mean take the kill switch apart and clean it? Is silicone spray ok  to use Dave?

yes the kill switch and starter button , wouldn't use silicone

[madcarper 0]

no silicone, use electrical contact cleaner spray and try not to force water onto switchgear with a hose. a lot of pepes use acf 50 over the winter to coat the electrics really good stuff but will wash off so you need to re-apply.

[obalanga 0]

ok thanks all. Sounds like its a easily fixed problem. Will get to it After work.

[obalanga 0]

It must have been the killer switch as after a clean and some wd 40 it starts first time. But now the revs are dropping everytime I slow down at a junction. Sometimes it is cutting out all together. My idle speed is 1300 rpm. They at times drop to below 1000 rpm and if I catch it I rev a bit and save it. Any ideas  as to what the issue is?

[madcarper 0]

sounds like a carb issue, are they balanced , possible tps sensor failure, or do the carbs need a good clean, secondary butterflies opening and closing fully.

[dick65 0]

@madcarper wrote:

sounds like a carb issue, are they balanced , possible tps sensor failure, or do the carbs need a good clean, secondary butterflies opening and closing fully.

could be FI on those ian but not sure m8 , tps may need adjusting or coils playing up (intermittent)

[Davehutch-hutchs 0]

Or could it just be damp got in somewhere ?

[madsod 0]

make sure its not the clutch switch , you can unplug it and put a jump wire across it just to see if the bike starts ok then , some time it will just need a clean

[madcarper 0]

@dick65 wrote:

@madcarper wrote:

sounds like a carb issue, are they balanced , possible tps sensor failure, or do the carbs need a good clean, secondary butterflies opening and closing fully.

could be FI on those ian but not sure m8 , tps may need adjusting or coils playing up (intermittent)

2008 dl is FI Dick but all the obove should still apply. does it have any fault codes showing up.

[obalanga 0]

no fault codes showing. when the ignition is switched on there is a red light is showing but that goes away when I start the bike.

[obalanga 0]

No end to my woes in sight. I will give a run down of my problem history then where I am now.

The lazy start up issue cleared when I cleaned the switches on the handle bar but others hae progressively worsened. The bike starts ok everytime I use the ignition switch.

At first, occassionally on throttle shutoff when slowing down the engine would cutout. Now I have to keep the revs 3k plus when in traffic. Otherwise it cuts out. Even then,sometimes while stopped in traffic and holding revs high,  the engine wants to stall on pull away as I release the clutch.

When changing gears (pulling the clutch in) it may cut out out of the blue.

This week a new problem started, whilst pulling away, I may suffer a sudden loss of power, spluttering of the exhaust and the it may pick up. Very nerve racking when getting into a round about. If history proves right this is just going to get worse. 

What I have had done..

The carbs have been cleaned and synced. Then I had the valve clearances checked as they were due. I changed the spark plugs. I took it to a dealer to check for any problems with the electrical side by 'plugging it in' what ever that is. No problem was found. Another mechanic got a hold of a similar bike and swapped around some of the non testable parts. Still same woes.
There has been talk of keep going till it dies the we will know what is wrong then. I really want to avoid that as there is plenty of overtime coming up soon at work and I can only get it if I am at work.

The bike is a 2008 suzuki dl 650 with 24000 miles on

Any ideas where to go next?

[madcarper 0]

have all your wiring earthing points been checked for good contact. you could also eliminate the clutch cut out switch, bypass it by linking the two wires. have you checked for air leaks around the carbs intake boot.

[stantheman 0]

fuel filter perhaps

[obalanga 0]

I am inclined to go madcarpers way as the right indicator had started working intermittently for no obvious reason.  But may as well do a fuel filter change as it has probably never been done. I was planning to have the clutch changed at 28k miles as someone suggested that suzuki clutches are good for about 30k miles. Any one know the gamut of symptoms of a clutch going out. The gear changes are good but I get a weird occasional judder from the engine (even afer oil and oil filter change every 1500 miles).It is random. Sounds like Helga should be in the I.C.U. and not on the road. Thanks for the suggestions

[madcarper 0]

don't change the clutch just cos someone says it needs changing, wear all depends on your riding style wait till it starts slipping under hard accelleration or gear changes get harder. an engine shudder can be many things and probably has more to do with your current fault.

[gravelrash 0]

I agree with Ian regarding the clutch unless its slipping! tend to think its fuel or vacuum related,
what about tank breather? if you open the fuel filler cap there is a drain hole and this can get blocked causing a vacuum in the tank stopping fuel flow, a length of wire pushed through till it emerges out the bottom would eliminate this.
how much throttle free play is there if excessive could produce these conditions.
fuel line trapped or kinked?

regarding the judder, is the cush-drive worn in the rear sprocket?
just a couple of simple things to check oblanga intermittent faults are a bugger to pin down