[mogcamper]

Hi



Looking for a bit of advice. I have a 2012 bike with under 1k miles. I have been out of town for a couple of months. I left the petcock off but did not run the bowl dry. When I got back the bike would only start with full choke. Dropping back to half choke or applying any throttle causes the engine to cut. Being in CA, I though that the dreaded Ethanol had got me. I opened up the carb but it was spotless. Since I was there I checked the jets but both the pilot and main jet where clean. I also swapped out the fuel for some fresh juice -just in case. Having done this, I see no change. Half choke or throttle causes the engine to die. I tried it without the air filter since that had picked up a lot of dust on some AZ trails but still no change.



I am sure that it has to be an air/fuel issue but not sure what. Any ideas from the experts out there would be much appreciated.

 

[jckosnow]

examine the battery. recharge/refill? you said "a couple of months", battery was my first thought on a bike that new. I'm no expert though, someone else should chime in here too.



I see, it starts & idles. nix my battery thought

 

[mogcamper]

Hi jkosnow



Thanks for the suggestion but the battery is fine. It was on a trickle charger while I was away and the bike still starts right up from cold as long as it has full choke.

 

[mtkd]

This sounds similar to an issue I was having. I would check the vent hoses coming off the carburetor. When I checked mine they we clogged with mud, I cleaned them out and the bike ran better in general and the throttle stopped shutting the engine down.

 

[jbfla]

.... When I got back the bike would only start with full choke. ...

The pilot circuit is clogged.



Even if the pilot jet itself looks clear, the passageways that deliver the fuel are most likely stopped up. They are extremely small... Not much more than pinholes.



You may get lucky by removing the carb bowl, removing the pilot jet, and spraying carb cleaner in the hole where you removed the pilot jet. Wear eye protection... The spray may come back in your face.



I believe you will need to remove the carb. Carb spray might open up the passageways. If not, you'll need to soak the carb, then blow out the passageways with carb cleaner or compressed air.



If your bike sits for a month or more, you should put fuel stabilizer in the gas, run the engine for for about 5 minutes (or ride), shut off the petcock and run the engine until it dies, then drain the bit of fuel that's still left in the bowl.



Edit: I forgot to mention the pilot screw/idle mixture screw. It controls the air/fuel mixture of the pilot circuit. That should be removed also, and the passageway sprayed with carb cleaner.



Jb

 

[mogcamper]

Thanks JB. Spot on. I was getting doubtful after cleaning the jets and spraying the jet holes and even soaking it without success. Then I noticed your edit. Carb cleaner into the pilot screw hole did the trick.



TW back in time for the weekend and the weather forecast showing 66F