Bandit 600 idle and low revs problem...

Help & Advice
1

So My bandit that I have owned for a little over a month started playing up a few weeks ago with various problems:

http://londonbikers.com/forums/938138/i-need-a-favour

http://londonbikers.com/forums/937210/bandit-600-starting-problems.-please-help

I have now followed various manuls/help/advice including draining my airbox and giving the carbs a complete clean!

She now seems to start first time… although she wont idle longer than 2minutes. and she struggles at low revs… I have tried the idle adjuster too but no luck!

2

Jesus mate… You wanna sell that bike sharpish! Sounds like nothing but trouble!

3

How did you clean the carbs? Did you take the jets out and give them a good clean?

4

Have you checked the plugs? one of them night have failed (but I’m useless with a spanner so get a second opinion from someone with an ounce of mechanical sense)

5

Moto King:Not balanced them, but my friend got his new clocks today so hopefully have a look at that on friday too!

And in regards to the pier I did actually look at the blow torch after she failed… Again!

Conrad: I completely cleaned them! diapragms/floats/jets/seals you name it, the in side is shiny as new! (thats the only picture I took of the mafter the cleaning procces!)

Dan:I havent tried the sparks as I dont actually have a tool that fits, I did wonder about them a few days ago but a friend said they are only to fire it up, once its running they just sit there… or is this not the case?

6

Your mate is talking about glow plugs in a diesel engine. A petrol engine won’t run without a spark.

When you put the carbs back together did you screw the jets back in to the exact same number of turns as before? This will affect the petrol/air mix…

They will also need balancing after having been removed and rebuilt.

Nice cleaning job though! Good on you for getting stuck in

7

Same number of turns? huh? The only ones I done for the exact amount of turns was the little screw on the left next to the gold pin… (9 o’clock) The actual jets inside I just tighten back up in there…

(I do feel proud actually getting them off - apart - cleaned - back together - ON MY OWN - & it still starts…) okay it still dont work… but it starts!

8
9

As a matter of interest do you know if the previous owner had the carbs off for any purpose recently or had been playing around with them?

Also can you answer the following

Plugs are clean?

Sparking?

Fuel getting through the fuel line?

Clean Fuel in tank?

Fuel tap working well?

If the answer is yes to all the above then sounds like it MAY be a mixture problem (which is easily sorted). Does she start, idle with a bit of gentle encouragement on the throttle, run for 2 minutes, then die and wont start straight away again but after a ‘rest’ (more than 5 minutes) will start? ALSO WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU START IT AND REALLY PLAY WITH THE THROTTLE, HOW LONG DOES SHE RUN FOR? Sorry didn’t mean to shout at you with that last bit of typing bloody fckin% sh%$ caps lock button, when they gonna invent an audible tone that tells you that caps lock is on!?:sick:

10

to check if all cylinders are running feel the downpies after running, all should be similarly hot, if 1 is cold then theres your answer.

didnt you put new endcan on? was it of b4?

11

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cadKDhIKGAs&feature=g-upl Here is a Little video of whats happening

If one downpipe is cold, how do I fix it?

12

I cant confirm plugs are clean or sparking because I dont have a tool that fits, but paperwork I have says new spark plugs 600miles ago.

Fuel seems to be going through ok,

Clean tank and the tap seems to be working ok.

13

if 1 downpipe or more is cold then it aint firing on that cylinder, either no fuel or plug aint sparking, if on 2 cylinders it could be the coil, the way to see if coils is to swap em over and then see if the pipes that were not hot are now hot.

when i say swap over i dont mean the plug caps, swap over the leads from 1 coil onto the other from electrcal system, b4 doing that get a spark plug spanner and check plugs

if you not got tool for spark plugs how do you know they are clean? fuelling could be crap and fouling plugs only way to check is take plug out, should be a brownish colour

14

watched vid sounds like not firing, you touched downpipe was that 1 cold?

start from beginning, clean plugs see if any different.

is choke ok/stuck on on have you hindered choke cable? i changed bars 1ce and choke cable was a bit tight thus pulling choke a little at all times, plugs would fail easy and run rough and not fire properly

15

I have changed all the plugs, now all the pipes are equally hot, but still wont idle…

I did ride it to the bike shop to buy the sparks, halfway home she cut out and wouldnt fire at all, i left her for around 20mins and she fired (although very spluttery) then idled fine, rode again for about 2miles and she died. waited 20mins an she started etc etc… got home changed all the spark plugs (after finding aload of stones over spark no 3, romoved them before taking the spark plug out)

My solution:

16

Just disconnected the choke from the carb… no change

17

Does a mk 1 bandit have a diagnostic plug?

18

No diagnostics, don’t be silly

Sounds like its running rich to me, and the carbs certainly need a balance after a rebuild.

Step one. Run the engine for a good few minutes
Step two. Turn off engine, take ALL the plugs out (hot be careful) and inspect each one.
Step three. Report back your findings

19

Had a friend come round last night who is studying mechanics he said it smells rich, hes going to come round during the week and adjust it all… (once i get some time off work!!!) starting to seem like itl be easier to sell it and buy a new one!!!

20

I cant take the plugs out… the tool is at my friends house and for some reason out of all my tools I dont have a socket long enough to fit! :blush:

But… I did fire her up just now and noticed a slight spitting nose… I put my race can onto the end of my stock can and realised its actually backfiring (when Idle) ever so slightly… does this help work it out?