I have a 2001 Suzuki Bandit, and lately when I ride it I can smell some sort of burning smell. What can it be?

Question

It seems to be worse in the morning when its cold, but still faintly there in the evening. Battery and wiring under the seat are fine. Could it be the starter motor not disengaging properly? The bike runs smoothly otherwise.

Answer 1

It might be an exhaust leak. When the motor heats up, the metal expands closing the leak a little. Remove the fuel tank, hook up an auxiliary fuel supply and run the bike. Sniff around to find where the problem is. Removing the tank will let you get closer to stuff.

Answer 2

Something be leaking.
Oil can gunk up and smell funky.
Chain lube can fling up on the pipes.
Clean out the float bowl. You will be surprised at how much varnish will be deposited.
Wash your ride from top to bottom, spray engine with WD-40 to disperse water, and start bike. It WILL smoke, but everything will be clean.
Consider doing an oil change and the ridding bike at speeds from 45 to 90 mph for about 1 hour, then do another oil change.
This will eliminate any chance of moisture in the oil.
If all else fails, spray your helmet with Aramis cologne before you ride.

Answer 3

It's probably a very small oil leak, that once it hits the heat of the engine, it burns up. As the day goes on, most of the oil is burned, and therefore the smell is less.

Try cleaning the engine, then look for oil spots after you run it.

Answer 4

Try cleaning the outside of your pipes and headers. Sometimes dead animals get on the headers or your girlfriend's legs or sneakers melted on the pipes. It wouldn't hurt to look inside the pipes before starting the bike. Someone may have stuffed something in there as a prank.