uh oh

[rybes]

well after an breakdown in hamburg 2 weeks ago the temp finally dropped enough for me to go have a look at the bike. the starter spins without engagin the engine, so im guessin thats the starter clutch gone. tried to bump start it but all that happened was the engine turned over in gear but wouldnt start. was almost like the ignition was turned off, but it wernt.
no idea whats wrong with it as when it died it was as if the carbs had iced up. so this week ill be takin it apart to find out whats wrong. im tryin not to think that the engine has died totally. 

[ram33]

when my sprag went there was a loud banging in the engine when trying to start (when the rollers slipped i guess)

ive seen someone bump start a bike before by putting 2 bikes together on c/stands with back wheels touching and good bike running in gear to turn the non starters back wheel

[rf9rider]

Hope it aint too serious mate.

[Nick Calne]

Bad luck Rybes. Hope it works out ok.

[Bixxer Bob]

When the sprag went on my Trident it just spun up with a light rattly sound, no severe knocks or scrapes at all.  good luck with it.

[rybes]

well, i cant work out whats up. havnt taken it out yet as i havnt had time. can a pick up sensor die completly while its runnin ? as at the moment it turns over if bumped but by the sound of it it has no spark. if the worse comes to the worse and i have to sit it up for a while. whats the best way to store the tank, full or empty ?

[ssevy]

I suppose any electrical item has the potential of failing instantly, but these sealed units and their construction would make it more likely that you would see some symptoms before total failure. A loose connection, however, would give you instant failure. You already know the drill:  air, fuel and spark. You could pull a plug wire and ground an extra spark plug where you could watch it while it cranks. An induction timing light should also reveal whether you are getting juice through the wires.

As for storage, I fill both of my bikes with ethanol free fuel, and dump in some Star Tron before putting them up for the winter. They sit from late November until late March most years, and they always start within 15 seconds of cranking them when I get them out in the Spring. I have had no storage issues since going with the Star Tron, even when all I had was ethanol added gasoline for the winter storage.

[rybes]

i cant check for spark the normal way ssevy, as the starter wont engage the engine. so i need a way to find out if it sparks without turnin the engine over. just before it died it acted as if the carbs were freezin, then it cleared and died half a mile later.

does anyone know a way of checkin the cdi ?

[Sin_Tiger]

Other than sticking on another T400 or using the Triumph diagnosis I can't think of one unless Mustang knows some tricks.

[ssevy]

Sorry, I was responding to #5. I had read the earlier stuff a while ago, but had not gone back to review the original problem. I have seen the hill climbing bikes started with a portable air wrench on the crankshaft nut. Never looked to close, but assume they must have an external clutch arrangement.
With the CDI, you can't see points opening and closing. On an ignition system with points, you can check for spark easily.
I think you need to get the starter cranking and engaging before you can go any further.