OK let's see here. Since I have three bikes in the stable, and two of them are the same bike I decided it was time to figure out why two and sometimes all three had such a hard time starting even in mild weather in 40-50 degree temps if they sit for a week or two or longer.



Well its really simple, but the answer will be forthcoming soon enough. I will tell you what I did that finally shed light on this problem that has been plaguing me and others here and elsewhere. OK sorry for dragging this out, but I am totally pumped and excited to finally fix this.

On Monday I decided to try a theory I had been reading about, and that involves turning the gas off, draining the carburetor of the gas while the motor is running, and leaving the bike for a few days or a week if I could go that long without riding. Well I did this to the wife's bike, however the next day she decided to run the battery down not knowing that I had turned the gas off. Well Tuesday night I did it all over again and today, Friday I turned the key on her bike, pulled the choke, turned on the gas in order to fill the now empty float bowl, waited for 10 seconds and hit the e-start. It STARTED!!!! Yes that's right it started after only 3 seconds of cranking. I was pleased to say the least, but then I was still cursed with doubt, so as any good researcher would do I had to continue in my findings.

Well I couldn't use my bike since I had ridden it yesterday and it always starts up when ridden a couple of times a week. But what's this? Another bike? Yes. The other XT 225 which is 3 years old with 2500 miles on it. Would it start? But wait the gas has been on for weeks, and its been at least 2 weeks since it was started. Well I turned the key, pulled the choke, and hit the e-start, after about 5 minutes of on and off cranking and pulling the choke, and pushing in the choke, I finally stopped in disgust. I pulled the spark plug and cleaned it, and then after re-installing the plug, cranked on it some more and still nothing. I then pulled the air cleaner and still nothing. Hmmmmm this was starting to make me think I was on to something. By now the battery was dead, so I decided to use my new 400 watt jump station with the jumper cables, this thing is AWESOME!!!




OK back to the solution. I cranked on the motor for another few minutes, and then put the air cleaner back, cranked some more. Still it would not even pop once. So I remembered that some people had drained the carb bowl. So screwdriver in one hand and a cup to catch the fuel in the other, I turned the screw and emptied the gas. After the gas stopped flowing, I tightened the screw and put the drain tube back where it was. Then with one motion and high hopes I turned on the gas, waited 10 seconds, turned the key on and pulled out the choke, and yes you guessed it the bike fired up in just a few seconds. YEEEEEEEEEEEE HAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!

OK here is my, what do you call the end of a report?, oh yea Summation, you guys didn't think I knew what that was huh? As close as I can tell when gas sits in the carburetor it changes. whether it be moisture or just time, it changes. Think of it this way, we are all told to replace old gas. "Don't leave it sitting around too long or it will not be any good." The smaller the amount of gas the faster this happens as air is allowed to change the properties. We are also told to keep our tanks filled up as much as possible.

So here is where you all come in as, let's say "research assistants". From now on when you are done riding, turn off the gas but leave the bike running for a few minutes. Let the bike die from gas starvation and then turn off the bike and post back how many days it sits before trying the preceding procedure. Then as different owners post different time periods we should begin to see a pattern, hopefully a good one. Now all of this might seem simple, but sometimes in life the simple way is the best. So what do you guys think? I for one am going to post here every time my new found procedure works, and yes I will also post if it doesn't. You guys do the same and also post what the temps were when you started or tried to start. I am certain that this is the trick to end all starting problems.

OK my wife is giving me the evil eye as in get off the computer and spend some quality time.....but I will have the Blackberry so I can keep up with all of the responses. see y'all.[8D]

 

What's your wife wearing?

 

Man Nobrakes, your BAADDDDD, poor deej will be siting with his wife, trying to create a quality time bond, read your post and start laughing and ruin the whole thing.....

Deej, I do that constantly with my bikes, two stroke and now four stroke. My son also does that with his bike. I only had one problem one time with this bike, but it may be that I was being impatient waiting for the carb to fill up to the point where the pilot jet could work corrrectly.

thats my two cents... CARRY ON!!!!!!!!!!

 

Did I cross the line?

Sorry man, no disrespect intended. Bad nobrakes! No cookie for me [&:]

Seriously, though, sounds like you are on to something deej. It hasn't really gotten cold enough here to keep my bike from starting. It has gotten down into the low thirties, high twenties here, but I keep my bike in our garage which is a few degrees warmer than outside, at least according to the TrailTech Vapor's air temp reading. Even when I went on vacation in November and came back late on Saturday evening it was chilly out and sitting for over a week, it started right up. I don't have a choke, but it's a different carburetor - the pumper which squirts fuel in there. To start that you open the throttle and hold it for a few seconds, then crank it. It fires right up and generally idles fine for a few minutes then it's ready. But I didn't drain the gas - could have something to do with the gas quality as some folks have said also. Some areas seem more prone to that problem than others.

But what you say sounds plausible and your test tends to confirm it.

 

LOL no offense taken, no line crossed, besides her Aunt Flow is visiting and so quality time is actually watching TV and talking.

 

And yet I still found time to post again, what is wrong with me?

 

Ok I'm going back in the living room now for good, I mean that's it, I have to stop the insanity. Is there a 12 step Crackberry I mean Blackberry program?

 

uhhhh wait a second, yall dont turn the gas off when your done riding? ok, that is bizzare, casue if i do that all of my gas slowly drains out(on the bayou and dirtbike). And yes the carb will fill its self and then drain its self when the temps go crazy, ie cold to hot or vis varsa.

 

PUT YOUR HANDS UP AND WALK SLOWLY AWAY FROM THE CRACKBERRY..[:'(]

 

Leaving on the gas on all of the dirt bikes, road bikes and quads and three wheelers has never resulted in gas draining at least for me, unless you have a float needle that is not seating very well. Up until this test I have never turned off the gas in my KLX, but the XT is not jetted and also I ride the KLX as much as possible, which leaves fresher gas in the bowl that allows the bike to fire easier. So I guess I will be at least when there will be a few days between rides shutting off the gas from now on. Its funny I can remember when I posted over the summer that "I have and never will shut off my gas." LOL I guess I will be eating crow for breakfast, or a good helping of humble pie. Later man. Oh for 14 you have an older vocabulary, as in wise beyond your years. Young Yoda, yea that's what I will call you.