Have you tried with a new spark plug !

The right way to test the ignition system is to use a spark plug tester. I know what you are thinking - everybody else just places the spark plug on the cylinderhead or a place where are a good earth path, but it´s not the right way to test a sparkplug. You should use a sparkplug tester - that way you are sure that the ignition system have the ability to deliver maximum output voltage.

Spark plug tester is just a dummy spark plug with a fixed electrode distance of 10 times the normal electrode distance. So if your spark plug have a distance 0.6 mm - should the spark plug tester have a distance of 6 mm between the center electrode and the side electrode.

So the short and long of this story is, that you can easily have a spark between the electrodes in free air, but when the spark plug sits in the cylinder head, its a totally different story - then it´s under compression and the spark will be missing from a bad spark plug.

I know, it became a little theoretical but i hope you understand what i´m trying to say.

Edited March 16, 201412 yr by honda_freak

My riding buddy has a 4RT and he often had starting problems that seemed unsolable so we started do some tests: We found that too fast a kick and it would not start but a firm slower kick would alway start the bike.

We suspect it has something to do with the rpm theshold that the ECU uses to determine starting mode vs running mode.

The starting mode also includes shutting power off to the cooling fan so more power is available for the fuel pump.

2007 4rt has beeb sitting since september, i went to view to buy and it wouldnt start, was started by the owner the night before by bump starting it. It will not start off the kickstart. Took plug out and it is sparking with good spark, and the plug was wet. The bike has not been started since is was parked up in september and was working as it should when parked up............any ideas what could be wrong or what to try . Cheers

I went to see a bike like that, i must have kicked 40 times and it would catch but not run (I have owned 4RT's before, so knew the techniques) so I walked away

.......................and bought another

Edited April 8, 201412 yr by johnnyboxer