Hey gang. First post, been lurking for a few months now. I am a new rider and have little to no experience with engine maintenance. I don't even have any tools, (I'd like to get a tool kit for the bike though!). I usually keep my bike in a heated garage a few miles from my apartment, I live in Brooklyn, NY.

I have a 1999 LS650 Savage. I bought it used last December with a little over 5000 miles on it, (yes 5000). I rode it on any nice weekend through the winter. It has been running well, besides some backfiring.

I ran a few errands this weekend on it and then parked it outside my apartment and rushed off to go play hockey (and drink many beers). When I got back home that night, I found that when I had taken the keys out earlier, I accidentaly switched the ignition to "P" instead of "Off". So the tail light was on for about 11 hours. The next morning when I tried starting the bike (repeatedly) it would not start. It would chug a little (turn over?) and then click a few times. After a few tries it just started clicking without the turning over.

Today I tried to push start the bike just so that I could get it back to the garage. I put the bike in 2nd gear and ran down the street with the clutch in and when I thought I was going at a good rate of speed would ease the clutch out. I tried that 2 times and it didn't work. Then I put it into 3rd gear and tried 2 more times and couldn't get it to start. By then I was exhausted so I gave up for the day.

Is there an easier way to get my bike to start? I'm guessing that I need to recharge the battery but I'm not exactly sure how to do that or if there is a specific charger I would need to get. Any insight would be VERY much appreciated.

Thanks, guys. Hope y'all have a good day.

Read this post....just a few lines down from yours.

http://suzukisavage.com/cgi-bin/YaBB.pl?num=1363975347

The charging system on the Savage is not very powerful.  It is even possible to run the battery down by making too frequent of stops and not riding long enough for the charging to catch up with the use of the starter.  And although it helps you to be seen - the headlight being on all the time does use electrical power.

Push starting is almost impossible for those of us that are not heavy enough to keep the back wheel from sliding - and the ignition system reguires nearly full voltage to make a spark.  The ignition often requires more voltage than the starting system - so sometimes a run down battery can power the starter but not have enough voltage to make the sparkplug work.

You need to get your battery charged or replaced...then go from there.

jackedmusic wrote on 03/26/13 at 07:54:43:

The correct way, or my way?  Remove the chrome tool cover.  See the battery, see the rubber cover on the fat wire.  Lift and clip to the red wire from the charger.  Clip the black wire of the charger to the engine, any metal.  I use a standard automobile battery charger, on the 2 amp level, which is made for small batteries.  Left it charge for about 8 hours, or overnight.  If in a hurry, and don't mind abusing the battery, the 10-12 amp level will give you enough power to start in just one hour.  An AGM battery can be abused.

verslagen1 wrote:

Quote:


That's valuable info. Should be in the tech section if it's not already there.

Don't think I'll be tryin' it though. Give myself a heart attack. I'll just be real carefull with the key !!

I weigh about 150. I tried 1st, 2nd, 3rd,, never was able to get it turning over 2 times. Only time I ever actually had the motor spinning w/o the starter was on the downside of a nice hill,,, after 1/2 block of bluhhbluhhbluhhbluhhsputterbluhhbluhhbluhh I was at the bottom & still no joy,,, POOT!

Yep....I weigh 156 and with pushing and shoven and hoppen on I was able to slide the back tire in 1st, 2nd and 3rd gear for a few feet.  I did get it to fire once or twice in 4th gear....but it stalled immediately.  I was on flat river bottom land.....no hill in sight and by the time I got it up to speed and jumped on and but it in gear.....there was not much speed left.

I eventually got a jump from a car and connected jumper cables to the a big bolt on the frame and then directly to the starter......with the key in the on position if fired right up.

I drilled a hole in the headlight shell & added a toggle switch with water proof cover. I cut the ground wire for the headlight & ran it through the switch. If it turns over & almost starts, switching the headlight off is often enough extra voltage for it to fire right up on the next try.
Works for me, so I thought I would pass it along.

If shes' been parked a couple of days, I turn off the headlight before I even try to start her.