Starting issues. K7

[ringfeder3]

Towards the end of a recent long ride, my bike began to display some starting problems.

I rode almost 5000 km in 8 days and everything went well.

The morning after one very hot (40 degrees c) day, and a few hours spent in stop/start traffic,  the motor sounded like it wanted to start but wouldn't quite catch.

I turned the ignition on and off several times which primed the system and the bike sputtered into life.  It ran well all day.

Next morning (yesterday) , much cooler temperature, same issue. I got it going the same way.

Today, the last morning of the ride, it was a bastard to start. Took a good ten minutes to get it to start and idle by itself. Weather was cool and wet. Previous day 650 km highway running.

The bike has just clocked over 60k. Full service history. Replacement fuel pump mid 2019. Run on either 95 or 98 octane fuel.

Motor pulls strongly. Starts fine during day.

I'm thinking some type of vapour lock but I thought this was associated with hot conditions.

Please explain diagnostics in simple terms as I am somewhat mechanically challenged..🤣

[KiwiCol]

Starting is plugs & fuel.  Figure the plugs are ok as you say it runs fine during the day & pulls strong, so that leaves fuel.  Now it wouldn't pull strong if it were short of fuel, but there is a different map for starting. I wonder if the ecu is stuck on the 'run' map & isn't engaging the 'start' map.  If so, that would explain the hard starting but good day running once hot.

How you'd check for this, I'm not at all sure, but I know it should increase revs just as you let the clutch out, that's the maps swapping over.

You wouldn't have changed to aftermarket levers by chance would you?  Sometimes the fit & adjustment of these can have an effect on the clutch switch.

Hope you get to the bottom of it.

[grog]

Check your battery.

[ringfeder3]

Standard levers. New battery 3 months ago...

[gsxbarmy]

Check your clutch switch terminals are clean. Its the clutch switch that "allows" the map to swap between start and run, and normally they either work or don't but I guess its always possible that it may work to allow you to start your bike, but not be switching between the maps.

If you take it off, underneath is a very small hole - I'd spray some contact cleaner in there and then re-assemble to see if that makes any difference.

[ringfeder3]

Cleaned clutch plug. Haven't started bike for 4 or 5 days. This morning, after numerous 'on-off primes, the motor kicked over, ran like a pig and stalled as soon as throttle was applied. This went on for 20 mins. Will not idle properly. Fuelly smell. Strangly, did the 5000 km ride last week effortlessly ....

[Snapey]

The pressure regulator has dislodged. Replace and wire the clip.

[ringfeder3]

Where do I find the pressure regulator?

[KiwiCol]

In the tank on the fuel pump.

[Snapey]

Look at number 2. The regulator is held in by the plastic clip (the part pictured right) and they are renowned for letting go allowing the regulator to come out of it's mount. http://www.mickhone.com.au/partFinder/fiche/suzuki/2005/gsx1400/fuel-pump#next

[KiwiCol]

Here's a link to a thread on here regarding the same thing.

https://gsx1400owners.org/forum/index.php?topic=1610.0

[ringfeder3]

Thank you all . will advise of an outcome in due course.