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Fixing a motorcycle that wont start after sitting a long time
- Thread starter otwo_91
- Start date
TK4
Well-known member
If you remove the carbs yourself and take them to a capable shop it could run $300-400.
If you take them the whole bike expect to add another $100-200.
matt365
Well-known member
Contrary to some of the above opinions, clean the carbs yourself.
Watch a few YouTube videos and give it a try.
Buy a siphon and drain the gas. Throw it in your car. It'll be diluted and will burn fine.
Remove the empty tank.
Remove the airbox.
Remove throttle cables.
Undo the throttle body clamps.
Drain screw in the bottom of the carb float bowl.
Flip the carbs over.
Remove the float bowl screws.
Flat head screwdriver to remove the jet from the emulsion tube.
8mm socket to remove the emulsion tube.
Soak jets and tubes in carb cleaner.
Blow parts clean with compressed air, or use an old toothbrush and carb cleaner to clean out the bowls.
Make sure there is no tears in float bowl gaskets.
Reassemble.
Fresh gas in the tank.
Put it on prime to fill the carbs.
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Watch a few YouTube videos and give it a try.
Buy a siphon and drain the gas. Throw it in your car. It'll be diluted and will burn fine.
Remove the empty tank.
Remove the airbox.
Remove throttle cables.
Undo the throttle body clamps.
Drain screw in the bottom of the carb float bowl.
Flip the carbs over.
Remove the float bowl screws.
Flat head screwdriver to remove the jet from the emulsion tube.
8mm socket to remove the emulsion tube.
Soak jets and tubes in carb cleaner.
Blow parts clean with compressed air, or use an old toothbrush and carb cleaner to clean out the bowls.
Make sure there is no tears in float bowl gaskets.
Reassemble.
Fresh gas in the tank.
Put it on prime to fill the carbs.
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The jets that you need to go after are the pilot jets, which are used for starting, idling, and slow running. Those are up inside a recess when you look at the carbs from the bottom with the float bowls removed. They have very small openings.
Also, blow carb cleaner through the passages where the slow jets are installed. It should come out one of the air-bleeds in the front of the carb, out the passage where the idle screw sits, and out a series of small holes that are uncovered when the throttle is a smidge open.
Also, blow carb cleaner through the passages where the slow jets are installed. It should come out one of the air-bleeds in the front of the carb, out the passage where the idle screw sits, and out a series of small holes that are uncovered when the throttle is a smidge open.
TK4
Well-known member
Unless OP has previous mechanical skills and VERY small hands the job could turn into a major horror show.
And I stand by my suggestion of getting the Dynojet kit upgrade, it will help considerably over the long run.
Once you clean the carbs be sure you have a GOOD battery or the aid of a charger/booster. Lots of times the battery will spin the engine but not quite have enough to juice to do it fast enough.
If I'm struggling to get a bike going I'll attach my charger and switch to "10amp engine boost"mode. That often makes the difference.
If I'm struggling to get a bike going I'll attach my charger and switch to "10amp engine boost"mode. That often makes the difference.
Relax
Well-known member
@otwo_91 - if you're near me in Mississauga, I might be able to come by on a nice day (which the rest of this week is looking like).
If you got the bike to cough, your carbs are probably "good enough". My guess is that your bike is fine and it just has stale ethanol gas in the floats. Either drain them or just keep trying, and if it doesn't start after 5 minutes of trying, leave it to dry overnight and try again tomorrow. Attach jumper cable between you bike and a car (off) so you don't have to worry about draining the bike battery and needing to fix yet another thing. I just started my carb'd 88 Hawk on Sunday after sitting with the same ethanol fuel I parked it with in September. Forgot which direction "on" was on my choke, and ended up cranking for a few extra minutes with it off. Turned it on, and it fired up a few minutes later. It would have started immediately if I had taken the time to drain my floats, but it would have taken me longer to get my screwdriver, hose, clamp, and catch can than it did to simply "crank it out".
If you got the bike to cough, your carbs are probably "good enough". My guess is that your bike is fine and it just has stale ethanol gas in the floats. Either drain them or just keep trying, and if it doesn't start after 5 minutes of trying, leave it to dry overnight and try again tomorrow. Attach jumper cable between you bike and a car (off) so you don't have to worry about draining the bike battery and needing to fix yet another thing. I just started my carb'd 88 Hawk on Sunday after sitting with the same ethanol fuel I parked it with in September. Forgot which direction "on" was on my choke, and ended up cranking for a few extra minutes with it off. Turned it on, and it fired up a few minutes later. It would have started immediately if I had taken the time to drain my floats, but it would have taken me longer to get my screwdriver, hose, clamp, and catch can than it did to simply "crank it out".
PM'd
matt365
Well-known member
Got to say, how did you get "previous mechanical skills"?
Got to learn by doing, and by screwing up.
It might take us a couple hours.
Might take him a few days. So be it.
And yeah, he might brake something, or he'll just get to the point of removing the carbs and then have a professional deal with it. At least he tried.
At least the weather is still cold and ******. Not like he needs the bike next week.
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matt365
Well-known member
EX250 carbs are a bear to remove... but after that they're simple.
First thing: Shut off the fuel/crimp the hose with a vise grip
Drain the carbs. Long thin straight screw driver... see that countersunk screw on the bottom of the carb? Loosen it. Fuel will drain out. Do both sides. Tighten the screws again.
Open the fuel and try to start the bike... No? try it with the choke. No?
Take the carbs off. Flip them upside down (they're gonna leak fuel from the vents) take the four screws out of the float bowl BE CAREFUL, those screws are made out of plasticene and round off easily.
Have the NEW pilot jet in your hand and it pretty simple to see how to replace it. You'll see two brass jets... the pilot is the small one. Looks like the one in your hand.
If there is schmoo in the float bowl, clean it out. Put the float bowls back on, put the carbs back on, and try to start it.
While you're dickin' with the carbs: have the battery on charge.
If you're going to play with carbs: get yourself a couple cupcake baking tins
First part you take off goes in the first hole, next part: next hole....
Good for a 4 cylinder
First thing: Shut off the fuel/crimp the hose with a vise grip
Drain the carbs. Long thin straight screw driver... see that countersunk screw on the bottom of the carb? Loosen it. Fuel will drain out. Do both sides. Tighten the screws again.
Open the fuel and try to start the bike... No? try it with the choke. No?
Take the carbs off. Flip them upside down (they're gonna leak fuel from the vents) take the four screws out of the float bowl BE CAREFUL, those screws are made out of plasticene and round off easily.
Have the NEW pilot jet in your hand and it pretty simple to see how to replace it. You'll see two brass jets... the pilot is the small one. Looks like the one in your hand.
If there is schmoo in the float bowl, clean it out. Put the float bowls back on, put the carbs back on, and try to start it.
While you're dickin' with the carbs: have the battery on charge.
If you're going to play with carbs: get yourself a couple cupcake baking tins
First part you take off goes in the first hole, next part: next hole....
Good for a 4 cylinder
Sorry Bud.
Cold starting an EX is nothing like a RC31. The Honda WANTS to go... the Kawi WANTS to stay in bed.
I sold a Hawk to a guy last January, it was 10-15 below, the thing hadn't started since summer: put a battery in it and GRRR GRRR VROOOM... then sat there and idled. I was impressed.
I used to have an EX. It would take an afternoon to get the thing going, even if it was winter prepped... and a NEW battery and rebuilt the carbs over the winter and new gas, with the space heater pointed at the motor to warm it up....
Thinking about it... I sold that EX to same guy as the RC31... just 20yrs apart
Relax
Well-known member
Well that sucks. Maybe I'm lucky to have only ever owned one Kaw, but I've never had starting problems with anything of mine going all the way back to the 80's.
It's not a Kawi thing. Or a Honda thing. Had similar cold weather issues with a VF500F
It’s not the same thing but I can say I’ve never had cold start issues until I got my yz250. This thing is a ***** in anything below 10c
I suspect it may be related to the limited choke adjustment, where my street bikes have fully adjustable choke the yz has 2 positions. Pretty much on and off
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I suspect it may be related to the limited choke adjustment, where my street bikes have fully adjustable choke the yz has 2 positions. Pretty much on and off
Sent from my iPhone using GTAMotorcycle.com
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