Advice Please

[sbute]

I have a coworker who is selling his 2005 FSE 450. He let me take it for the last couple of weeks and I have been riding mainly mountain trails etc. I really like the motorcycle but I have noticed two issues with the bike:

1. It is hard to start with the electric start and impossible with the kickstart - I have read several posts in this forum and can see it may be a number of things causing this issue. One friend of mine told me to pull the throttle all the way back and engage the electric starter - this seems to work fairly well.

2. I park the motorcycle inside my garage and my garage smells heavily with gas fumes. Any ideas??

My coworker says he will sell it to me for $3200. Is this a fair price?

Any advice is appreciated. Thanks.

 

[MattR]

The hard starting could be something as simple as a weak battery. Does he keep the bike on a battery tender when not riding? My Husky SM610 always wants a strong battery. My stock battery began to fail and when the voltage drop too low, it simply shut down completely. You could take the battery to an automotive shop and have them perform a battery strength test (putting a load on the battery). Many times a bad battery can hold a surface charge but quickly drain under load.

I can't really comment on the throttle twist before starting relative to EFI bikes. My Husky has a carb, but needs a couple short twists to give a fresh charge into the carb. When my bike sits, a couple twists are needed on a cold start. If I regularly ride the bike, then only the choke is needed. Again, an EFI bike may be completely different. Hopefully, others will chime in.

 

[bergerhag]

I used a good couple of hours to learn the kick start technique...
Here it is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NrwvStxwsX4

It shouldn't smell of gas, check the pressure fuel lines for leaks.

When using e-start, if it does not start in two seconds, release the start button, and wait until the pump stops again. Then give it another go.
Full throttle starts might work, but there is a risk that you put unnecessary force on your starter motor if it backfires. I had my starter motor twist itself so that the front and rear flanks no longer were aligned. The long screws dented the internal sleeve covering the magnetos so badly it came in contact with the rotor, making the starter motor use excessive power, leaving the EFI without sufficent voltage to drive the ignition coil. Only kickstart worked.

 

[GasGas]

If it starts better with the throttle cracked, the valves may need to be adjusted. My 03 was the same way. The cams and or shim buckets are crap on these bikes and may only last 1 hard season of riding. Pop the valve cover off and give the cam lobs a good inspection for wear, and check the clearance while your there.