Roadglider has a good point that it did start the first few times at that alt. Mine did not even start at that alt. Definitely wouldn't hurt to switch the plug. Mav Aus is correct in that the dealer should help you out, but it sounds like your dealer is like many dealers, and not very helpful (or knowledgeable about these bikes). Garry the bike may be lean at sea level, but it goes from lean to rich by the time you get up to 8000ft. Air is pretty thin at that point. Been there done that. Roadglider has another good point about the cold starting, they are sometimes tricky to start. Search for cold starting threads. There are many methods that work. I shut the fuel off when i park it and when i start it i turn the fuel on and then slowly pull out the choke as i crank it over. Works every time for me. Good luck.

 

Doesn't kawi have the free towing as part of the warranty? I am sure that it does. They will pay for wrecker service as long as you are on pavement. If you have fuel and spark and compression happening, then the timing may be off. or the might be no good.

 

Well since its new try pulling off the left side panel and make extra sure all the plugs from the cdi are fully plugged in.

Good luck let us know

 

good point we all know how perfect those factory techs are......... they have bad days too.

 

That is incorrect, Mav. The higher the altitude, the less dense the air is which causes the mixture to get richer as your altitude increases.

He's already at 7,500ft. That would put him on the rich side. I think removing the snorkel and possibly the entire lid is worth a try.

 

Thats correct tremor38. I remember when I took my old 2 stroke dirt bike that was set up for like 1500 foot above sea level to a much higher altitude and rode even higher to like 7000 foot level. The higher up I went the crappier it ran until it died and would not start untill I got it back down lower. My SF stock consistantly produced an almost completely clean and barely grey plug. Have you checked yours, what is the coloration?
I would try moving the needle clip UP a slot or even two which will probily put it at the top of the needle. Definately take out the plug and check the coloration though, even after you get it running still check it a couple of times. This is an excellent tell of how well the mixture is set.

 

Hi Guys, thanks for all the comments. I went to the dealer to speak to them about it also. And pick up some plugs. They were skeptical. I have already cleaned every Molex connector on the bike. Everything went back together with dielectric grease. Well, as soon as I got home I tested the new plug. Guess What!!! Spark was not that stout but it was going from the center electrode to the side electrode. Couldn't get the old plug out fast enough. The old plug still looks brand new not much color change the 28 miles it ran. But it is definitely faulty. Didn't even turn over twice and caught. Thanks a ton guys!!

On another note, it seems the consensus is to leave jetting as is for now. Since more than likely I am running rich. I want to focus on getting air thru the engine. Exhaust and intake. I have read a ton of high altitude post were folks perform a ton of testing and always seem to go back the factory after getting better ‘throughput’.

Anyway, thanks a ton for the help.