CB55)K3 starting conundrum

[Ashdowner]

Always had trouble starting my K3 when it's been left any time. However, it starts first time just after the battery has been charged. The battery is less than a year old, and generally registers 12.2v but 12.6v when it's settled down after a charge - which is when it starts no problem. Surely 0.4v can't be the difference between starting and non-starting? It's got the original voltage regulator and rectifier and electronic ignition. Has anyone else experienced this?

[steff750]

Surely 0.4v can't be the difference between starting and non-starting?

i was told years ago by a old lecky if it reads 12.6 volts then the battery is good anything under that is basicly a dead or dying battery.i have a battery that reads 12.6 volts but after about five quick starts of the engine on the button it barely reads 11.0 volts and will not crank the engine and needs to be kick started or recharged but the engine starts just as easy ,do you have a alarm fitted or anything like electronic ignition?
you say that you leave the bike over a period of time? if it is not charged every month it will be junk in no time does it have white spots in any of the cells, i would say the battery is shot or you have a dead cell, it should show 12.6 volts even if left standing overnight or even for a few weeks
get a new one  i have seen batteries barely out live their 12 months warranty ,the battery is the heart of a bike even more so on modern bikes with fuel injection and computers .i myself have had two new batteries this year
at least you might end your starting problems 

[totty]

Use the kick start, when cranking you can get a voltage drop below the minimum for some electronic ignitions,  but good ones are ok down to 9v.
Try following the cold start procedure, ignition off, full choke and throttle for a couple of kicks then ignition on and start as normal.

[peterengland]

Is it a gel battery? if not get one, bike will crank all day.

[Ashdowner]

I suppose I'm now pretty confused. When I first got the bike and tried to sort it out I took the carbs off and opened them up. No 2 carb (from the left of the bike) was pretty gunged-up in the float bowl (the other 3 were fine). It was the only pot with an exhaust pipe that wasn't blue at the head suggesting that it was running cooler than the rest, and it was the one that only got going once the bike had warmed up. I had the carbs ultrasonic cleaned and put it all back together, and I think it was better, but it has now reverted to it's original state and pot 2 stutters until the bike is warm. I've replaced the plugs, got electronic ignition, wondered if it could be the battery, and I'm still not out of the woods. I haven't yet taken the carbs off again to check them, and as pot 4 fires fine I'm assuming it's not the coil or condenser. Any further thoughts in the meantime would be welcome.

[mike the bike]

I can't see how the battery would cause a malfunction in one pot and not the others.   An ignition fault is more likely to cause 2 pots to fail unless it's the HT cap - try swapping 2 and 3.  I'm thinking you could have low compression on pot 2.  Worth checking.

[Johnwebley]

check the coil,if the leads are long enough,try putting 2-3 on 1-4,and vise-versa,

I found I had a faulty coil,it would cut out when it got warm,

[Ashdowner]

I can't see how the battery would cause a malfunction in one pot and not the others.   An ignition fault is more likely to cause 2 pots to fail unless it's the HT cap - try swapping 2 and 3.  I'm thinking you could have low compression on pot 2.  Worth checking.

Just got myself a compression tester so I'll give it a whirl.