HELP! Bike won't start, need advice

[HOHO]

Has anyone out there had a similar problem.  When starting the X500 I get a "poof" where it sounds like it's going to ignite and then it just turns over not wanting to start.  I tried this for 20 minutes with the same result and couldn't get it started.  I had it picked up and brought to the garage (also had a grinding sound when at low speed) and it's been there a week and they can't find the problem.  The first day it got there they turned the key and it started right up so they couldn't find any problem because it was transitory but working fine then.  The day I was supposed to go pick it up they tried it again and it started.  Tried it one more time and it hasn't started since.  He seems to be stumped.  Any ideas what it could be?  Has someone had this problem before.  Please Help.  Thanks

[htcneil2]

Air filter needs to be swapped?

[BettinANDlosing]

Is it fuel injected? The RI xciting is so damn picky to how you start it, you HAVE to wait to let the fuel pump prime (usually about 8 seconds). And that bike NEEDS a very happy battery. The YTX14 is boarder line too small for the 500cc engine.

[24auhr]

Iv got the same problem HOHO
before i bought it they put in a new starter motor
iv bought a new battery , bought a new battery manager to trickle charge the battery , tried the vacuume lock trick , checked the air filter , all i have to do now is either take it to the shop or pull the fairing off and and start looking at the fuel filter and pump myself


im really disapointed with this bug because now it only starts 1 out of every 4 or 5 days 

[24auhr]

i forgot to mention that i used an injector cleaner and took it for a really long ride

it still wouldnt start the next day 

[24auhr]

As an experiment today , i hooked up the scooter to my running car with jumper cables , still no luck but that rules out battery issues
i have also found what might be the right terminology for this issue - "crank no start" 
it is often related to cars with heat problems but that seems to be the opposite for me , when i do get the scooter started it will run all day
when it rests for a while like overnight is when i wont start again .

[zombie]

Could be a failing IAC (idle air control) It's a circuit that acts like an auto choke. I would check for voltage there first. If there is no voltage then it could be the Temp sender has failed or the ECM.

Do you have a service manual?

[BettinANDlosing]

First off NEVER hook a scooter up to a running car. Lucky you didn't fry anything. Second try what I said before and let me know if anything changes. Turn on the key, wait 10-15 seconds for fuel system to prime, then try starting. If it doesn't start don't just try cranking more, rest the fuel system by turning off the key then back on then wait 10 seconds again. Let me know if this starts. I had a customer that had the EXACT same thing happening with his RI. I could start it every time, him, not so much. We ended up consigning it for him, next owner had no issues starting it. With the Xciting, if it doesn't start first crank it's not going to start. Key off key on try again.

[24auhr]

Betting and losing
"never hook up a scoot to a running car" ,,,,, good advice , wish id heard it sooner . luckly nothing terible happened

i guess i also missread your last post about starting sequence
i have been letting it "prime" before cranking all the time , mostly because i thought it might be a fuel priming issue
i will go try that right now -- key on, 10 secs, crank - key off ,,,,  key on, 10 secs, crank - key off
(bear with me a moment)----------

ok on the second try it allmost caught , the again on the sixth , i crank for about 4-6 seconds and giving about ten - fifteen secs beofre trying again.
i gave up on the tenth


Hi Zombie , yes iv got a service manual that i found on a french site , all the pdfs were named french but the insides were all english , i just renamed them to what the inside titles were
is the IAC an easy access ?

[zombie]

Look at this link... http://www.shopwest60cycle.com/OEMPartfinder.htm#%2fKymco_USA%2fLDA0AB_MXU_500i_IRS%2fE09_-_THROTTLE_BODY%2c_ASSY.%2f04%7c%7e26%7c%7e0005%2f04%7c%7e26%7c%7e0019

Part number 39700 is your Iac. Test for voltage by turning on the key with a digital volt meter across the wire terminals. Do NOT use a test light or analog type meter.

When the bike is cold it should show a positive voltage. I am not sure if it will show if the bike is warm or exactly what the voltage should be. Maybe the manual states this but there should be voltage.
You can also remove the Iac, and verify if the plunger is moving. Read the manual to see if they describe this step.

The second thing you can try is remove the Maf sensor (#39500), and spray off the two wire elements at the tip with some Carb Cleaner (spray can stuff). There should be TWO tiny light bulb type wires in the tip of that sensor. Sometimes they simply get dirty or one of the wires breaks. They sense the intake air. If that sensor fails the computer does not think the bike is trying to start.

Just to round it all off the TPS (#34300) should show somewhere around 0.5 volts. I believe that is a ONE wire sensor but maybe not. If it is two wire just measure across the two. If it is One wire measure the wire as + voltage, and ground the meter to the engine.

Taking out the pet carrier is needed to get to all of this stuff.

[24auhr]

Hi , are there any 500 fairing removal videos ? im scared of breaking the tabs
im still waiting for some bits from the guy at the shop , air filter oil filter spark plug and o rings ,
i bought a digital volt meter just the other day and im getting ready to take the scooter apart and look for the bits explained by  Zombie

zombie what do you mean by "pet carrier" ?

im reasonably handy with a spanner and have torque wrenches so i dont see any harm comming from me in the engine department

[zombie]

Pet carrier is the term for the under seat storage compartment. I believe the only tools you will need are a 10mm/8mm/Phillips head driver. I use 1/4" drive tools only on the small hardware. No 3/8's or 1/2" stuff.

This vid isn't much help but it may put you at ease some. It's easy common sense stuff but it can be aggravating.



Same for this one... I just put them up to calm your nerves...

[24auhr]

Nice vids , thankyou very much ,i found a little disturbing vid though , a guy in i think africa was having the same problem and had to finaly get the motor replaced after 3 years in and out of the shop , warning this vid is painfull to listen to , he REALLY needs to charge his battery , anyway he has 4 vids all about the same problem

his accent is almost australian but slightly different----------   

[BettinANDlosing]

That video is restarted and shows exactly how you shouldn't treat an x500. These bikes WON'T START WITH A LOW BATTERY!!!!!!!!!!! Period. Also his bike sound f&%$#@ up other than the battery too.

[zombie]

It did sound like one cylinder had compression while the other did not.