Start-up Problem

[jonathan180iq]

1.) You won't be able to visually see the contaminant in the carb, if there is one. All it takes is a tiny piece of debris the right place.
Since you have the carb off, a quick tear down and some carb spray in the right places can do wonders. If you remove the top black plastic cover, make sure you are aware that there is a spring under there that can pop out. It's not under a ton of pressure. But just be aware of it. Slide all that stuff out, and then spray come carb cleaner in any and all holes that you can access. (The top plastic cover gives access to the needle)

IIRC, the float bowl screws are not pre-sunk. You can use a set of locking pliers to grab the heads and twist them free. That will allow you to access the main jets and pilot holes to clean them as well. It doesn't take too much spray. Just get the nozzle right up in there and blast away.

There may very well be nothing wrong with the carb, since we're still not able to narrow down your actual issue. But at least you'll know the carb is clean.

2.)As for the spark plug, you should be able to just clean off any residue that is on there and reinsert the old one while you wait for a new one. Clean the electrode and regap the thing and it should work like new. You can even spray the tip with some carb cleaner to make sure there isn't a layer or crud built up.

3.) The hose that you are going to drain from the air box should be the one that has a little plastic plug and a pressure clamp on it. Release the pressure clamp, pull the plug, and some oily gunk will come out. Reinsert the plug and drain that thing again every few months.

At this time, you can also pull the air filter cover, remove the air filter and visually inspect the inside of your airbox. Smelling oily/gassy is normal. But it shouldn't be half filled with liquid.

4.) As mentioned by others, now is a good time to charge up the battery, and do some other necessary maintenance. I would also check your throttle play, as described in the service manual, check your chain tension and air up the tires or anything else that you might have overlooked in the last couple of weeks/months.

Is some of this overkill for a starting problem? Maybe it is. But by the time you are finished with everything, you;ll have a maintenance free ride for the next good little while. I call them maintenance days, where I give just about every system on the bike a once over and catch up as needed. And there is no better time to do all of this stuff than while you already have it torn apart. And once you've done it the first time, you'll know how everything works and how to put it back together in no time at all.

-Jonathan