starting tips

I’m having a little trouble starting my bike.

The bike has not been started in a while; this seems to be a problem with most four strokes when they sit for long periods of time.

I am using the kick starter because this is a cold start.

Both fuel petcocks are turned on.

The key is on.

I tried choke and no choke.

The battery is brand new with lots of charge; it will crank over the starter.

I pulled the plug out after trying to start the bike for a while and it was very wet with fuel. However the plug was good. At least I know the bike is getting fuel. I blew it off and cleaned the plug just to be sure.

I checked for spark with the spark plug wire with no plug connected. The spark didn’t look super strong (it was orange) but most likely had to do with the way I was grounding it. I used the kick starter to generate the spark.

According to the previous owner the valves were adjusted very recently with very few hours if any after the adjustment. If I can’t get the bike started tomorrow I’ll give them a check.

The bike feels like it has good compression and the auto decompression seems to be working. I have not checked if it is out of adjustment, but by the feel of the kick start it seemed normal.

At least the bike has compression and it isn’t seized that much is for sure.


The grey areas or trouble I am having:

1. Obviously I gave the bike way to much fuel.

2. The ignition switch: The book recommends the switch be on high for cold starting. However the book is not very clear on which way the switch should be pointing for HI or LO. If the red is covering the HI lettering is this the HI setting?

I read the manual and the starting trips on the site. It looks like I just gave the bike to much fuel the first round. I’ll try just keeping the throttle slightly cracked.

The funnier part of this ordeal was when my dad was kicking the bike over the kickstand just snapped off and he fell over. It broke just after the portion that bolts to the frame. It looks pretty thin like they were trying to save weight. It was funny for me but needless to say it ended the starting attempts for the night. Hopefully tomorrow I can get it started. Usually a push start gets it going and cleans out all the bugs from sitting around for months. At least this is the case with my other 4 strokes.

So if anyone has any tricks to starting these bikes it would be appreciated.

Thanks

When the red needle is over the HI spot that is the correct starting position. I usually kick mine through ten times with the manual decomp lever pulled in, then give it a good kick, for a cold start.

I would start with a new plug first. Check and make sure that the arm on the decompressor (where the cables attach) return all the way and dont hang up.
For cold start I pull in the manual decompressor and kick it through 5 times with closed throttle and the choke on. Take it up to TDC and kick it like a man,it usually starts in 1 or 2 kicks. It helps to be standing on something as well.
For hot starts I use the same drill except no choke and open throttle while kicking it through the 5 times. Again usually starts in 1 or 2 kicks.
It seems everyone has a drill (that was for my kick start only bike).

Check the enrichener circuit on the side of the carb.
It is very primitive and prone to getting dirt and water
inside of it.

best advice is kick it like you kick ya dog when he chewes ya new riding boots ''like ya mean it'' dont be scared of it

cheers doug

As Berger said start with a new plug. Choke on. Absolutely no throttle. If you can't help yourself put your right hand somewhere else but not on the throttle. Do not kick it while on the kickstand.

Read this thread

Pull your stator cover off and make sure there is no water in there. If you washed it there is. Once running take the choke off when it starts to idle slower then give it some throttle to clean it out.

Hanging the bike off something with a tiedown gives me the best kicking position.

Thanks for the replys.

It sux you can't kick the bike on the kickstand, i guess they did that to save weight. This will be getting fixed with a heavier duty stand and spring setup.

I'll try getting a new iridium spark plug today and just kick it like a red headed step child.

No I haven't washed the bike but perhaps the previous owner did not know about the stator cover issue.

The red part of the ignition selector switch was broken off when I bought the bike. Do you have to buy the whole unit to fix this or can you just buy the red part?

thanks

Sounds like the bike is flooded.Replace the plug but don`t put it in right yet.Shutoff the gas and switch off the choke,remove the old plug and crank over the engine around 10 times{I use the kickstarter},next put in new plug turn gas on and choke -do not touch the gas!-should start in 3-4 kicks or use the e-start.Get something to plant your foot on{I use a crate}and kick all the way through.Takes dedication.Hope this helps.