Hmmm interesting. There has been mention on several occasions about fuel stabilizer, but I thought that was if you were going to leave it in the bike for the whole winter. I don't fill up at the gas station very often, I usually have 3 five gallon plastic cans at home, and I bet one bottle of that stabilizer would do all three jugs. That would also be another experiment I might try. Man this is a lot of work, but if we can find a fix to the bikes that are being affected then its all worth it right?

 

Thanks guys, I will be back in a week to see your progress and to let yawl know how the honda did.

On a seperate note, I have ridden the KLX250S a few times (as it is my fathers) and it is a nice little bike. That being said, it sure does feel like a slug next to my 450X, but there is no replacement for displacement, eh!

 

A turbo or supercharger do a good job on some engines.

 

Just for the record, I was reading the manual this morning regarding the other plug that can be used in the klx250..it is a 7es? and it is a hotter plug. It can be used when the bike is operated at slower speeds (less than highway speeds) and in colder weather (not sure temp range), but not for use in warm weather. I am just curious if using this plug would also alleviate the cranky to start thing.

 

This isn't a breakthrough, but my manual for the Honda says that if you don't use their technique of turning off the fuel and twisting the throttle 2-3 times, it can overflow the carburetor.

So maybe this is what is happening to an extent in the Kawasaki? I'm not sure what overflowing exactly is. Anybody know the intricicies of the carburetor to know what this might be? Either way, it sound about right to me, and if Honda is putting it in their manual, then it must be true. I'm hoping that the honda technique will take the place of the deej technique; not thatthe deej techniquedoesn't work as it is very important to have a motorcycle that actually starts, it is just much quicker and easier to do it and possibly bypass some remote issues of running the bike very lean as it stalls from lack of fuel.

 

that sounds like the needle is leaking fuel into the carb slowly flooding the engine over days.

 

Hey if that works, it will become the Geppy method, and replace the Deej method for sure!! Come on someone give it a try. My bike is waiting for the spark plug replacement theory and will be sitting for another week at least. If that really does it, just shutting off the gas and giving it a couple of revs on the motor, then that will be a great day indeed. In fact I should revisit my friend with the TW200 and ask him if he has indeed been shutting off the gas before he lets it sit for weeks or months at a time. If he has been shutting off the gas then we might have a winner here. Ding, ding, ding.

 

It very well could be, in fact I'm not sure of anything anymore. What I am sure of is that it is great to hear all of the theories and people willing to try just about anything. Can you imaging if that was all it was this whole time? I mean sure shutting off the gas, and running it dry works, but how much more sense and way easier would it be that the bike makers actually know what they are talking about when they print in manuals out there to shut off the fuel after every ride? LOL this is great. I feel like abandoning the spark plug test right now and dong the simple shut off the gas and let it sit for a week. That makes more sense. That and I'm tired of the lack of power riding the wife's bike. *deej tip toes off to ride his bike again* DOH!! I just remembered that my tabs only have 3 more days left until they expire. Has it been 2 years already?

 

OK. If I am wrong here guys, don't shoot me down.

I have this problem and I have never noticed it on other bikes to the same extent as I have on the KLX. And I have had a few bikes in my time but have never noticed this specific problem with such an easy work around.
Give the Duke a fresh battery and she starts after being left for months.
And this is only a problem for me in summer when I hardly ride it.
In winter I am riding so often it's not such a problem.

I have a theory.
The float valve is sticking closed and the fuel is evaporating from the bowl.
Maybe some residue left behing when the fuel evaporates?
There is not enough fuel in the bowl to get it started when its been left for a period.
The longer it's left the more stuck the valve is and the less fuel is left in the bowl.
The weight of the floats is not enough to un-stick the valve.
But running the bowl dry leaves the valve open and no chance of sticking.

As long as there is enough fuel left in the bowl to get it started I would think that the vibration of the engine will shake loose the sticking valve.

I believe when I noticed thislast summerI tapped the carb with something a few times and then it would start.
I wouldn't put my house on it now but that is my recolection.

But I have adopted the Deej method of late and problem is gone completly.

I don't believe the fuel is going off as such. There just doesn't seem to be enough time.
And surely this would be a problem on a lot of vehicles if the fuel was that sensitive.

This problem is likely to be carb specific as other cards have different physical characteristics that may prevent this problem.

I have always thought that this was the cause and because it's so easy to work around the problem I haven't given it any further thought..But if anyone can logically find fault with this theory I will change my mind.

This theory would also explain why turning the fuel off and blipping the throttle a few times may help as the bowl probably only needs to be partially emptied.

What is interesting is that way back I was always advised to turn the fuel tap off.
I always figured this to be a safety thing to avoid a fuel leak should the float valve leak or fail.
My first road bike had a vacuum operated fuel tap and it would shut off automatically when the engine was stopped.
This made it a bugger to start if it ran out of fuel.
There was a bypass but you needed a small screw driver to operate it.

Come to think of it, my duke doesn't have a fuel tap. mmmmm
But it's weird and has a fuel pump inside the fuel tank.
That means electricity in there and that does make me a bit nervous.

Now I am waffling.

 

It is all very possible that it could be residue, but I'm thinking that it is what the Honda manual says, an overflow.

Tell me if I'm wrong here. When you turn the key or hit the hill switch to shut the engine off, it stops sending current to the sparkplug and will stop burning fuel. The engine will still be slowly winding down and will still be taking some fuel from the tank and into the carb. Maybe it only takesthat little bit of fuel to "overflow" the carb. Well, enough speculation and we will know soon enough if a few blips on the throttle is enough. If not, the tride and ture deej method will keep plugging along!