[uq5827]

My bike is a 06 Katana 600, it has around 9800 miles. I just took it to a shop to get a full maintain last month, change fuel, air, oil filter, oil, spark plug. And I won't be able to start the bike this whole week (the temp drop to around 3~40F in the morning). When I push the button, the spark plug did work but the engine won't start. Is anyone know what's wrong with it?

PS: Before the bike is maintained, it always use full syn oil, but the shop changed it to syn blend, will it be any problem? Many thanks

 

[Eye_m_no_angel]

It might help if you describe what's happening a little better. Is the starter motor turning? Is it engaging and turning the engine over?

 

[uq5827]

So when I push the start button, the lights dim and spark plug did start but the engine won't start. Wait for few minutes and start it, same happen, but sometime the engine on and went to 4000rpm and drop back to 0, engine stop again.

 

[Unkle Krusty]

Terminology

Your description is hard to follow.
You say the spark plug did work. How would you know if the spark plugs worked, if the engine will not start?
I am wondering if you mean the starter motor worked, but the engine did not fire or run.
I suggest you check the battery volts. You need 12.5 to 12.75 volts. If you get a reading of less than 12.5 volts, charge the battery.
You said the temperature was 3 to 40 F. Did you mean the temperature was in the thirties. Better still, just tell us what the temperature is.

So, when you turn the key on a press the start button, what happens? Clunk clunk and chugga chugga are acceptable terms. So is saying it is making a clicking sound.

The oil should not make any difference to starting.

Unkle Krusty*

 

[uq5827]

The ambient temp is around 3-40F in the morning, and it's making a clicking sound but the engine still doesn't work when I press the start button. Sometimes the engine starts but only last for a few seconds. I will try to change the battery to see if there's any difference

 

[Unkle Krusty]

Volt meter

Get a small digital volt meter if you do not have one. $20- should do.
Check the battery volts, always if it does not run. 12.25 volts is a half discharged, or half flat battery. A clicking sound from the starter motor usually indicates a flat battery. Bike batteries do not have a lot of reserve cranking power. They lose volts quickly, especially in cooler weather. Most everyone uses a battery tender connected to the battery when not in use. A tender is different to a charger. If you charge the battery, do not set the charger at anything higher than about 2 amps. Leave it on for a day and disconnect. Check the volts. It might be 13.25. Check again after a couple of hours. Should be around 12.75.
Check again after 6 hours. If it has dropped a bunch, say down to about 12.3, then the battery is not holding a charge. You can also use a load tester on the battery. I am still not sure of the temperature.
When it is cool, below 45 F is cool, use full choke and do not touch the throttle. I think you said it is a 006, if so it might be fuel injected. If it is, turn the key on and press the button. The computer can figure out what to do. Some bikes with fuel injection might respond to a teeny bit of throttle. But usually no throttle is needed.
For bikes 32 F is the beginning of cold.
For folks from the prairies, zero is the beginning of cold. Makes the trajectory of footballs veer off course.

Unkle Krusty*

 

[uq5827]

Talking about the battery, it remains me the my bike is such a battery killer. I just in brought a new battery (ChromePro 9BS) in Sep last year and gone in Nov, recharge it in Nov and now is kind of empty again (12.36V). Last month I took the bike to the shop and they had checked the charging system works fine and the battery is good. It's just kind of weird that the battery gone that fast in such a short period of time (around two months?)

Will it be any components in the bike sucks away the electricity even when the bike is off or drawing too much energy? Thanks

 

[mike721]

If your not riding it every few days for at least a decent length ( say 20 miles) to charge the battery then you should leave it on a battery maintainer, especially in cold weather.
You can get a decent one for less than $20 and it will keep your battery charged all the time, we have 3 of them, one for each bike in the garage and unless the bikes in daily use it's plugged in when parked.

 

[WintrSol]

You didn't say - are you using the 'choke' when starting in the cold?

One other thing, when you turn it off, do you turn the key the correct way? There are two positions that stop the engine, and one leaves the tail lamp on, which will kill a battery pretty fast.

 

[uq5827]

The distance I rode is around 8 miles in the morning and evening per trip from college to home. I might need to get a battery maintainer, thanks for remaining. Since I don't park in a garage, will it cause the battery dead quickly in cold weather, around 30F in dusk?

For the battery maintainer, can it plug into the battery when the battery is installed in the bike or do I need to take the battery out to maintain it?

In both, choke and not choke still only give me a clicking sound. When I turn off my bike, I checked it had left the position that all lamp is off.

 

[hogcowboy]

Do you have a volt meter to check how many votes your battery is off the charger? Better yet, have you taken the battery to a auto supply store or anyone that can do a load test on it? It sounds like even though you are putting it on a maintainer it still isn't fully charged. Some maintainers will not recharge a battery if it is under a certain number of volts. Maintainers just keep a fully charged battery fully charged for the most part. Some can recharge a drastically drained battery but not all. Check the battery. Also when reinstalling it make sure you have a good tight connection just short of stripping threads kind of tight.

 

[WintrSol]

Low temperatures will make an otherwise OK battery into a poor battery; 8 miles may not fully recharge it, especially since starting in low temperatures drains a battery faster than at 'normal' temperatures. A battery tender/maintainer can be connected with the battery in the bike. Most come with a pigtail you connect permanently, so all you need do is plug it in. If you get one that is rated 1.5A max, it will charge a motorcycle battery just fine, as that is the relatively high rate for that size battery.

My question about the choke was for when it started then died; without choke, it will do just that. Most newer carbs don't use a true choke, but have an enrichment circuit instead, which seems to work better than a plate choke. My old 450 has a plate type, and you have to manually pull it off some as soon as the engine fires, or it will kill it.

 

[zxj113]

Since you can start it but die in seconds, it proves that the bike can be started I have a 2002 Katana 600 (older version of yours), and it can still die after starting in cold weather even when full choke is applied. I usually roll the throttle to keep like 2000+ rpm, so it won't die. Shut down the choke slowly after the bike gets warm.
I noticed that you are a college student. I am in State College, PA, and if you happen to be here also, we can be partner and exchange knowledge about motorcycles and work on any problem we might meet together.