2001 GZ won't start

[sqrimp]

Hey guys, I'm new to this forum, and bikes in general as this 2001 GZ250 is my first one.

Background info:
I bought this 2001 GZ250 with 8k miles on it, and it started fine. I took it to my storage garage and kept it there. 3 weeks later, I came back to take it out for a spin. This is where things go wrong, and it won't keep an idle. It would idle maybe 1 out of 10 attempts to start it, and would eventually shut off.

Details and things to note:
1. The kickstand is up, engine switch is on, it is in neutral, and clutch is engaged.
2. The choke was turned on because it was a cold start.
3. The starter turns and cranks.
4. The battery started dying after constantly trying to start it, and had to be jumped with a car a few times because of which.
5. The carb was extremely clean.
6. There were some particles trapped in the fuel screen filter.

I'll admit I am savvy with fuel injected cars, but tinkering with a carbed bike is a whole new ball game for me. If there is any information I'm missing, please ask and I'll try my best to answer. any help is appreciated.

[Rookie Rider]

Check that your battery is fully charged being it sat for 3 weeks and maybe turn your idle up a bit. Make sure your petcock is turned to the on position before the start. How do you know your carb is clean ? Put some seafoam in your filled up gas tank. Someone with more knowledge will be here shortly to help out. Good luck and you are in the right place, welcome aboard.

[Rookie Rider]

Did you clean out the fuel filter ?

[sqrimp]

The petcock is in the on position, and I removed the carb and opened it up. the previous owner claimed to have cleaned it, and upon my findings it was squeaky clean. I did clean out the fuel filter screen as well. I'm not sure that the idle adjustment would help, because upon managing it to start, any throttle would result in killing it..

would a spark be an issue here? is there a way to check if the plug is firing?

[Water Warrior 2]

If it starts the plug is firing. When you start the bike try to back off the choke a bit(slowly)as it warms up. I think you may just be not familiar enough with the bike yet.
Oh, before I forget. If/when you jump the bike from a car be sure the car is NOT RUNNING. Bad things can happen.

[sqrimp]

If it starts the plug is firing. When you start the bike try to back off the choke a bit(slowly)as it warms up. I think you may just be not familiar enough with the bike yet.
Oh, before I forget. If/when you jump the bike from a car be sure the car is NOT RUNNING. Bad things can happen.

ah crap. The car was indeed running when I jumped the bike. What kind of bad things happen? Also how long am i suppose to let it sit on the choke to warm up? it was a cool day, not necessarily cold.

again, thanks for all of your inputs, i am definitely taking into consideration everything in trying to troubleshoot this thing. cheers

[alantf]

Make sure your petcock is turned to the on position before the start.

There is no "on" position on the petcock! Just "prime", "run", & "reserve". "run" & "res" require engine vacuum to open the flow. "pri" doesn't need vacuum. Did you try setting it to "pri" for a few seconds to fill the carb, before trying to start it? (note that the long side of the lever should point towards the position that you select)

[sqrimp]

Make sure your petcock is turned to the on position before the start.

There is no "on" position on the petcock! Just "prime", "run", & "reserve". "run" & "res" require engine vacuum to open the flow. "pri" doesn't need vacuum. Did you try setting it to "pri" for a few seconds to fill the carb, before trying to start it? (note that the long side of the lever should point towards the position that you select)

i did not leave it on primer because after trying to start the bike multiple times, the fuel line was flooded, and i could only assume the carb was filled as well. also on that note, my petcock quick literally says 'on', and the long end was indeed facing it, but i imagine on and run are the same things?

[Rookie Rider]

Thank you alan.

[Rookie Rider]

I get confused sometimes cause the one i have on my geezer isnt the original petcock.

[Water Warrior 2]

If it starts the plug is firing. When you start the bike try to back off the choke a bit(slowly)as it warms up. I think you may just be not familiar enough with the bike yet.
Oh, before I forget. If/when you jump the bike from a car be sure the car is NOT RUNNING. Bad things can happen.

ah crap. The car was indeed running when I jumped the bike. What kind of bad things happen? Also how long am i suppose to let it sit on the choke to warm up? it was a cool day, not necessarily cold.

again, thanks for all of your inputs, i am definitely taking into consideration everything in trying to troubleshoot this thing. cheers
First off the choke is actually a fuel enrichener rather than a real choke as we know it but the end effect it the same. If/when the bike starts the engine will warm up and the rpm will increase with the enriched fuel mixture. You have to back off the choke a little at a time as the rpm increases. This is a learned response and it will be up to you to judge the rpm. Do not just let the engine race at full choke, just slowly reduce choke as the rpm increases. It is just a little dance step to learn. If you let the engine run at full choke for too long it will just shut off due to an over rich mixture when the engine gets warmer. That happened a couple times on Lynda's GZ and to restart it she just shut off the choke, opened the throttle 1/4 and hit the start button. The added throttle opening allowed the extra air to clear the rich fuel mixture.
On to the bad things that could happen jumping from a running car. I will let Alantf explain that. He is our #1 electrical guru here and his knowledge is invalueable to us. He is a retired Welshman living on an island off the coast of Africa.

[alantf]

He is a retired Welshman living on an island off the coast of Africa.

A "Taffy" indeed !!!!!! :poke2: The only good thing to come out of Wales is the main road. The sign says "Welcome to Wales", Well..... You're welcome to it! :whistle:

[Water Warrior 2]

He is a retired Welshman living on an island off the coast of Africa.

A "Taffy" indeed !!!!!! :poke2: The only good thing to come out of Wales is the main road. The sign says "Welcome to Wales", Well..... You're welcome to it! :whistle:
:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: My first laugh of the day. And it's only 9:00 in the morning. Thank you Alantf. Now please explain to our new member about the ugly things a running car can do to a GZ while boosting/jump starting.

[alantf]

Basically, using a car battery is fine. It's just 12v to 12v. It's when the car's running that the problem occurs. The cause of the problem is not the battery (voltage), but the car's charging system. It's putting out much more current (amperes) than the small bike battery can handle, so it's liable to fry the bike's battery. Think of it this way - you can use a high current to charge a car battery, with no problems, but only around a maximum of 2 amps (Suzuki recommend 0.75 amps) to charge the bike battery. :)

[Rookie Rider]

Arent these guys great ?

[Maggie]

Arent these guys great ?

:plus1:

[Water Warrior 2]

Alantf, question for you. If you have a running car hooked up to a bike is there a chance other electrical components would be damaged if the key and kill button are on? I know it is still 12 volts but.....................?

[alantf]

If you have a running car hooked up to a bike is there a chance other electrical components would be damaged if the key and kill button are on?

There certainly is. "Theoretically" a fuse should blow, and save the circuits, but who knows what can happen, with a sudden power surge? :cry:

[sqrimp]

thanks for the schooling guys, I'll be taking friday morning off from work to snoop around on the bike. I'll report my findings when I can

[Water Warrior 2]

If you have a running car hooked up to a bike is there a chance other electrical components would be damaged if the key and kill button are on?

There certainly is. "Theoretically" a fuse should blow, and save the circuits, but who knows what can happen, with a sudden power surge? :cry:
Which brings up another potential disaster in the making. What if some one has replaced a small fuse with a larger fuse. A melted wiring harness would be nothing to look forward to as an afternoon's entertainment.

[sqrimp]

gentlemen, thank you so much for all of your tips and pointer. after spending time tinkering with everything, i finally managed to find that the culprit is a clogged jet. there was a piece of buildup on it, and once cleaned out, it starts like a charm every time. i appreciate all of the help!

[Water Warrior 2]

Nice to hear you cured the problem. Hope you have a nice weekend for riding.

[BonChaton]

Hey sqrimp,

Can you remember which jet was clogged?
I seem to be having a similar problem as you.
See my post in "troubleshooting".

BonChaton

[sqrimp]

hey bon, i'll reply in your thread