TK4
Well-known member
TMDT - That Machine Does That
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Fixing a motorcycle that wont start after sitting a long time
- Thread starter otwo_91
- Start date
boyoboy
Well-known member
sometimes it is easier to replace the pilot jets rather than trying to clean them.
they cost about five or ten bucks each - you will need two for your twin.
winners circle or a dealr should get them for you - having them b4 taking the carbs off is a good practice.
take your time and only do one carb at a time. remember brass is soft and often found in carbs. careful with, don't over tighten or strip stuff.
two heads are better than one; an exp helper would be best and recommended ! A novice mechanic can quite easily wreck a carb in short order.
best luck!
they cost about five or ten bucks each - you will need two for your twin.
winners circle or a dealr should get them for you - having them b4 taking the carbs off is a good practice.
take your time and only do one carb at a time. remember brass is soft and often found in carbs. careful with, don't over tighten or strip stuff.
two heads are better than one; an exp helper would be best and recommended ! A novice mechanic can quite easily wreck a carb in short order.
best luck!
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And have a good set of screwdrivers with sharp strong tips to remove those small brass emulsion tubes ie: Suzuki in-line fours).
Iceman
Well-known member
Carb'd 2 strokes can be even more finicky. You should be rejeting for temp and/or elevation changes.
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Hey folks,
So I got the carbs out, I purchased a carb re-build set and took them to a guy who cleaned the carbs and re-installed the new set and we put it back in the bike.
We got the bike to run, it was running great. I rode it in the underground, did a few laps. I shut it off and left it for 2-3 nights.
I tried to get it going again, now, same problem, it would start and idle at low rpm's, anywhere between 5 seconds to even 20 seconds. but then it turns off. And if I apply any throttle, it immediately dies.
I am trying to diagnose this new problem. Can I rule out the battery? under the assumption that if it were the battery, it couldn't start and stay on for 15-30 seconds, or is the battery possibly a problem.
Otherwise, I am thinking of possibly needing to change the petcock and fuel lines.
So I got the carbs out, I purchased a carb re-build set and took them to a guy who cleaned the carbs and re-installed the new set and we put it back in the bike.
We got the bike to run, it was running great. I rode it in the underground, did a few laps. I shut it off and left it for 2-3 nights.
I tried to get it going again, now, same problem, it would start and idle at low rpm's, anywhere between 5 seconds to even 20 seconds. but then it turns off. And if I apply any throttle, it immediately dies.
I am trying to diagnose this new problem. Can I rule out the battery? under the assumption that if it were the battery, it couldn't start and stay on for 15-30 seconds, or is the battery possibly a problem.
Otherwise, I am thinking of possibly needing to change the petcock and fuel lines.
Robbo
Well-known member
So I am on the motorcycle right now. Its actually running with the chocke all the way on.
It wont die, it keeps running, been 5 minutes now. If I try to put it in gear and ride off, the rpms will keep coming down until it dies.
I can rev it to about 4 k rpm, then it comes down to 1.5.
But if I rev it to 7k, it will start to come down and show hesitance like its about to die.
If I try to turn the choke off, it starts to sound like it will die. I am going to see if it just needs to run like this for a while to get fuel back in the carbs.
I am not sure. Its running now. The battery was on a trickle charger when i was doing all the work with the carbs, but not sure about voltage.
Robbo
Well-known member
One of the most important tools you should own is a multimeter. It doesn’t need to be expensive…you can probably find one on sale at Cdn tire for $20-$30. All troubleshooting starts with a fully charged battery.
Resting voltage is one measure of the battery’s health and should be one of the first things checked when having an issue starting the motorcycle.
Also, good to check the battery voltage at idle and at specific rpms to verify the charging system is working properly.
Please don’t just go by the battery tender green light. I have a battery needing replacement right now that will show fully charged (green light) on the tender and the next morning it has a resting voltage of 12.29 .
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Robbo
Well-known member
My first road bike was a Kawi 250. It was a bit temperamental on colder damp days or if it sat for a while. I would have to start it on choke, warm it up and then ride the first minute on half choke just to wake it up.
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That sounds pretty similar to my old Ninja 500. On cold days it could take 5+ minutes to warm up on full choke. And by "cold", I mean anything below 15 degrees.
Relax
Well-known member
Something doesn't sound right if it was only parked for a few days after running great. How hard was it to start after reinstalling the carbs? Did you start it, or was it someone else, and did you watch their technique with the choke? If it has a lever, it's not just on or off - use it like a throttle, and slowly close it to maintain the lowest RPM it will cleanly run at until it's closed all the way.
You will never truly appreciate fuel Injection without going through this
My wife had a ninja 500 when we met that would never start for crap or run well cold. The choke bracket was bent and not fully opening the enricher took me about 5 minutes to straighten it and it started easy from then on.
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Any idea how old the fuel was? IE, when did the previous owner regularly ride it last?
Honestly, this sounds a lot like old crappy gas, or old ethanol gas that has phase separated and now has some water in it.
Drain out all the old gas and get some fresh stuff in there.
The most temperamental bike to start that I owned was an injected bmw. When it was below zero, I carried a torch under the seat and I would pull and heat the plugs before cranking. Had the injectors cleaned and flow tested with no improvement.
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