Motorcycle Won’t Start: 11 Possible Reasons (Explained)

If you have to go out and the motorcycle won’t start, then it can trouble you. It may happen during a ride, and you may feel depressed. I have faced this issue multiple times and found that there are several reasons your motorcycle won’t start.

I have therefore decided to discuss with you all of the potential causes and also their solutions. Therefore, you must read these 11 causes if you don’t want to go into difficulties in such a circumstance and if you want to get rid of this, whenever you encounter it.

Sometimes it’s difficult to tell at a glance what the problem is when your motorcycle won’t start. There are also procedures to follow instead of immediately calling a professional when your motorcycle won’t start.

To begin with, check that the battery is really functioning. The primary and most likely cause is that. After that, you may check out your bike and possibly get it working again by following some easy steps.

Why Is My Motorcycle Not Starting?

The most frequent causes of your motorcycle not starting are either a dead battery or an empty fuel tank. A dirty carburetor, a clogged injector, damaged spark plugs or ignition coils, a frozen engine, loose spark plug wires, and a blocked exhaust or intake are a few of the additional potential causes.

The following are all possible reasons why your motorcycle might not be starting:

1. Dirty Carburetor

After engaging the starter, you will need to remove the air intake from your motorcycle and then feed starter fluid straight into the carburetor.

This step is only necessary if your vehicle is equipped with an electric starter.

If the engine turns over but continues to rev higher than normal for a few seconds after starting, this is a sign that the carburetor needs to be cleaned.

2. Clogged Fuel Injector

If you ride your motorcycle quite frequently, then fuel is continually moving through your injector, which finally cleans it as it goes. This occurs because of the constant flow of fuel.

Most of the time, a clogged injector is caused by letting your motorcycle sit for a long time. In the end, this will result in the formation of old fuel that has gelled up, which will clog your injectors and simply prevent fuel from passing through.

If the spark plugs on your motorcycle are working properly and there is gas in the tank, but it has been sitting for a while, the problem is usually a fuel injector that has become blocked.

You also have the option to inspect the fuel injectors by hand. If they appear to be dirty and clogged, this indicates that they either need to be cleaned or replaced.

3. Weak/Dead battery

The motorcycle’s battery serves as its electrical system’s backbone. The battery is the only thing that can power the starter motor on a two-wheeler that can only be started with electricity.

The battery can only start the motor, which requires a pretty high voltage from the battery, if it has enough charge.

It would be unable to use the electric start on a battery that is not very strong.

The engine requires a very high voltage from the battery; therefore, only a battery with enough charge will be able to start it.

Depending on how low your battery is, you might be able to turn the key and activate your blinker if there is still some electricity, although doing so is laboriously slow. 

Your motorcycle won’t even make a sound when you try to start it if your battery is fully dead.

Another occurrence is referred to as a parasitic drain. This happens because motorcycle computers and wiring that isn’t properly grounded slowly drain the battery.

4. Empty Fuel Tank

When the fuel level in your tank drops, it’s difficult to read the gauge, which could be why your motorcycle won’t start. You may then check your motorcycle’s fuel using typical methods.

To check for fuel in the tank, lightly shake the motorcycle while it’s on the main stand and listen for the telltale slosh. You might also use your phone’s flashlight.

5. Clogged Fuel Tank Vent

There is a little hole in the fuel tank of your motorcycle that connects to the intake system and delivers fuel to it. The vent for the gasoline tank is located nearby. 

The majority of Indian motorcycles have the keyhole on the fuel tank cap.

In the event that this vent is obstructed, the tank will not supply the bottom system with fuel. Put a thin wire or pin into the vent, then blow air through it.

6. Engine Cut off Switch

Alternatively, the engine kill or cutoff switch can be replaced with the motorcycle’s ignition key, which can then be used to turn the machine off. 

Because of this, when we use it, there are occasions when we fail to remember to turn off the switch and instead keep trying to start the engine.

7. Clutch Not Engaged

When starting your motorcycle with the transmission in gear, you must pull the clutch lever in the opposite direction of what is normally expected. When this happens, the clutch doesn’t work right, which makes it hard to start driving the car.

8. Blocked Intake or Exhaust 

If the airbox exit or the muffler exit on the motorcycle are covered, it may be difficult to start the motorcycle’s engine. It may be impossible to start the engine if there is something blocking the airbox output. 

This condition may manifest itself as a consequence of anything at all, including the close proximity of pranksters to your immediate surroundings. 

Because of this, you need to check the motorcycle’s intake and exhaust systems to see if they have anything extra that wasn’t mentioned above. 

You can do this by looking at the motorcycle’s air cleaner and exhaust pipe. You are able to accomplish this goal by searching the motorcycle for any other components that might be there.

9. Damaged Spark Plug

There are a number of distinct ways in which a spark plug could create a defect. To begin, the ceramic coating may experience fractures at some point in time. 

When a cracked spark plug is installed, the spark will find the path of least resistance through the crack and ground out to your engine block rather than travel all the way down to the end of the spark plug and jump across the gap as it is supposed to do. 

This will cause your engine to run less efficiently.

Fouling is another way that a spark plug can become faulty. If you are running too lean, which means there is not enough gas, or too rich, which means there is too much gas, then it will dirty up the tip of your spark plug and it will not ignite correctly. 

Running lean means there is not enough gas, and running rich means there is too much gas.

The third reason why a spark plug cannot work properly is because the gap between the center electrode and the side electrode, also known as the distance between the two points, might not be the ideal size. If the gap is too large or too small, the spark plug won’t work properly.

10. Loose Spark Plug Wire

You can tell by looking at them if the wires connecting the spark plugs are loose or not.

Look carefully for a split in the plastic by moving your head in different directions. A motorcyclist is not likely to find it to be an unfamiliar experience. 

It is possible for motorcycle jerks to do this. 

You don’t need the assistance of a mechanic to resolve this problem. 

You can first start the motorcycle by disconnecting the loose connectors and then reconnecting them after it has been started.

11. Due to Cold Weather

Only motorcycles with carburetors can be hurt by this, since fuel-injected motorcycles are usually immune to its effects. 

This only applies to motorcycles with carburetors. Your motorcycle will sound as though it is trying to start, but the turning sounds will probably seem a little slower than typical.

If your motorcycle is kept at too low a temperature, the gasoline will not completely evaporate when it is combined with air; as a result, combustion will not take place as it should.

Sometimes ice will form inside the carburetor, and this will prevent the mixture of fuel and air from passing through certain areas of the device. When the engine is at the proper temperature, the gas is able to catch fire more readily.

Conclusion

If any of the aforementioned problems occur, your motorcycle won’t start. If you are aware of all the causes, getting rid of them will be simple. You will be troubled if you choose not to read them. I hope this post has provided you with enough knowledge to help you get out of this predicament.