I had same thoughts since I use a Dial-A-Jet which takes out the drain screw. I'd like to put in a T with an accessible drain petcock back by the swing arm. Problem may be getting a petcock for that small ID tubing. But I haven't really looked yet.

 

You do have that issue in states like Ohio where the temperatures get much colder. Texas has a more uniform general average temperature range compared to the states up here. We had the hard starting problems as long as I was in sales, starting in 1983. If any bike sat for more than a month we would drain them rather than take the chance on gas fouled plugs, mechanic time to swap out four plugs ain't cheap... and they get pissed, because the department gets screwed on the deal. We drained singles if they were over a week.

So be happy to be in a state where the average temperature allows a better more stable blend of fuel.

 

You know, for me, a dual sport creates an interesting problem for "stale" fuel.. As with all cro-mags, I "automatically" drain the bowl on my dirtbikes.. All my street bikes are EFI.. My playbikes (ridden once a month) get 100LL instead of constant bowl draining.. My 4 wheeler gets drained.. But the KLX has no known "riding schedule".. Sometimes it's every day, sometimes once a month.. I've easily "beaten" stale fuel issues with everything for many years - only to see it again with the KLX.. It is still surprising that that modern gasoline looses "potency" after only a few days in a carb bowl..

 

Month old gas from the carb may not light with a match. If it does it may not keep burning if the match is taken away. Last time I drained 3 week old gas that was the case with it. Stuff is really junk.

 

Yeah, but Mark my KLX had the same cold start issues as many other owners regardless of the quality fuel I used. I got that starter jet fix from an unofficial "message" from Kawasaki when I worked part time at a shop here, and two inline four models in the same year had a horrible cold start complaint. I guess it couldn't be official because of emissions, recall, or some other PITA regulation. Every one of those bikes that had the issue was fixed permanently with a starter jet drill out. This was in Texas with our decently stable fuel.

While I would agree with you that our climate helps, the problem is at least nation wide in the U.S. with many KLX's regardless of fuel.

 

Again, Ohio. That and my KLX has the starter jet drilled. Starts great with fresh fuel or after a few days. Harder starting after a week, near impossible after two, which is magically resolved by getting fresh gas into the carb. That is the question in the original post - why is it hard to start after several days of sitting. In Ohio it is the gas going stale in a span of around 10 days.

I'm not saying the jetting issues won't make starting easier/quicker, it did with mine on a daily or semi-daily basis, but two weeks and it will not start, period. I am saying in some areas the gas blends can go stale in a short time. This is readily apparent and can be proven. If the bike doesn't start after 10 seconds, drain the carb, let the float bowl refill and the engine will fire as if it only sat overnight.

I will say the stock KLX250 had to be cranked over for like 10-15 seconds before I did all the jetting modifications and disabled the compression release. Now it fires almost instantly and is off choke in seconds... unless it has been sitting for 10 days or more. Then drain gas and it fires near instantly. It has to be the gas we get in Ohio. Be happy if you don't get that kind of stuff.

It isn't one random box stock bike in my case. I've seen it here in Ohio over decades with new and used bikes of all sorts. Every bike I've owned, bikes my friends own and

 

Hey, if you read "drill it" on the internet, you gotta drill it.. Right?

Me, I just add it to the "Needs Drillin" list. That way, at some point, I can set aside a whole day - "Drill baby Drill" day..

Seriously, the accounts I'm reading from "members with drills", the amount of brass removed with this "starter jet thing" is minimal. So probably just a little extra stale bowl fuel passes into the engine when the choke is pulled..

 

Yep... Won't light with a match even if there's more of it...

But the drilling definitely helps when the stuff actually will fire.

 

This is true...even low volatility fuel will ignite when enough gets pulled through the choke circuit...OK...maybe not diesel in a KLX.

The KACR doesn't help either. The design of the KACR is actually pretty good...had it on several other bikes with no issue. It seems like the KLX unit is off or too aggressive just a bit and bleeds off too much compression.

 

Agreed,,, There is a "method to this madness"... Drilling the starter jet it is actually an alternative to draining the bowl or doing the "Hoe'ky Poe'ky" startup dance.. Sooo - "Thats what it's all about" !