[virati]

Originally Posted by Easy Rider

No actually, you are getting pretty good with the mechanical/operational advice.
What with your "quick study/slow learner" situation, just try to remember to follow your own advice when the time comes. :poke2: :biggrin:

First thing to do is charge the battery. The GZ will refuse to start when the battery gets low but not completely dead. Next, check the plug. While it's out, turn the engine over a couple of times but don't LOOK in the hole while you do that; gas might come flying out !!!

P.S. The "choke" on a GZ, and lots of other modern bikes, is not really a choke. It is an additional little pathway in the carb (called an enricher circuit) that introduces extra gas AT IDLE ONLY and speeds up the idle speed a bit. So.....riding with the "choke" partially on should do absolutely no damage at all as the extra gas at speeds above idle is tiny.

Charged battery, highly unlikely that its a battery issue.

What if the "choke" is all the way on? Would that be enough to make my problems a little more awful? It was 3/4 ~ full on. It was adding enough gas while I was riding around to stall the bike 2-3 times which is what makes me suspicious.

I still haven't had a chance to check the plug. Should I go ahead and try to start the bike again before I check the plug, to make sure the problem manifests itself and I don't see a dry plug just because I haven't started it since yesterday?

(ps. I realize the last part of that last paragraph could very well demonstrate my ignorance very well. It wouldn't make too much sense for the spark plug to dry overnight in a sealed environment but i had to ask anyway)