[Snoopaloop]

My Hornet has just shy of 10k miles. Stock aside from Delkevic can. New battery and Honda rectifier last summer. Pulled out of storage a few weeks ago and fuel in tank is fresh after several rides. Typically fires right up and can turn off choke within seconds. Usually just go for fun rides with few stops.

Rode bike to work this morning. Temps in the low 80's. Ran to lunch and stopped on way back for gas. Turned over but no start. After a few attempts, starter barely turned it over for a second and then cranked normally. Got it to cough once but finally ran out of juice and had to get it towed home. Will try charging and starting this evening. Had the same thing last year right before I changed the battery/rectifier and one other time this spring where it didn't want to start easily after an earlier ride.

Other threads seem to point to electrical issues. Any chance a 10k mile bike would need valve adjustment or is that unlikely? I'm not good with electrical troubleshooting but guess it might be time to get familiar with my multimeter..

 

[dial]

No running bump start attempt at the gas station? Lol, I've done a few of those on carbed and fuel injected bikes and saved myself a tow after refueling. Both had batteries on the way out.

Did you keep the battery connected to a battery tender while in long term storage? Did you put fuel stable in the tank before storage?

If not, I bet your battery is toast and/or those carbs are gummed up with a nasty varnish.

Regardless, first thing I would start with is pulling that battery and getting it tested.

 

[Snoopaloop]

Bump starting was considered but I'm not as spry as I used to be. Worried that I'd get it rolling and then either drop it or fall over on top of it. Once it was home, I plugged it into a tender. Later that night, started right up again and has run well since.

Good questions. Yes, stored with a full tank of non-ethanol and stabilizer, thoroughly run through the system. Stored inside my house. Battery on a tender once a week and then allowed to discharge so it was "exercised." Started right up for the first ride and no issues with fueling so I don't suspect any issues with the carbs. I'll check the battery today to be sure.

Is it possible to overfill a fuel tank? Something that would affect fuel to the carbs? I usually fill the tank to the top. Is there some kind of evap system like in a car that could get clogged? Just curious because it happened right after filling it up.

 

[dial]

There should be a couple connections on your 599 fuel tank. A fuel overflow hose that will address overfilling issues, an air vent hose that connects to an evap canister, and the fuel line.

If the bike started again after being plugged into the tender for a short period of time then I still suspect that your battery is on the way out.

I had similar battery symptoms on my R6 2 years ago:
-battery kept on a battery tender and the bike started just fine
-bike would not start again after refueling
-bump start attempt worked at the gas station but revving past 9k RPMs on the way home would kill the motor while riding (!!) - clutch -> rolling bump start restarted the engine
-tested the battery a bit later and it was on the way out.
-replaced the battery and all was good again.

 

[Snoopaloop]

Thanks for the feedback. I was busy all weekend so haven't had a chance to confirm battery voltage but will do that next. Would suck if it's already bad. Seems like buying a battery is a crapshoot.