Vader 125cc Won't Start, Just Assembled

[Atipsyllama]

Hello,

I have been a lurker a while now and finally pulled the trigger on the blue BD125-10, says 2020 model, I think Gen 2. Unfortunately the bike won't start. I will lay out what I have done tried so far and hopefully someone might have a suggestion on next steps. This is my 4th motorcycle and I would consider myself handy, but without too much experience delving deep into the bikes.

First-
Battery off: 12.56 V
Ignition switch turns lights/speedo on
There is play in the throttle
Gas tank full (no debris before filling)
Petcock set to open
Bike won't start (cranks, wont turnover I think)

Troubleshooting-
I tried to do my duty of scouring the forums and internet but here I am. I took the fairings off (snapped those two little tab bastards for the rear side fairings) and inspected for crimped hoses.
The only line that looks kind of pinched is the line that goes from the airbox to the transmission on the left side, gotta be like a 135 degree bend. But there is no slack to alleviate that.
I removed that one way thing off the gas vent hose and left that open, blew into it a few times..
I ripped that EPA can out from under the gas tank, gas line wasn't kinked.
Re-checked the slack in the throttle
Screwed the carb air ratio screw in all the way and then out 1.5 turns, then to 2 later

Tried to start again and still the same, cranks but no turning over. I am at a loss for what to do next. Not sure how to check the spark plug or starter, I don't have starter fluid and don't know where to spray it on this thing if I did or what to do next. Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks

[franque]

Firstly, what are you trying to say when you're saying it cranks but doesn't turn over? Are you saying it starts to turn, and then stops?

Did you verify you have fuel? Spark is easy to check, remove the plug, put it back in the plug boot, ground the plug on the engine (but don't touch the metal of the plug yourself), and crank it over.

Also, before all of that, I'd charge your battery. 12.5 unladen is a bit on the low side, the voltage drops when you try to start it.

Also, since it hasn't started, check and adjust your valves, there's about a dozen tutorials here and on YouTube.

[RedCrowRides]

Yeah , you need to please clarify , is the engine turning over via the starter but just not firing up to run, or is the starter not turning it over at all ?


I'm going to assume that it DOES turn over, but just wont start to run. Here is a list of things to check, in no particular order .


1.It sounds silly, but check to make SURE the kill switch on the handlebars is in the RUN position.
2.Make sure the Gas petcock is ON.
3.My bike would NOT start without full choke ,make sure you are choking it even if it's 100 degrees outside.
4.Pull the plug out of the engine, hold the electrode against the engine ,and turn it over- if you see a spark your'e good, if not , thats bad.
5. Check all your wiring for solid connections if no spark, particularly the wires that go to the clutch lever side ,there is some cases where the pins are not fully seated in some of the connectors in and behind the headlight housing that can cause this.

6.If you have spark , check to make sure it's getting gas. Pull the fuel hose off at the carb with the petcock in the ON position.,and see if gas dribbles out , if it does thats good , if not The fuel line elbow under the tank is at a right angle and it can easily get crimped damn near shut, i had to add a washer under each tab to uncrimp it for decent gas flow., on the tank end where it meets the seat, right where that evap can is located , the top of that can actually is what was crimping the line .


Work through these steps and keep us posted and we will go from there , but it comes down to this :


Verify spark ( fire ) at plug.
Verify gas at and to carb.


We know you have air so get spark and gas and she will run .

[Atipsyllama]

Yes, it is turning over via the starter, engine is not firing. Alright I will check the spark, gas to carb, and then if that doesn't work I will charge the battery while making an errand run and look up valve adjustments. Thanks for the quick replies. I will be back with updates and pictures, since pictures are just more entertaining to look at.

[Atipsyllama]

No fuel getting to carbs, to fuel filter, coming from the gas tank. Tank vent hose is not kinked..
https://imgur.com/a/KmnNRDA

I tried to insert an image of the bottom of the tank but it isn't showing up when I look at the post, the link is http://imgur.com/gallery/KmnNRDA

[Atipsyllama]

So paperclips and zipties won't work their way up there, not a drop of gas on them, gotta be the weld right? I called the dealer and left a message to send me a new one since theirs is defective.


Nothing is open anymore, the only local place that might have been able to get me a spare gas tank that works is closed til Monday.



My tank is worthless right now so I think I want to drain out the tank, take it off the bike, straighten the elbow on the pipe out the bottom of the tank and see if the weld is completely closing off that tank. If it is I suppose I could pour isopropyl alcohol in the tank and swish it around and then try to tap out the weld, or drill it maybe... Gotta look up some safety stuff before going that far.



Was looking forward to riding this weekend..

[Bruces]

I can’t imagine it’s any sort of a “Weld” ,but did you try moving the fuel petcock to other positions to see if anything might come out ?

[Atipsyllama]

I can’t imagine it’s any sort of a “Weld” ,but did you try moving the fuel petcock to other positions to see if anything might come out ?




Are you talking about the valve on stock carb? The tank>hose>fuel filter>hose>valve on carb>carb?


That was flipped back and forth and tried both ways, but I removed all of the lines all the way up to the tank... so gas should just be pouring out, since I have verified like 4 times that the gas vent hose isn't plugged, and opened the fill cap while trying things as well.



Am I being dumb and missing a fuel petcock somewhere else that needs to be flipped on?

[Bruces]

I am not sure ,I have never seen a Vader in person so not sure if there is a petcock on the tank or not ,most bikes have one though .

[Atipsyllama]

Well looks like they welded it shut somehow, slag. Not sure what to do.

21004

[Ninjaguy23]

I would Contact your seller & have them send you a new tank ASAP!!

[Atipsyllama]

I called and left a voicemail saying my gas tank was welded shut and needed a new one asap. We'll see how long it takes for a new gas tank to arrive.


In the mean time I had the tank off so I hacked the outlet of the tank at the 90 degree elbow and tried to tap out the slag with a punch. Didn't work. I got the drill out and drilled a hole about the right size. Rinsed out all the junk I could with alcohol, and put it all back together.


After adjusting the new fuel line she ran fine. Snapped another tab on the main left fairing getting everything back on. Rode it around for a minute and then called it a night.



On a side note: I weigh in at 185lbs, at 5'8, and the steering felt so touchy and weird. Maybe it is the new tires and the dusty concrete underground garage I drove it on but man it was hard to keep a straight line at 10mph. I guess they are smaller tires than I am used to as well.

[RedCrowRides]

I\ve never heard of that weld being so bad it completely closed the hole, but then again I aint surprised, either. At least you found the issue and corrected it now someone owes you a replacement gas tank.



You will get used to the steering , but check your tire pressures , i run mine on the low side directly because it cuts down on that " twitchy" tendency and feeling ,a lot of times the tires are over inflated from where they sealed the bead on the tire and they dont adjust it back down ,which coupled with the rock hard stock tire compound

can make it a tad sketchy feeling to say the least .


Oh, and don't feel bad about some broken tabs, the plastics are notoriously brittle and i broke 2 on mine almost immediately. Hang in there tho bro, i bet you will love it now that its running , just got to work the kinks out.

[Atipsyllama]

You will get used to the steering , but check your tire pressures , i run mine on the low side directly because it cuts down on that " twitchy" tendency and feeling ,a lot of times the tires are over inflated from where they sealed the bead on the tire and they dont adjust it back down ,which coupled with the rock hard stock tire compound

can make it a tad sketchy feeling to say the least .



Good call on the tire pressure, they were definitely over inflated. I know it's one of the first things I should be checking but after I had the bike torn down to its frame I think it would have slipped my mind for a few days.


Another thing I noticed was that the left fork was protruding almost a quarter inch out from the triple tree and the right fork was flush. No biggie though since I needed to hammer it down to about a half inch protruding for both since this is my SO's bike and she is quite vertically challenged.



I also lowered the preload on the bike hoping to drop the rear a bit as well. I have the rear lowering link and the 2 inch cheaters for the forks coming in tomorrow so I will have to mess around and see what combo of settings between all that gives the best handling.

[xmonkieee]

Hey, idk if you got it to run but try this and let me know

-Remove the gas cap and then put it back on, then see if it starts.

[Atipsyllama]

Hey, idk if you got it to run but try this and let me know

-Remove the gas cap and then put it back on, then see if it starts.

If you look a few messages up I went through what was wrong with it, and stated that it ran fine after everything was installed back on the bike.

The gas tank outlet was welded completely shut. There was no hole for the gas to leave the bottom of the tank..

I had to drill it out and rinse out the tank before putting it back on the bike.

I went back and forth with the company and they argued with me about how their "parts guys" said that couldn't be it and I should check the vent hose.... after I sent them a damn picture of the whole bike taken apart and a picture of the inside of the tank. I replied with a lengthy and very strongly worded email about how they owe me a gas tank that doesn't have a DIY hole drilled in the bottom of the tank and then they ghosted me.

[culcune]

You definitely should out the the dealer on this thread, or on the 'dealers' section or the 'review' section so others won't have to deal with potential customer services issues, and you get a little satisfaction.

[Atipsyllama]

Well almost a year later the dealer responded to my emails for the second time and sent me a replacement tank, that was at the beginning of May. I still havent taken it out of the box, beyond checking to verify it wasn't welded shut. I am planning on doing the swap soon so maybe I'll record the event or something. Either way I thought I would at least put a follow-up on this thread.