[z33tec]

So I've been having an intermittent issue of my bike stalling after I start it up. I start it up, and it will idle real weak, drop to around 1100-1200 at the most before rising up to around 1300 where it idles smoothly (if it doesn't just stall after dropping to 1100.) If I start it back up again, it will drop right to around 1300 and idle fine. Bike ran fine otherwise.

Even though they shouldn't need to be changed, the 7.5k service calls for the plugs to be changed. I figured, what the hell, I'll change them and switch to the iridiums (CR8EIX.) Plugs came out looking like this:

The 2 blacker ended ones were both in the front

New vs. Old

I've only started the bike up once and went for one short ride. I'm not one to jump to conclusions but it did seem to start up better and run smoother.

Some background info... It's an 08 DL650 that I bought last year with only 1400 miles or so. It was barely ridden. I previously bought a bike in a similar situation. It only had a few hundred miles on it but was about 5 years old. That bike refused to start shortly after I bought it because the plugs were fouled so bad. I assume the owners tend to start these bikes up and not ride them, thinking that this is helping the bike rather than letting it sit. I think this causes the plugs to foul up fairly quickly.

What do you guys think? Do you think these plugs might have had something to do with my intermittent start up issue?

PS. I will definitely report back once I have ridden it more on the new plugs.

 

[z33tec]

UPDATE: So this mornings startup wasn't too awe inspiring. It didn't stall but it did almost-instantly drop down to about 1100-1200 RPM and slowly come up to about 1300. The high idle on cold start doesn't appear to be working as far as I'm concerned. It should slowly settle down from a higher RPM, even if it's warm out. It shouldn't drop a couple hundred lower and then slowly rise up.

So far I have changed the plugs, cleaned the air filter as best I could, put the bike into dealer mode to see if there were any codes thrown (there weren't), and put some seafoam in the current tank of gas (never used it before, it was more of a shot in the dark if anything.)

The only other thing in the 7500 mile service that I haven't done is the throttle body synch. If the TB's are out of synch, could that cause startup issues? I wouldn't think so.. but what do I know.

Other than the less than ideal startup, the bike runs perfect. Not sure what to do next other than TBS. The TPS line was in the middle when I put the bike in dealer mode with the engine off. Not sure if it has to be running in order for the TPS line to mean anything though. TPS adjustment was another thought I had that maybe it needed, but doesn't look like it.

I want my strong, high idle start back

 

[ozart]

Your spark plugs look normal. The oem's should easily last for 50,000 miles.

 

[Guest]

Your spark plugs look normal. The oem's should easily last for 50,000 miles.

As much as I'm not an expert, I have to strongly agree with Ozart. Plugs shouldn't foul unless there is a mechanical deficiency causing an issue.
Have you had a chance to run the bike for long distances?

(not expert advice here) I'm thinking a ride of 6 or 8 hours at 5000 rpm should tell you more about the plugs and may flush any guck from the fuel system if there is any there.
My wife just told me that's my cure for all mechanical problems.

 

[lharrell79]

Your plugs look fine. However, I think you should be idling higher during warm up mode. My DL1000 usually idles around 1500rpm, and after about 30 seconds, it will slowly com down to 1200rpm.

Lucas

 

[swell accell]

I would try some Sea-foam,, or other fuel additive,,, and run the bike hard,,, meaning up and down the rpm range and dif speeds,,,,

 

[Jimding]

Maybe

When you said 'clean the air filter', what did you mean? The OEM filter is disposable ( I suppose you could vacuum off the big crap) but if the bike was ridden in really dusty conditions, I suppose the filter could be loaded up. If you have a K&N, too much oil could cause a restriction, leading to a rich condition. I'd agree, go out and run it a 70 for a half hour, then take another look. Tough to get these bikes to run rich. Possibility of a dirty injector or two (fuel comes out in drops, not spray) which the Sea-Foam may address, although I prefer Techron.

 

[ozart]

As much as I'm not an expert, I have to strongly agree with Ozart. Plugs shouldn't foul unless there is a mechanical deficiency causing an issue.

Welcome to the minority.

 

[Tall Man]

Plug chop

One of the most reliable methods I've used for confirming the diagnosistic accuracy of spark plug problems, to include ignition and/or fuel mixture issues, is to perform a "plug chop". I'll describe the method below. (I grant that, due to access issues, chopping plugs on a DL can be darn inconvenient.)

-With the engine cold, start the bike and ride it to get everything up to normal operating temperatures.

-Choose a road that allows you to ride the motorcycle at your regular riding speed for at least 15 minutes or so.

-Identify, in advance, a safe place to pull the motorcycle off the road.

-At the 15 minute point, and whilst still riding at normal speed, pull in the clutch and concurrently depress the engine kill switch. Pull over.

-Immediately remove the spark plug(s) from the cylinder(s) that you believe are troublesome. Examine for telltale signs of malfunction or other issues.

 

[richw]

Its the gas man

Pour the gas out of the tank


New fresh stabilized gas with seafoam

Ride for 1/2 hour

Turn off

Next day will run fine

 

[Chuck_U_Farley]

Its the gas man

Pour the gas out of the tank


New fresh stabilized gas with seafoam

Ride for 1/2 hour

Turn off

Next day will run fine

+1 sounds like stale fuel. Seafoam is good stuff.

 

[hornetguy]

I know this is an old post, but I just now found it.
My 06 Wee has been exhibiting the same symptoms. I took it down for maintenance, replaced plugs, checked K&N air filter, checked valve clearances, did a throttle body balance, oil change, etc...
Mine started up fine, but after about 5-10 sec of high idle, it would slow down to 1000 or slightly less, actually sounding like it was going to stall. It also smells very rich during this time. After it warms up to at least one bar on the gauge, it idles normally.
I've gone back through it, making sure I didn't miss anything. I've run two tanks of gas with Seafoam through it. After I went back through it, I even started it up without an air filter, to eliminate a clogged filter being an issue.
I talked to a mechanic at a local dealership, and he suggested I go back in and check/replace the plugs, because it sounds like a plug issue. Maybe cracked ceramic, or bad gap? I put in NGK's.. the CR8's. I didn't see much of a good way to adjust the gap on them... I just tried to verify they were close to correct.

Any updates on what could be causing this?