hi all, I have a DRZ 400 E 2002 model. I got it second hand - and the bloke that sold me the bike had put some high compression cams and stuff (i have no idea what it is) To me, it seems that the bike will or cannot start off its own battery power. I must connect my car batter to the bike battery via jumper leads. This allows the bike to fire up - no worries. If i did not do this - i will never be able to start the bike and the battery just drains out. I have changed to two brand new batteries and the problem persists. Once the bike starts for the day it seems to be fine but - I have made a little on/off switch that enables me to turn the low beam OFF - before starting. And I pray - sometimes it starts and sometime no. So, what do you think might be the problem ??? NO - i am not going to cable tie an extra battery on the back.
I don't know this motor but is there some sort of start-up decompression mechanism? And this has been ditched when the cams were replaced? Maybe either the battery capacity isn't coping with the increase in compression or the wiring between the battery and starter motor is a problem? If connnecting another battery helps then its clear that the voltage drop at start-up is too much and if it was a stock motor i'd be all over the starter motor and/or associated wiring. But, me thinks that the mods are a factor here.
there is no "decompression" lever or switch for a DRZ. I think battery to stater might be or could be the issue... I just wanted to get a feel before i take it to a mechanic. WHO's a Good DRZ 400 E mechanic in Canberra ????
As Neil has said - Check the spec for the battery cranking hours rating - if the battery leads are not clean and secure you may have a high resistance joint that can effect the supply.
You need to know what was done - but a hi-comp piston (WHY - ffs?) and stiffer valve springs will require more effort to spin over than a standard piston & springs. Asking the standard starter-motor and stock battery to do this is asking for trouble. Do you know (or can you find out) what was changed - and why? Could be, the answer is to go back to standard - it will be more reliable and if you need more power - get a different bike. I'll bet that the previous owner blew the bike up in some way and an after-market piston from somewhere like Wiseco was a fraction of the price of the standard replacement parts - so, thinking that he'd get some free horsepower at the same time, he fitted the aftermarket parts - and while the bike probably DOES go a lot better, there are side-effects - hard-starting, perhaps a bit more vibration, slightly heaver fuel consumption, etc, etc. And I'll bet the PO did nothing to match the brakes and the suspension to the improved power he got so "cheaply"...
No lever but is there some automatic system that is attached to the cams? There is in my KLX and I'd be surprised if there wasn't.
thanks all for you inputs. When the DRZ is running - - it feels fast and pulls my fat arse with no problems. Getting it to the running state is the part. All the connection from the battery to the spark plug is noice and Clean - so clean that i fucking shorted my left arm - took me about 2 hours to feel normal. Maybe i need to just take the bike into a mechanic and fix the shit up. my head hurts.
Check out: http://www.thumpertalk.com/forum/archive/index.php/t-627031.html It outlines how to to check the charging system and also details the "Free power mod" which will ensure your battery gets more voltage to keep charged.
Had a bit of experience with the ole' DRZs... Most replacement cams do not come with the auto decompression mechanism. This will make it harder to start. Personally i'd put stock cams back in on the next valve adjustment, i dont trust those small tolerance hotcams.. heard one too many horror stories of valve to piston contact. Also i suspect the valve clearances are too tight and need adjusting. How much were the replacement batteries worth? The chinese cheapies have a much lower CCA rating than the OEM. (Cold cranking amps) I'd suggest trying a LifePO4 battery.
The cams were replaced with hot cams back in 2005, and they have no decompression mechanism the bike had never had a problem starting until the original battery died as the bike had not been ridden for 5 years. Anew battery was installed june 09 and found it had this problem the way i got around this was when not in use keep trickle charger connected but if in doubt battery may need replacing.
You can buy a kick starter kit for them just in case the button ever lets you down. Also you don't say whether it does this both when the motor ishot and cold or just when the it's cold. If it is only when it's cold then you would be looking at the valves as being the problem. Good luck with it, from what I have heard, anyone that has chnaged the motor to get more power out of it ends up with reliabilty problems.
The reason for the new cams was oil pump drive gear failed,the head was replaced with a brand new one from suzuki ,new piston & rings new oil pump gear and as you said it gets along with plenty of power. it is areal pain to roll start. I think a good quality battery would fix the problem. Martin
... was not expecting to see ya here martin. I have had two new batteries put in and the problem persists...and they batteries were "fully" juiced. Well, I went and had a chat with Greg at Dahlitz - nice fella. Taking the bike in there and he can sort the crap out All i wanna do i Ride it. will post an update "fingers crossed" when it get out of Greg's - hopefully running like a bat out of hell...as it does.. if not - there will be the burning of the DRZ at Tuena.
You can put in a much bigger CCA battery like I did. I used a YTZ10S which is the same height and width as the stocker but about an inch deeper, so the battery box needs to be modified to suit. You can make up your own bracket or order a prefab one direct from Eddie on the US site http://www.sisnerosspeedworks.com/dr-z400-super-start-kit I feel a lot more comfortable about not having a kickstart now...
if not - there will be the burning of the DRZ at Tuena.[/QUOTE] Make sure that you have paid up the insurance and not just got a cover note on it. If you had a few mates I am sure they would be happy to go riding with you, and help you out with a set of jumper leads. But you persist in riding the GS. By the time that you show a little love to the DRZ all the electricity has leaked out of it! You need to harden the fxxk up and stop complaining about your soft ass/hard seat and put a few miles on it. (bring the solar charger and a thermos if no one wants to come)
I like this option - can you get this CCA battery in canb ? i love this forum - throw out a Q's and you get so much back...
I use a more powerful battery on mine as well as a manual decompression lever that came with the hot cams that I had installed when I had the hot cams put in. Look on thumpertalk, there are manual decompression kits for them. That will fix your problems. cheers
Hey mate, if you think it's the cam I have a perfect condition E model exhaust cam laying around with the auto decomp still attached. If they have been replaced with stage 1 or 2 hotcams there will still be a decomp mech on them (I have done both stages on mine). Also check that the carby is jetted correctly, it should fire up in 3 turns or so. Good luck Ghosty
