Brand New 2018 CRF250R start trouble, had to bump start it for first start out of box?

hyler199
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hyler199
My friend just bought a 2018 CRF250R from a dealership. His parents picked it up and they did not have it started in front of them before they loaded it up.


To sum this up quick:

- the new owner and his family drained the battery trying to start it as per manual. It really tries to go and sounds like its just shy of actually cranking over
-we tried charging again and continued to get it going with no luck
-out of frustration we tried to bump start it and it worked
-after running for a bit it was easier to start it with the button

*1 Day Later*

Battery is dead and won't charge?!!??!?!? Is it a ground? Im a 2 stroke guy and never dealt with this space age technology.

thanks,
|
TheLostOtter 7/22/2018 1:30pm
7/22/2018 1:30pm
You shouldn't have to mess around and investigate why a new e-start bike won't start. Has it been ridden yet? If not you could probably take it back to dealer and switch it. I've done it before with a 2005 CRF250R that had something wrong with the rings or valve guide seals new from the factory. It smoked continuously. Dealer exchanged it no problem.

If it's been ridden and not showroom clean anymore then that might be harder to do.
Paw Paw 271
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Paw Paw 271 7/22/2018 2:28pm
7/22/2018 2:28pm
OEM batteries are known to have issues. Have the dealer do a load test on the battery. It should be under warranty.

Paw Paw
lumpy790
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lumpy790 7/22/2018 3:08pm
7/22/2018 3:08pm
If it is brand new and never started Take it back to the dealer
pete24
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pete24 7/22/2018 5:04pm
7/22/2018 5:04pm
i bet the dealer didnt even start that bike before delivery which is bad, we have had three of them that were hard starters fresh from the crate the last two seemed rich so i took the air filters out and they started, after fifteen mins of run time all three bikes were fine batteries too and the first one we completely killed

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hyler199
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hyler199 7/22/2018 5:08pm
7/22/2018 5:08pm
TheLostOtter wrote:
You shouldn't have to mess around and investigate why a new e-start bike won't start. Has it been ridden yet? If not you could probably take...
You shouldn't have to mess around and investigate why a new e-start bike won't start. Has it been ridden yet? If not you could probably take it back to dealer and switch it. I've done it before with a 2005 CRF250R that had something wrong with the rings or valve guide seals new from the factory. It smoked continuously. Dealer exchanged it no problem.

If it's been ridden and not showroom clean anymore then that might be harder to do.
Yeah his parents bought it in Prince Edward Island on their vacation and brought it back to Toronto. Very far from the dealer to drive back at this time.

He is talking to the sales rep who might send a new battery.

When it did bump start and i rode it up and down the street, it seemed a bit hot. After the bike turned off there was still a bit of smoke coming from exhaust...would this be normal?
hyler199
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hyler199 7/22/2018 5:09pm
7/22/2018 5:09pm
Paw Paw 271 wrote:
OEM batteries are known to have issues. Have the dealer do a load test on the battery. It should be under warranty.

Paw Paw
we tested this battery and its completely dead now. So hopefully dealer is shipping a new one soon or he's going to buy a new battery and charger setup
Paw Paw 271
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Paw Paw 271 7/22/2018 6:12pm
7/22/2018 6:12pm
It would be good if the dealer does stand behind the bad battery, but I would suggest you consider replacing it with a better LI aftermarket battery as the replacement OEM battery will most likely fail again in short order.

Paw Paw
omalley
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omalley 7/22/2018 9:02pm
7/22/2018 9:02pm
I had three CRF450R’s in the early 2000’s that had valves out of spec straight out of the crate. Not sure if Honda has fixed this but...
Evoracer
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Evoracer 8/1/2018 1:00pm
8/1/2018 1:00pm
My buddy has an '18 that had starting trouble. He was told by his Honda guy to crack the throttle just a bit while on the button. Starts every time. ymmv
Paw Paw 271
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Paw Paw 271 8/2/2018 1:50pm
8/2/2018 1:50pm
Evoracer wrote:
My buddy has an '18 that had starting trouble. He was told by his Honda guy to crack the throttle just a bit while on the...
My buddy has an '18 that had starting trouble. He was told by his Honda guy to crack the throttle just a bit while on the button. Starts every time. ymmv
That just indicates that the TPS is set too lean.

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BR8ES
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BR8ES 8/2/2018 2:00pm
8/2/2018 2:00pm
Evoracer wrote:
My buddy has an '18 that had starting trouble. He was told by his Honda guy to crack the throttle just a bit while on the...
My buddy has an '18 that had starting trouble. He was told by his Honda guy to crack the throttle just a bit while on the button. Starts every time. ymmv
Paw Paw 271 wrote:
That just indicates that the TPS is set too lean.

Paw Paw
you have a 449? I had the TC version...
Falcon
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Falcon 8/6/2018 5:28pm
8/6/2018 5:28pm
I'd bet good money that the dealer prepped the bike months ago, including charging the battery. It probably sat and lost charge, which is bad for the battery. (They need to have a constant charge on them for best life.) The bump start and short period of running allowed the battery to gain a tiny charge, but that won't be held for long. The battery is probably toast.

EDIT: I see you posted that the battery is toast. Now I'd bet even MORE money this is what happened.
pkiczuk
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pkiczuk 8/7/2018 11:30am
8/7/2018 11:30am
Falcon wrote:
I'd bet good money that the dealer prepped the bike months ago, including charging the battery. It probably sat and lost charge, which is bad for...
I'd bet good money that the dealer prepped the bike months ago, including charging the battery. It probably sat and lost charge, which is bad for the battery. (They need to have a constant charge on them for best life.) The bump start and short period of running allowed the battery to gain a tiny charge, but that won't be held for long. The battery is probably toast.

EDIT: I see you posted that the battery is toast. Now I'd bet even MORE money this is what happened.
Losing the charge isn't bad for the battery, at least not enough for it to go bad in this short of a time. It takes many many cycles for a "good" battery to go bad. Having a full charge and going to 0 once or twice is not going to cause this issue. Just sounds more like a bad battery from the start.

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