Rough starting, not going to warmup revs

Hey guys, my 2003 SW has lately not been starting with the normal warm up revs, but staying at low revs and struggling to stay running. I usually hold the throttle open a bit and start riding rather quickly and often at the first light it's revving like it's warming up...??? Any insight into this? Otherwise it runs great. thanks Dan

First of all 12 years old, How many miles, maint. history? How much ridden?, fuel? Taken care of by Honda shop or self?

17k miles, just had new belt by dealer. Other than oil changes, and not often:) I have not done anything else except tires since I got it with 6k.

I would say fuel/fuel injection-----probably related to sitting around---try Honda dealer....have to leave overnight cold start problem can be duplicated.

Replace the Fuel Pressure Regulator (FRP) --easy DIY job for most guys. Add half a bottle of Techron. Replace sparkplugs.

Tim


Kindly come to terms with your ašš for it bears you  --Fra Junipero Serra c.1760

I agree about spark plugs, and would advise a new Air filter, or at least have a look at it.

I spoke to the dealer and he recommended trying sea foam. I put some in and rode 50 miles. We'll see in the am how it starts...i'll let you know...thanks for the input!!

I'd give Sea foam or Techron a try before doing much else. Your air filter might be a bit on the dirty side but probably not a factor since a restriction in the air intake would tend to richen up the mixture and it sounds like your scooter is running too lean when cold. I don't know if disconnecting the battery for a minute or two will reset the ECU or not but it's worth a try.

The Sea Foam will probably not hurt anything but the symptoms
sound like old or bad gas. I would try some fresh gas(highest octane) and put at least 100 miles before doing any repairs.
Howard

ridr44 wrote:

I spoke to the dealer and he recommended trying sea foam.  I put some in and rode 50 miles.  We'll see in the am how it starts...i'll let you know...thanks for the input!!

50 miles is not likely to do much, perhaps 500 to do a good job, once clean if it's ridden regularly should do the trick, there after a bottle of Techron concentrate once a year. That 500 miles is only a two tank treatment on a S'Wing

To offer my 2cents .....
Over the summer I've had similar issues .... here's what helped : as was suggested here by the wise and experienced (thanks again guys!) ..... some high octane gas, new spark plugs and giving the S'Wing some hard riding. Get her up to higher speeds for a while. These all helped mine -- which would idle to stall or needed some throttle to get her started, at times. And other times she started just fine. But the one thing that has seemed to make the biggest difference was the installation of a new battery.

Check your battery ... maybe on the way out like mine was.

Hope this helps. Good luck !

Mike

I have had my doubts about the battery but how would that effect this issue? Thanks dan

Not sure how a new battery may affect the issue but in my naivety I like to think the power to the fuel pump may be less than adequate in an older battery.  HOWEVER !!!  When getting a quote on a battery from the dealer I question them about a weak or failing battery affecting the slow idle to stall and the rough starting I had experienced.  The reply was there may be a fuel issue and this problem is likely not the fault of the battery.  And .. however , again ... It runs and starts much better with the new battery and there have been no further slow idle issues or rough starting problems.  So, I'm just going with the observation that it works better since installing a new battery.

How old is your battery Dan?  I was told the good ones may last 6 - 7 years and the cheaper ones may last 3.  I think the one in my bike was 10 years old and the original battery in the bike - a 2005.

The easiest (and the most fun) way to fix the idle issue to is take your Silverwing for a fast ride.  That had an immediate fix to my problem .... but it returned.

Mike

A ten year old battery should be replaced and with another of the same brand. That's a very good battery to last that long. I never let 'em get much older than five years. If your battery is iffy it's likely to show up in the colder weather.

My Silvewring ran kinda rough when I first got it. It was 7 years old with 1,800 miles on it so obviously it sat a lot. I put 93 octane in and added Seafoam and it started to even out in a couple of tankfuls. 93 octane is supposed to have ten times the amount of detergents as the lower stuff. In a bike that only holds a few gallons I don't think the extra expense breaks the bank and it's well worth it.

I use 93 octane in my bikes often instead of 87 mainly because in OR you can only get 93 without ethanol all other grades have the damnable stuff. I can see the mileage improvement and feel the better running when I use ethanol free. All my vehicles get a dose of Sea Foam every other month or so. Some times it seems to make a difference, sometimes not, but often makes for a smoother idle and faster starting.