Bandit 400 with starting problems, stalls at stops.

[twofoldway]

Hey there Banditos!

I'm going to admit it. I'm a newbie. I got my motorcycle license recently and bought a Bandit 400 from a friend of mine. I rode it a few times and now I've got some problems.

This bike keeps dying on me at stops. I'll ride a little ways (less than a mile), then try to come to a stop somewhere and the engine cuts out. Try to start the bike and it's really rough, won't turn over. Did that a little bit and it finally caught. Rode it to work (another mile) and as I get into the parking lot, the engine cuts out again (as I'm coasting to a stop). I'm at work, so I just push it to a parking spot and go to work. After work, try to start the bike and again very rough. This time, engine doesn't catch, starter just trying to start this thing and eventually battery dies.

When I first bought this bike, it had problems starting. Very rough starting out, wouldn't turn over unless the starter was really run. I took it to a shop and the mechanic changed out the plugs and it seemed to run ok for a few days. But then it started dying at stops.

I'm not sure what's wrong. I'm relatively mechanically inclined and I've worked on my car a bit (bolt on and basic maintenance stuff), but I've never worked with carbs and never worked on a bike. This is my first bike and I've been riding for less than a few months.

I've put premium fuel (91 octane) in the tank, but I haven't even run through a full tank of gas yet.

Any thoughts on what to do?

Thanks in advance,
Eddy

[bullet5]

The first place you should look is the spark plugs. Pop them out and check the colour. If they're new then they should still be rather shiney/clean. If they are white, then it's running far too lean, and therefore you may have a fuel line blockage or a very lean idle mixture. If they are black and have a powdery texture, then it's running too rich, so there is too much fuel entering the engine per unit of air, and this will soot up the spark plugs.

If they are black, (and I'm on about the electrode tip and base plate) then get a brass wire brush and give them a good clean. Stick them back in and see how she runs.

Do you have any problem while riding? Any bogging down, stuttering, inability to rev above "x" revs?

When it was running well, what sort of idle speed is it set at?

What aftermarket modifications have been made to the fuel/exhaust system. Different air filters, exhausts, holes in the airbox, etc will all have a big impact.

All the best,
Bullet5.