Is this normal?

[SKYFLIX]

I've had my new Tracer for about three weeks now (about 200 miles total) and I've been observing that it takes about 2-3 seconds of starter for the engine to come to life when the bike has been sitting overnight, and even them I sometimes I have to hit the starter a second time. The bike doesn't do this when warm. it starts right up without issue. I haven't noticed any other issues with how she runs. Is this normal or should I have it checked out?

[kilo3]

Nope, I do wait till the screen fully boots however. Not sure if that has any effect.

[roadrash83]

@SKYFLIXYou have to give the fuel pump a few second to run to build pressure for the injectors. the fuel system will bleed down over night.

[SKYFLIX]

That makes sense. I've been waiting for whatever that electrical power on sound is to stop (I thought it was the fuel pump) before trying to turn it over. But I have NOT been waiting for the screen to fully boot. I had last taken it out about 6 hours ago, and I just went out there and waited for the screen to fully boot, and it fired up absolutely fine. I'll try it again tomorrow morning once it's sat a little longer, waiting a little longer before turning it over. Thanks for the heads up team.

[Torbeach]

After owning a couple of Yamaha motorcycles I was used to them firing up almost instantly upon pushing the starter however when I bought the Tracer 900 last year I found as you did that it took 2 to 3 seconds or even more to start up even after letting the fuel pump run.  It happened only when the bike was cold from sitting over night or for a couple of days, otherwise the bike would start instantly. I made an appointment with the dealer to have them check it under warranty and even showed them a video of what was happening. They said it was probably normal but did some tests and said they could find nothing wrong and charged me for the service. Later in the year I connected leads for a battery tender to the battery and made sure the connection was tight. From that point forward the bike started much better and without the 2 to 3 second cranking. Even this year when I brought the bike out from winter storage it started right up. Not sure what changed and can only surmise the battery connections were loose when I originally picked up the bike. 

[SKYFLIX]

Well now that IS very interesting, because as ironic as it sounds, I installed my battery tender cable at lunch today as well, and I observed that the screws weren't very tight initially. I'm very curious to see how it responds in the morning after a longer sit. Will report back.

[betoney]

3 hours ago, SKYFLIX said:

I've had my new Tracer for about three weeks now (about 200 miles total) and I've been observing that it takes about 2-3 seconds of starter for the engine to come to life when the bike has been sitting overnight, and even them I sometimes I have to hit the starter a second time. The bike doesn't do this when warm. it starts right up without issue. I haven't noticed any other issues with how she runs. Is this normal or should I have it checked out?

Just as a point of reference, my '15 still has the original battery and starts instantly hot or cold.  I have never had to 'crank' the motor to get it to start.  If I am not going to be riding for several weeks or prolonged winter break then it has the battery tender attached.

[duhs10]

3 hours ago, betoney said:

Just as a point of reference, my '15 still has the original battery and starts instantly hot or cold.  I have never had to 'crank' the motor to get it to start.  If I am not going to be riding for several weeks or prolonged winter break then it has the battery tender attached.

Mine acts the same except that I am on my 2nd battery.

[SKYFLIX]

Well call me a monkey's uncle. I went out this morning after the bike had set over 14 hours. I followed my normal startup procedure, waiting for the fuel pump to finish pressurizing the FI system. But I just waited an extra second or so for the dash screen to finish it's procedure, hit the starter button, and she fired right up. So it's either that extra second, or the fact that I tightened up the battery connectors yesterday (unlikely) that did it. Thanks everyone for the insights. I love this forum.

[maximo]

10 hours ago, duhs10 said:

Mine acts the same except that I am on my 2nd battery.

Same here. The end of battery #1 came at a very unfortunate time LOL  

[betoney]

3 minutes ago, maximo said:

Same here. The end of battery #1 came at a very unfortunate time LOL 

Was there any indication that it was slowly dying or did it just die out of the blue?

[maximo]

9 minutes ago, betoney said:

Was there any indication that it was slowly dying or did it just die out of the blue?

100% out of the blue. I keep it on a trickle charger and it fires up every time. Except this time.  

I had hastily put together an overnight ride, so I loaded up and took off, trying to get out of the valley before it got too hot. I stopped for gas still in the heat, 100 miles from home, and after filling up it just went "wawawaaaaaaaaa....." it got about a half crank in.  Zero indication before. 

I was at a smaller gas station in a busy intersection, and after a couple of failed attempts at bump starting it (it was 110 and climbing, I wasn't going to keep trying), and getting none of the locals to help me jump start it (who could blame them at those temps) I just called AAA. It was miserable sitting in the heat for two hours waiting for them to show up.  The local bike shop didn't have the right battery in stock, so I ended up scrapping the trip and riding back home. 

Not the finest of motorcycling moments. 

[betoney]

10 minutes ago, maximo said:

I was at a smaller gas station in a busy intersection, and after a couple of failed attempts at bump starting it (it was 110 and climbing, I wasn't going to keep trying), and getting none of the locals to help me jump start it (who could blame them at those temps) I just called AAA.

I keep these in my side bags, they connect to the battery tender SAE lead, direct to the battery.  I have had to jump start a fellow riders dead bike, stuck in the middle of nowhere in NW Montana.

Battery Tender Replacement Lead With Clamps | MotoSport

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Avoid the potentially damaging effects caused by most trickle chargers...

 

[SKYFLIX]

I haven't had to use this yet for either of the motorcycles, but I keep one of these on both bikes at all times:

Everstart Jump Starter - Walmart.com - Walmart.com

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Free 2-day shipping. Buy Everstart Jump Starter at Walmart.com

I've used it jump start my Honda Accord, though. It's amazing. The main unit will even fit under the seat, but I have to keep the cables in either the saddle bags or tank bag.

 

[maximo]

Just now, SKYFLIX said:

I haven't had to use this yet for either of the motorcycles, but I keep one of these on both bikes at all times:

Everstart Jump Starter - Walmart.com - Walmart.com

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Free 2-day shipping. Buy Everstart Jump Starter at Walmart.com

I've used it jump start my Honda Accord, though. It's amazing. The main unit will even fit under the seat, but I have to keep the cables in either the saddle bags or tank bag.

 

This is the route I took. Now it sits as ballast in my saddlebag, right next to the cycle pump and puncture repair kit. I always figured I'd get warning, and/or be able to bump start. Hard lesson.