Man Down! Help

[Rich86]

I've ran into some trouble with my Kawasaki Eliminator BN 125 Guys/Gals and i need your help.

I had a small issue with the electric start on the bike, pressing the ignition resulted in no spark to start the ignition. So after tracing the cable from the button into the tank, after a slight push the ignition worked, cable appeared to have slightly loosened, so i assumed that to be the problem, and had to do this again twice, after which there has been no problem.

But now i am faced with another problem; I came to leave work Saturday morning and i found that the bike would not pull away out of neutral. As soon as the switch over is made from neutral to first gear and the clutch is slightly released, the bike looses all power, now after having two knowledgable ppl look at it, we came up with either a clutch problem or a fuel block, either carb or main fuel jet. Im really not sure - one is saying one, the other is betting on the other, but even after adjusting the clutch, and opening the filter and spraying carb cleaner into the carb, i am getting no joy -

It did turn out the oil had ran right down, however a litre of Oil later and there was still no change.

Perhaps the carberette needs removing and cleaning, i am uncertain, the fuel doesn't appear to be dirty when u open the petrol cap, so i don't know how anything bad has arrived in the carb. Hopefully the years of experience between the many bikers on this site can help.

Can anyone help. If anyone can do the work, i would happily pay for the labour, i just really need my bike back on the road, i rely on her day in day out for work and leisure.

Its been 3 days and already im missing my ride, ina week i think the void may kill me'~ But before then im hoping the wealth of knowledge between u all can help put this problem to rest. I noticed a decline in the bike over 3 days~ it went from being able to runa little in choke, to not being able to even pull away at all, and it just dies when in choke, so my common sense says its fuel related-~ What do you think?

Rich;~

[Father_Ted]

Bit confused here, does the engine cut out completely when you release the clutch? and does the engine rev up normally in neutral ?

[FJ_Biker]

I know my post on this is not fuel related but have you checked the clutch and side stands switches. We’ve had loads of lovely weather lately to upset them.

[Father_Ted]

Was thinking along the same lines, both of those could be a cause which is why i was trying to get more info, wondered about valve clearances as well.

[Kevinb]

I would certainly look at the side stand switch if it cuts out completely.
I had the same problem on my Bonneville, took the switch off, loads of gunk and then greased it and I haven't had the same problem since.
Get someone to sit on the bike with the side stand up and make sure the piston in the switch moves freely.

Cheers

Kev

[Obzy]

Check all the obvious things like - did you pinch your fuel line when you were fixing that other problem? - is the breather tube for your tank pinched or blocked? I'm not sure what type of carb you have, but usually there's a screw-cap where the throttle cable connects, which in turn basically pulls a pin up and down, which in turn controls amount of fuel etc - make sure that hasn't come loose. Umm, replace the fuel line and fit a filter etc.

If it's ticking over nicely, but loses power when you load the engine, it's very likely a lack of fuel or air. Maybe the tank doesn't have a breather tube - in which case, check to see if the vents in the cap are blocked.

Ummm - maybe a brake caliper seized on??

[Obzy]

One more thing - don't be afraid to get stuck in and take it to bits - it's the only way to learn really. Buy a haynes manual and you'll find a common faults list in the back with remedies. They're usually rated, so you get an idea of how hard the job will be.

Get a big piece of plain card and write 'front' at one end of it. Everything you take off of the bike, put onto the piece of card in a rough estimation of where it was located on the bike. You could even go so far as to label items.

When and if you have to take the carb to bits, just do it slowly and methodically and you'll be fine. Look for signs of 'gumming' - kind of like a brownish film, around the jet/needle etc. You can buy specific carb cleaner stuff from halfords that'll bring it up like new.

Check and eliminate all the simple things first (like I said above).

Oh - just thought - 1st thing to check - take out the plug and check that to see if its either oily or scorchio brown. Oily = Running too rich. Scorchio = Running lean. The trusty haynes manual will show you how to set the mixture. Could also be a problem with water ingress into the coil/ht lead/plug areas.

DONT spray WD40 onto a hot engine - I found out what happens the hard way

Good luck, keep us posted.

[Rich86]

hey guys, well it turned out tobe the switch in the clutch, after deconstructing that, depressing a button, the problem alieviated itself, Thankyou all for your help, as two of you hit the nail on the head, and the others that posted provided detailed and helpful advice.

Thanks for your time and efforts, The scary thing is she seems to run better then she did before~ oh dear lol

Rich'

[furry-TLR]

Aye clutch switches and sidestand switches are a major pain...my bike kept bogging down around 7000 rpm I couldn't suss what it was for ages...checked the battery and electrics all over...replaced the spark coils/leads and plugs with new ones...in the end turned out at high speed my side stand was moving just enough to turn the switch off!!!!!! nightmare...which a 5p crimp fixed LOL