So, I fueled up a few days ago. With fuel that was cheaper than most places in town. Regular 87.

After I do this, I notice, what seems like the exhaust, or maybe something else, having very small sputter like noises when the throttle is coming down from a high rev, like when I engine brake. Never heard this before.

Also, today, I start her up, get the the end of the road, she shuts off. After I pulled in the clutch, the idle was apparently too low. I noticed that my idle is also noticeably lower now.

I've never had jetting problems.

So, is this just a crap case of fuel, or is there something more going on, here.

Any help would be well appreciated. She's my other method of transportation, so I like to keep her taken care of.

Thank you!

 

Could be the fuel but it could also be some trash getting sucked into the jets in the carb. I would try dumping the gas and trying some fresh gas. If that doesn't solve the problem then You may need to pull the float bowl off of the carb and do an inspection. I have had a bit of water that made its way into the carb during a ride in a downpour that made the bike run like crap-stuttering and wouldn't idle but as soon as I was able to get to a stretch to go WFO under load for a bit it sucked all of the water out of the bowl and ran fine after that.

 

How do I dump the gas? If it's crappy, I suppose I don't want to be running the rest through my system.

 

Smell the gas tank, if it smells like biohazardous material, its bad gas. I bought some bad quality gas at an AM PM just a few days ago, exhaust smelled like crap too. Put some chevron in and all is well.

 

Be creative. Take your other method of transport and fill up a gallon+ tank. Open the lid on the KLX and very carfully, without spilling any on the ground or the EPA cops will be right over, dump it into an EPA approved tank. Or a milk jug? Or? Be creative. Get that stuff out. Rinse with a cup of the fresh stuff and dump. Then fill up and try it again.

If that doesn't do the trick, let us know.

When a fuel up makes it run bad, dump (IMMEDIATELY) and try again with fresh fuel from a different station. Spend $0.20 more and just suck it up. And if that doesn't do the trick, that cheap fuel just plugged some things up so enjoy some quality time with your motor checking filters, lines, jets, bowls, etc. Quality time well spent working on the bike when you could be riding, thanks to saving a quarter or two on cheap gas. Buy me a coke?

Sorry for the rant. I honestly do hope it fires up and runs well for you tomorrow.

 

You can get "bad" gas after a tanker dumps its load in the underground tank. The turbulence created during the fill will stir up the contaminants at the bottom of the tank. Until that crap settles you could get yourself some "bad" gas.

Ditto on Chevron fuel. Tecron additive is the real deal and the fuel is processed in Chevron facilities. I believe that Chevron franchises are not allowed to pump non-Chevron fuel.

 

In Boise, we have one pipeline bringing fuel from Salt Lake City. It serves all the stations around. Chevron, Sinclair, Fred Meyer, Albertsons, Maverik, etc. They can add the Tecron in once it arrives in Boise, and others can dump in their additives. But my understanding is the fuel coming into this corner of Idaho is the same.

 

Thanks for the replies.

I'm going to siphon the gas out, add new gas (from Chevron, probably), and run seafoam through the system.

We shall see what happens.

IDRIDR, this is my only method of transport at the moment. I wouldn't mind getting to know the bike more with the filter/lines/jets/bowls/floats/etc. That could take me a while, though. I have no previous mechanical knowledge, and this is my first bike. Trust me, I wouldn't mind knowing more about what's going on betwixt my legs whilst I ride around.

 

You shouldn't leave an opening like the last line with this crowd. Expect some rude comments.

Really download the manual. Search this site for how too posts. Then search YouTube, it has a lot of video to show how to do almost anything. That is how I learned everything for my KLX, from changing a tire to shimming the valves.

I have some prior mechanical experience from the " Necessity is a ***** of all frustration" school of learning.

 

Bike seems back to normal. It seems the Seafoam did the job. Or is doing the job. Bike purrs like a cat now. Idle is stabilized, and back where it used to be. And it runs smoothly. I tried out some clutchless shifting today. Smooth. As. Butter. That is, when you get it right.

And yes, I guess I'm inviting all kinds of things to be said with that last sentence, but it doesn't concern me. All I meant was, being a bike rider now, I should take it upon myself to learn about what makes up my motorbike. I do a fair bit of research elsewhere. It's just nice to post a problem you're having to a board where everybody has the same bike and may already have a solution.

And yes. I do a search before asking questions. Then I do some digging around. The built-in search engine is so-so.

To everyone who responded, thank you.

Every bit of advice is helpful.