Hard Starting

[grahamfam3]

I checked the forums and couldn't find anything on this, but I was hoping someone else might have some experience with this or have some ideas.

My bike starts hard. I pull the choke out, and put the petcocks on prime. I've tried it with the throttle open, closed, and working it back and forth (over a period of time, to eliminate the factor of flooding): it still doesn't want to kick over reliably. Of course, when I do get it going and warmed up it runs great and has nice power to it and will restart immediately when warmed up.

I spoke to a mechanic, who told me that because it has air pods installed on it the engine is getting too much air in with the fuel to get it turning over.

Anyone have any suggestions as to what I might be able to do?

[DGXSER]

A couple suggestions, first, get a new mechanic!!

Secondly, pull the bowls off the carbs, and look inside them, there is a jet in there in that hole in the bottom of the bowl that is for the enrichment/choke circuit. If that jet is plugged, which happens pretty easy if the carbs are left to sit with fuel in them, then pulling the choke out does very little to give the extra fuel your after. I take a piec of wire out of a wire brush, others use guitar strings, and spray the thign with carb cleaner good then push the wire in from both the hole in the bottom of the bowl and the hole in the rim of the float bowl. I check the depth of the wire to make sure it goes in far enough that the two paths connect.

If those ar eplugged, and you clean them out, it will be the difference of pulling the choke and not.

[bikerphil]

I have to crack the throttle a little on and off to get mine to start. Once it catches, it's fine. Maybe putting the petcocks on prime is giving the bowls too much fuel? Does it smell like gas? JAT

[natemoen]

I have found that my bike likes just a hair of throttle (and when I say a hair I really mean a hair). Any more it doesnt want to go and any less it doesnt either.

But I would go through the carbs if it has not been done (or if you dont know when the last time was that they were done).

[dbeardslee]

I spoke to a mechanic, who told me that because it has air pods installed on it the engine is getting too much air in with the fuel to get it turning over.

Might be something to that if your carbs weren't rejetted for the pods. A lean problem will be most pronounced on cold motor. As the combustion chamber heats up, you get a more complete fuel burn, and a lean issue will seem to improve. I'm a firm believer in jetting appropriately for mods.

That having been said, when's the last time you cleaned your plugs? Betsy used to have the annoying tendency to foul plugs, and I could always tell when they needed cleaned 'cause she would get hard to start. I used to carry a little wire brush around in my tool kit specifically to address the problem. Clean them and she'd fire right up. It was an issue when I had a 4/1 with factory jetting. After rejetting for my mods I no longer have that problem. And the only time I've seen the enricher circuit really work properly was on a properly jetted carb.

Ivan had a pretty good trick for cleaning plugs. After you hit them with a wire brush, heat the electrode end with a propane torch until the electrode glows red. If you're seeing different color flames, keep heating until you just see blue. The colors are caused by contaminants burning off. Ivan's claim is that fouled plugs will easily refoul if there are contaminants present. Doing the heat trick gets rid of the fouling, and returns them to a more serviceable condition. My $.02

[BigRed]

Have you checked for spark while cranking?

I used to have trouble getting it started. I was rarely getting a spark while cranking because of some corroded connections. IIRC, the worst one was the ground at the voltage regulator.

Good luck!

[yozzie]

Secondly, pull the bowls off the carbs, and look inside them, there is a jet in there in that hole in the bottom of the bowl that is for the enrichment/choke circuit. If that jet is plugged, which happens pretty easy if the carbs are left to sit with fuel in them, then pulling the choke out does very little to give the extra fuel your after. I take a piec of wire out of a wire brush, others use guitar strings, and spray the thign with carb cleaner good then push the wire in from both the hole in the bottom of the bowl and the hole in the rim of the float bowl. I check the depth of the wire to make sure it goes in far enough that the two paths connect.

If those ar eplugged, and you clean them out, it will be the difference of pulling the choke and not.

+1 on the enrichment jet in the carb bowls. I've been bit on ass from not cleaning those well enough. Sometimes heating the bowl with a propane torch helps soften up whatever is hardened in there. When you think you have them clean use carb cleaner with the red straw attached to the nozzle. Hold the straw tight against the jet and spray. If you have it nice and clean you will know because the carb cleaner should spray a long way out the top of the bowl. Just watch your eyes! Stings like crazy!

[grahamfam3]

Thank you all for your input. Unfortunately, I am not comfortable with removing the bowls and messing with the carbs myself, so I guess it's back to finding another mechanic.

[CatatonicBug]

Thank you all for your input. Unfortunately, I am not comfortable with removing the bowls and messing with the carbs myself, so I guess it's back to finding another mechanic.

Honestly, just read the manual, and jump in. You really can't hurt it all THAT much. Carbs are not all that complicated, and not nearly as tricky as the computer-controlled modern stuff. I STRONGLY suggest that you take out a phillips screwdriver and open them up yourself. You'll learn a lot more, gain a LOT of pride in your bike, and save a TON of money!

The bowls are just 4 screws each, and if you want to stop there, you can. Just clean out the jet in the bottom of the bowls, and put them back on. It can't hurt, and it might just solve your problem.

[newc4]

With my 78E the problem was timing, it was a few degrees off. Before it would grind away before it would start. Now it starts at a touch.