deej, neil, I'm not dissin' the method of the fuel bowl drain-and-fill concept. That was the only thing that got mine started. I'm just saying there's a solution to this other than this step that we shouldn't have to do. I think my buddy may be on the right track with the starter jet. The fact that people with pumper carbs and even one guy who added a watercraft primer deal to his carb seems to point out cold engine fuel delivery. A KLX owner should be able to park his bike, fuel on or off, come out the next time if it's cold...reasonable amount of time, of course...and fire up his bike with the choke without drama. I've had 4 KLR600/650's with almost the same identical carb and similarly designed engine, and they started with icicles hanging off the handlebar. I'm just throwing this out there that the choke enrichening circuit may be too lean, and that a relatively easy fix is to drill it out to the next step.

I'm off to the site of our enduro race this weekend, or I'd tear into mine right now. See y'all in a few days.

 

I do share your frustrations there. Try analyzing it from the reverse angle. Try figuring out why running the gas out works, instead of why it wont start. Adding fresh gas allows it to start, so why would drilling out anything duplicate that procedure? Trust me we have hundreds of posts on this subject. And what is weird is that some members..although a small minority, have zero problems starting their bikes. I still wonder if it has something to do with the quality of gas in different parts of the country and the time it sits somewhere before pumped.

I don't know, just throwing out ideas. My wife's bike (2006 XT 225) has exactly the same issue, as does a friends 2004 XT 225, and yet a friends 2003 TW 200 with practically the same engine and carburetor will instantly start no matter how long it sits with furl in the bowl, with the gas left on for weeks and months. It doesn't make sense. Trust me I have tried to find the common denominator for 4 years, and bottom line, we do what works. Good luck, and its always great to see another member trying to find an answer. Let us know if you find anything out.

However even if a solution was found, it will affect the KLX bikes across the country in different ways, considering that there are a lot of different setups with jetting and fuel/air mix settings. And because my bike runs with the max power, and zero issues with the way it runs, I'm not tearing into the carb under any circumstances. I'm not messing with what the mechanic did over 4 years ago.

 

I was doing some research about this and ran across this post.https://www.kawasakiforums.com/forum...096#post376096

This post indicates that the starter jet is replaceable so I checked the service manual and Sudco's website and it looks like you can change them. What confuses me is that it says the US version uses a #48 starter jet and the Aussie version uses a #40. I'm assuming this controls fuel not air so I would think 48 would be richer than a 40.
Which leads to this question. Are any of our Aussie friends having this difficulty with cold starting? Does it even get cold enough where you all live to cause this problem? I have been to Australia but I was near Melbourne in what is your summer time (our winter) however the only place I saw that may approach these temps was up in the Dandenong (hope I spelled that right) mountains, and it was warm when I was there.
Maybe it would be worth trying some different sizes and see if this takes care of the problem. Bear in mind it was two for one drafts last night so right now my head is like way foggy so I hope I'm not overlooking something here.

 

It has just become habit to drain half a shot+ out the bowl prior to starting anytime it's either cold or 2+ days since last ride for me. I actually do it to anything I'm trying to get started after some time off. Anytime it starts quicker=better. IMO

 

While temperatures do have some affect on the starting of the bike, the problem has been recorded across all temps from 20 and lower to 90 in the summer.

 

How about this. You stop the bike and the fuel level is lower because the engine has been drawing fuel from the bowl. Fuel is not replaced because of the vacuum shut off in the petcock. Over the next few days a little more fuel evaporates. You go to start and it will not fire. Fuel is not getting to the starter jet because the level is too low. My theory: there is not enough vacuum on the starting cycle to open the petcock to allow fuel to flow to the carb. I had a similar problem (although not as bad as the KLX) on my DRZ. I turned the petcock to 'prime' to bypass the vacuum shutoff until the bike starts. Then return to on. I haven't figured out yet how my theory might relate to the fact that draining a little fuel from the bowl helps a cold start. YMMV

 

I don't think the KLX has a vacuum operated petcock. But how about this. Enough fuel in the float bowl evaporates until it is below the level of the starter jet. Opening the drain allows the fuel to run out causing the float to drop and refill the float bowl so that now the level is above the starter jet and it starts? FIIK.

 

If it's not vacuum operated......nevermind.

 

This definitely seems plausible, and fits with my experiences. When I got my KLX, I was living in Crested Butte, CO, elevation around 9000ft. Riding up to 13000ft or so. Thus, with the stock jetting, I was effectively running way richer than you flatlanders. Anyways, I almost never had problems starting the bike, even letting the bike sit without draining the carb. All temperature ranges too. Logically speaking, my starter jet was probably right on the money in terms of delivering enough fuel for the air that was getting to my motor... so maybe drilling the jet for lower elevations is the answer?