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Some how managed to stall the bike this morning and then flood it. Tried leaving it, tried starting with throttle wide etc etc but just wouldn't fire. Just got very strong petrol smell and then battery started to get low (dash reset!) called the AA who got here in about 40 minutes. He whacked a booster pack on and tried to crank it no joy. He then managed to get two plugs out from the left side which were soaked in petrol. He dried them and heated them shoved them back and tried again. Still no joy. So he says I will have to call our technical department. They didn't seem to have much info on the Falco think he wanted to know how to shut the fuel pump off. Anyway he was just about to (reluctantly) lift the fuel tank when he tried her again. At last with a splutter of petrol and a few coughs she fired up.

Just come back from a hour run up to box hill (through the fog) put battery on charge and keeping fingers crossed for tom morning.

Have faith. Charge the battery and it will be fine. The Falco will flood if if you have a starting failure caused by a low battery. Once flooded, it takes a bit to start it up again. I know this from experience. I really must get round to replacing the battery; its been in since the bike was made, in 2001 and constant nursing with the trickle charger means that I have extended its life beyond reasonable expectation...

.... had a routine job done on the thing a few months ago and went to pick it up and spanner monkeys couldn't start it - basically going through the same palavver as the AA encounter above. Finally, with an explosive backfire and a half metre flash of flame, the big blue bitch woke up... quite entertaining in a pyrotechnic way... if I hadn't had to wait almost an hour for it to start.

would like to have seen that flame.
Did something almost similar here just before new years evening. My Battery was flat, and i had some help to push the bike inside our hall (its on its way to the living room now). Charged the bitch and i couldnt resist to check if it would start... it fired up instantly with a roar and a bang, the rest of the family in the livingroom got their shock of the day. Had to promise never to do that again...but it is tempting though.

Finn

in my experience AA and RAC bods rarely have any bike knowledge - if it's obvious they can manage but they will prod the wrong thing - unplug rather important plugged in bits and then ask if it's a 175cc (they heard about it once from their grandad)
They also send van recovery to 'tow' a scooter with a flat (off the rim) tyre

finn wrote:would like to have seen that flame.
Did something almost similar here just before new years evening. My Battery was flat, and i had some help to push the bike inside our hall (its on its way to the living room now). Charged the bitch and i couldnt resist to check if it would start... it fired up instantly with a roar and a bang, the rest of the family in the livingroom got their shock of the day. Had to promise never to do that again...but it is tempting though.

Finn

...once owned a 600cc single that would backfire like a shotgun in a barrel if you revved it then hit the kill switch. In my dickhead youth I enjoyed making an 'entrance' at cafes etc with that blammm. Am sure I wasn't doing good things for the engine ... some things don't change

k1w1boy wrote:

finn wrote:would like to have seen that flame.
Did something almost similar here just before new years evening. My Battery was flat, and i had some help to push the bike inside our hall (its on its way to the living room now). Charged the bitch and i couldnt resist to check if it would start... it fired up instantly with a roar and a bang, the rest of the family in the livingroom got their shock of the day. Had to promise never to do that again...but it is tempting though.

Finn

...once owned a 600cc single that would backfire like a shotgun in a barrel if you revved it then hit the kill switch. In my dickhead youth I enjoyed making an 'entrance' at cafes etc with that blammm. Am sure I wasn't doing good things for the engine ... some things don't change

Ahhh, kill switch backfires - a thing of the past now we have EFI.

A bit like farting really - infantile and antisocial, but never fails to raise a smile.

Funny I was watching an RAC guy with an RSV on a garage forecourt last week, the guy couldn't start it having filled up and my it was a bloody cold day i thought he was brave man
Anyhow I was watching with great interest whilst having coffee. I was wondering what the problem was when my nose got the better of me
I couldn't help myself I just had to ask? Apparently the rider thought he had duff petrol the RAC guy was about to get it picked up having tried to start it with no joy. I noticed both rider and RAC giving it great twists of throttle
I persuaded them to let me try.... clutch in throttle held wide open, cold start closed and lights off cough bang spit growl.. my how they jumped..sweet Love it when you can show of your experience and seperiorety...

got me a new battery £75 from my local dealer. now tell me i was ripped off

dont know, but the price here is between 56 and 88 pounds so...

Finn

Yuasa from Halfords was about £55 last year.

i can get non branded for about £25 trade,still with a good warrenty

I was told by the chap at Unity Motor Spares that due to a shortage of lead battery prices were going up. But i might have been lead down the garden path.

Syltiz wrote:I was told by the chap at Unity Motor Spares that due to a shortage of lead battery prices were going up. But i might have been lead down the garden path.

no he's being honest prices have shot up.

ibicker wrote:got me a new battery £75 from my local dealer. now tell me i was ripped off

you were riped off mate