Since new my 09 wouldnt start if it was left more than a week, I tried all the tricks on this forum and others but I couldnt find one method that worked every time. In the end I installed a outboard motor pump ball between the tank and carb then pump it till it gets hard then a few more till a little gas comes out of the vent tube then pull the choke hit the button and it fires right away.It definately is lack of fuel in the carb, why ? who knows.When I get some extra cash Im going to put on one of Bill Blues carbs and get rid of all the problems. hope this helps its cheap and easy. good luck!

 

Awasome, another Oklahoma KLX rider. I'm not alone.

As for the hard starting issue. That would be kinda of normal for the stock KLX in cold weather. My 06' does the same thing. At 40*F and colder, it becomes hard to start. A trick that was suggested that seem to works, is to lean the bike over to one side for a few seconds and then try to start it with the choke out. Its not 100% and may take a 1 or 2 more trys. But it seems to at least get it started in 20*F weather.

 

Thanks to the terrible economy, I cannot give my two cents worth. Instead heres 1.364 cents. My procedure was self taught years ago riding a GSXR 750 with the exact same style of carb our bikes have but it had 4 not one. Anyways on the KLX I turn off the fuel at the bridge about 1/4 mile from my house. Then once home I crack the throttle to about 3,000 rpm and wait, with the occasional wide open throttle to see if it cuts out yet. As the bike starts to misfire a little I crack the throttle wide open real quick and if the bike trys to stall, I go wide open on the throttle which sucks out whatever little fuel is left in the carb and the bike stalls. If you do this procedure in the dark like I do lately, check out the exhaust header at the head itself. It turns a pretty red glow lava color as the bike is just about out of fuel. Once its stalled I pull the choke and crank the motor to clear out any left over fuel in the carb or choke system.

I wanted to see how easy it would start last week when the outside temprature was 9 degrees F. The bike is under a porch with just protection from the rain. So the bike was really cold LOL. I turned on the fuel, stood the bike up straight instead of trying to start it on its kickstand. Turned on the key, cranked the engine and boom fired up at 9 degrees after cranking only about 2 seconds.

I can only assume the bikes that have cold start issues are still stock. Mines been jetted. And more importantly the idle screw has been richened.

One last thing, I went with my buddy to buy a 06klx250s and the owner was complaining how it was so hard to start. I watched him first open and close the throttle repeatedly before cranking, then while cranking with the choke on he kept opening the throttle a tiny bit. He got frustrated and said he would be right back with some ether. I said hold on a second can I try? I simply touched the starter button with the choke on and it fired up perfect.
Point being, by opening the throttle on these bikes while cranking it cancels the effect of the choke circuit. Which is needed cold.

I wonder how much longer this post reply would have been if I had 2 whole cents. Thank you drive thru

 

I had the same problem with my 09 KLX250 the first day I brought it home from the dealer. After a week I took it back to the dealer and I think they adjusted the carb to make it run more rich. They told me that these bikes always come from the factory running very lean.
Whatever they did fixed the problem perfectly. It has started everytime whether it sits for a week, warm, or cold. I just pull the choke when cold, crank it over and it starts no problem. It does need the choke left on if I try to ride it while it's still cold, but only takes a few minutes then the choke comes off.
I may be able to find out what the dealer did to fix the problem if needed.

 

I see this a lot. It is not a pumper carb. Twisting the throttle does nothing when you are not cranking the motor over. It doesn't even lift the needle unless it is running. Good Post clgdswr.

On my old WR426 it had a pumper and I still didn't touch the throttle before I started it. It was properly jetted, that makes a world of difference. By the way I have not had any issues starting my 09 in the cold (5 to 10 Deg F)

 

will changing the carb, competely fix this problem? does any one with bill's or another upgraded carb still have starting troubles?

 

I used to have that problem on my 09 too. Since I rejetted it and started using the "lean the bike over to the right side until gas pours out the overflow" technique I haven't had any more problems starting it.

 

So judging from what all of you wonderful kawasaki riders re saying is i need a jet kit? Well if so where is a good place to start and what brand of jets. I have never dealed with a carb before, so any help would be thankful.

 

Jetting your carb wont help the starting problem, mine did it before and after the complete gambit of mods. It seems that not all the 09 klx owners have the starting problem.One thing that you might try that I didnt is raise the float level higher? Worth a shot!

 

Here we go with this thread again. I just want to say that the '09 is not crap but you have to figure out what will work for you when you start the bike in very cold temps. Mine seems to work best when I press the starter with the the choke in. Then pull the choke out slowly until the engine catches. That's what works for me but it seems each person is different.