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Bringing an XB9R back to life... and having trouble starting it...

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zektiv

zektiv

Member
Joined
Dec 22, 2015
Messages
23
Location
Ft Lauderdale, FL
Evening, all!

So I've gotten my hands on an 03 XB9R that had a blown front spark plug. I like trying to fix things (did okay with a Honda and a Ducati), and I've always wanted a Buell, so it looks like the perfect project!

I rotated the motor, jammed a time-cert into the hole, busted at least one knuckle open, replaced the back plug to make sure they matched (using the 9x iridium plugs, as recommended by everyone in every forum ever), rotated the motor back up, reattached everything, and plugged it all back in. I haven't reattached the belt-drive yet because I want to be sure everything starts up okay and I'm working on doing the belt conversion to 06+. Anyway, the starting up part is where I'm running into trouble.

I went to fire it up tonight after all that fuss, and she's having real problems. Everything's connected, airbox base is on (not the full airbox), exhaust is off. I flip the key and the fuel pump sounds like a banshee giving birth. I hit the starter: She'll start up after a few coughs and giving it some throttle, but she'll only stay on if I give it throttle. If I leave it at idle the motor just sputters and dies. It also sounds like it's running on one cyclinder... instead of the potato-potato sound I keep reading about it's more like blop-blop-blop. If I keep it running for a few seconds with the throttle open the fuel pump kicks in for more banshee wailing noises.

Also: the first few times I started it up there was smoke coming from the exhaust header and from the velocity stack/rubber tube thingie (remember, I don't have the full exhaust attached at this point). White, a bit like dry ice or a puffing smoker in consistency. I figure this is unburnt fuel, residue, oil, or possibly the grease burning off from when I did the time-sert? At first there was a lot of smoke, but subsequent attempts to start and run and now there's not much smoke at all - what little there is usually stays in the throttle body, and none of it coming out of the exhaust anymore. Again, I attribute this to junk burning off, perhaps grease from the installation (I used plenty of it, per the instructions, plus some oil for the last part).

Is it possible that the spark plug wire was damaged when the spark plug blew out originally? What can I do to diagnose this and get it running? Any advice or help is very much appreciated!

I'll try to get video of it in operation tomorrow at some point, maybe that'll help.
 
couple points worth mentioning here: others may support or dispute my opinion.....but IMO it will never run quite "properly" with no exhaust mounted whatsoever and no air filter and airbox lid in place making diagnosis of any ailment very difficult.
is your IAT switch connected? it's the sensor mounted @ the 4 o'clock position on airbox base plate.
did you carefully check both spark plug wires, condition of coil, and coil wiring connector or just gloss over them? set of wires inexpensive and can cause serious problems....check coil for signs of cracking.
a fuel pump "wailing like a banshee" isn't normal. when correct they're very quiet.
 
The IAT plug is in, yeah. I expect it to run rough with no airbox and an open pipe, but I feel like it should stay on at idle, IMO.

During the process of rotating the motor I removed and inspected the coil, but I barely looked over the wires themselves. I can get a set of wires - you're right that they're inexpensive to replace. Probably should've done that anyway.

I've got a video of the fuel pump sound. I'll upload it to YouTube and link it.
 
That sounds a bit rough, how long did the bike sit? Do you have a fuel pressure gauge you could use?
 
zektiv said:
Here's that link to the video with the fuel pump activating on key turn:

https://youtu.be/Y_JVBcfUELY

This was taken a couple of days ago, prior to attempting ignition.
Click to expand...

doesn't sound good. can tell you i've heard that precise groan before from a few XB's that sat for many months and were then started. in some cases the pump sort of healed itself thru running over a period of a few short rides and in other cases eventually failed in short order.
 
AZmidget91 said:
That sounds a bit rough, how long did the bike sit? Do you have a fuel pressure gauge you could use?
Click to expand...

I have no idea how long the bike sat, to be honest. Previous owner claimed only a week or two but could've been much longer - the mechanic where it was sitting at said "about a month, I think." Sigh.

I recorded a few videos today, am uploading to YouTube now and will post up the links so you guys can take a listen. Fresh battery in, reseated the spark plug wires, and it starts up and will hold idle - although just barely, it seems. I just want somebody with experienced ears to listen to it and suggest a direction to go in (i.e. put it all together, that's what these things are supposed to sound like or stop, it's time for some surgery.) There's nobody local that is willing to do work on Buells (not even Harley shops will touch it) so I'm going at it mostly solo. I appreciate all your help.
 
Okay, so today I started it up successfully and took some video. It also held idle. Here are links to the vids...

Startup and holds idle: https://youtu.be/r7EjWxAaG6I

At idle: https://youtu.be/_ZJu48OvhNk

Warmed up a little, then I move the camera so you can hear the fuel pump: https://youtu.be/9r5jjVr8IYw

A short vid looking into the throttle body: https://youtu.be/59z3bPd-PdM

I mean, I know it's going to be rough as heck without the exhaust mounted and with the open airbox but is this how v-twins are supposed to sound? Also, that fuel pump sound is loud enough to be heard over the motor - that can't be good.

Appreciate all the help!
 
Other than the fuel pump noise, which I can't say that I've every noticed at that volume before, the bike seems to have that "Buell" sound you're looking for in that final video. A TPS reset would be in order, as it's idling below recommended specs (1050-1150), but as for the other items, I'll leave that to the TRUE experts. Good luck.
 
That sounds like a 03 xb fuel pump that is running dry.... I.e. No gas or very little gas... If you have gas in it.... More then a gallon Take the air box off spray carb cleaner down the throttle body and start the bike....
Open the throttle and spray more down the motor and see if it revs up. If it does with a little pop through the intake.
If it does and sounds like it is hitting on two cylinders....
Remove the fuel line from the throttle body (push the red button in with a screwdriver on the fuel clamp then pull)
Get a can or beer bottle stick the fuel in it and then turn the kill switch on and off to see how much fuel is coming out...

If there is a bunch of fuel coming out like a night of hard beer drinking then skip to number two...

1) no fuel or a trickle.... Pull your rear shock lower your swing arm get a gas can and drain your tank ( there is a drain plug on the fuel pump) then remove the fuel pump and check the screen/bag filter clean it then put it back together...

Special note.... Evenly tighten the fuel pump in and make sure that you don't pinch the rubber seals..

2) if you have fuel in it and fuel pressure but the bike is miss still misfiring... You might have a bad points sensor.
 
I threw in two gallons of hi-test just to make sure I had enough fuel in the tank, the pump seemed to be pushing out plenty of fuel. Put it all together and rode it for a few miles, the fuel pump screech is significantly reduced. Actually sounds more or less normal now. Still audible while riding at very slow speeds, but barely. That 'first ride', though, brought up a bunch of new questions - I'll post them in a new thread.

Thanks for the advice though, it really helped!!!
 
this will sound like "old-school BS" coming from a geezer.....all of which it is....but try adding 4 ounces of marvel mystery oil to your full fresh fuel mix then ride a bit more. often times it will refresh and quiet a noisy XB fuel pump. if the sound continues it will need to be replaced as failure inevitable. and failure never happens in your garage....always far away from home.
 

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