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Can you bump start a dead C-14?????????

thedugger

thedugger

Bicycle
Has anyone tried to bump start their C-14?????  After I was another victim of the C-14 bad battery issue, I thought I could bump start to save the mile walk home.  I quickly figured out that I could not select 2nd gear while the bike is not running.

Is there a trick to get the bike into 2nd gear with a dead battery?????? 

BTW, I had the battery load tested and it failed.  Now I hope that Kawasaki will warranty the battery.  My C-14 is the ABS model and is a 2010.  I purchased the bike in Jan of 2011 and is ALWAYS connected to a battery tender Jr. when parked in the garage.  Definitely disappointing since this was probably the best maintained battery in North Houston....  I guess I got bad battery or an old battery from the dealer where I bought it.

Any help on the bump start is appreciated!
 
I don't think so, that's one of the issues with having fuel injection.  If the fuel pump doesn't prime (that's the while you hear when you first flip the ignition on) then you're SOL.  I think once you get the bike rolling though you can kick it up into 2nd gear, but not from a stand still.  I could be wrong, but I don't think so.
 
N/a, I tried everything - I think.  Just could not get out of Neutral.  I think there's a Neutral finding feature on the concours that won't let me grab any gear north of Neutral.

Doug
 
Maybe down a steep hill or with 4 people pushing you, she is a heavy one for sure...  :eek:
 
I believe the short answer is no.

I have an 08 and one day I left the lights on.  When I noticed I made the mistake of turning the knob to the off position.  With a dead battery you cannot put the switch in the on postion.  Here is what I did.

1-  connected a small battery to my pigtail for my battery tender and was able to switch it to the on position.

2-  tried to push the bike and then pop the clutch and pow the bilke will start, wrong nothing happened, tried again and same results, realized there is no power to the fuel injection.

3-  with my tail between my legs I had to walk the bike about 2 blocks to hook it up to my battery tender.

So no you can't bump start a dead C-14.
 
No. Not having 12 volts to the fuel pump means no fuel is pumped. The bike will not start. That is assuming that you even were able to turn the key on. KIPASS will not function either.
 
Thanks everyone.  I had just enough juice to work the KIPASS and I did here the whine of the fuel pump, just not enough to crack the motor.  Lesson for everyone is that even with this minimal power, one cannot shift out of Neutral into a higher gear, like 2nd gear, to bump start.

Fingers crossed that Kawi does the right thing and warranties the bad battery they sold me with the bike....
 
Looking for more opinions.  I don't see the connection between electricty and shifting.  I'll have to try shifting to 2nd with the key off when I go out for lunch.  My preconceived notion is that you can shift simply by rocking the bike.
???
 
Kawasaki has an "automatic neutral finder" that makes it nearly impossible to get into second without the engine running. I've seen people do it but it is a trick difficult to do under the best of conditions. That is why I removed mine when I had the transmission laying on the bench (C10/C12). No problems since.

Dan
 
If you have enough left in the battery to power the fuel injectors and fire the plugs, you MIGHT be able to bump start it in first gear. A good downhill slope would probably help.

Personally, I hope to never have to test out this theory though.

But if your battery is totally flat, forget it. If you can't activate the ignition and hear the fuel pump run, don't waste your time trying to push start it.
 
I don't get why you think there is something electrical preventing you from putting the bike into 2nd (or any other gear)?!?  I've done it, many times.  To prove this to yourself, put the bike on the center stand with the key off, and start shifting.  Of course, like any motorcycle transmission, the bike will not shift to the next gear unless the gears move a little to align them (turn the back tire), but it works just fine.

As for bump starting, I'm 1 for 2 on that issue.  The first time my 2010 battery went dead (on it's own), it had enough juice to power the electronics, but not turn the engine.  I have a fairly steep driveway covered in concrete, and successfully bump started it in second gear (lit right off when I dumped the clutch).

The next time I found myself in that same situation, no luck.  It rolled all the way to the bottom in second, engine turning over, but would not light off.  I had to walk back to the top of the driveway, and get my portable jump starter (which I found conveniently fits in the saddle bag), and jump start the darned thing.

After the second time, I decided to just carry the jump starter and wrench to open the battery door with me, until I resolved the battery problem.
 
I wouldn't attempt to bump start a heavy poerful bike like the C-14.  Even if it started, if you were not quick on the clutch the bike could easily jerk forward and you might end up dumping the bike on the ground. IMO it's not worth it, especially if you are trying it alone.
 
With the C-14's compression ratio, I doubt you'd be able to turn a tire in low gear unless you weighed like a thousand pounds and bounced on the seat hard.  TO get the bike into second gear requires getting the bike rolling over 10 mph if it's anything like the C-10.  Otherwise it's just low gear.  Now, if you KNEW you were going to have to bump start it, you could shut it off in fourth gear or so and IF you had enough juice to power the fuel pump, trigger the ECU, and tickle the stator and then it would work.  And while that's a lot of IF to have to deal with, I can imagine the scenario when it could happen... like say a bad battery that won't crank her, but boots everything else up.  It'd work in that case.  But in low gear?  I seriously doubt you'd do anything but skid the tire.  DAMHIK this kinda stuff... I cannot remember what CDA number that was.  :'(
 
I rolled started my 2010 after leaving the lights on, enough juice for the electronics...used 1st gear it started straight up.

Don't understand some are worried about that or think they need 2,3rd gear.
 
With all of the above said.....I push started my 2011 C14.  Not enuf juice to start but the gauges lit up dimly.  I down shifted to 1st then came up to 2nd for the bump.  Had a buddy push me maybe 15 feet, popped clutch and it started. 

So I guess what I'm saying is, ya you can bump start.
 
first gear only scenario is controlled by 3 balls acting as a detent precenting the shift up without the tranny spinning, you canaccomplish this with the bike on the centerstand, someone assisting can pull up on the shifter from neutral when you get the rear tire spinning by hand power, once it's in second it can be shifted up thru 6th at will, just can't hit second from neutral without rotating the tranny.....
as for fire, you need 12v to the coils and the fuel pump....often this is available, just not enough AMPS to spin the starter...  If you can get a "click" when you hit the starter button, you have enough juice to start it with bumping....if you don't get a click, you are in the no-go zone. :(
 
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