I have no idea

[James1217]

Hey guys, I've been reading this forum for a while but only just made an account; I've been on a different forum for a while. I asked for help there, and while I got many good suggestions, nothing worked. I am desperate to get my bike working again, and I'd rather not take it to the shop. As it doesn't run, it would cost $100 just to have it picked up. At first, I thought it was the carburetor, so I took it off and cleaned it. It still didn't run, so I changed the spark plug, checked all the fuel lines, made sure the battery was charged, checked the vacuum line. It still doesn't work. I think I might have missed something in the carburetor, it's really the only thing I can think of. I want to know if you guys think this sounds like the carburetor, because the shop wants to charge me $95 for them to clean it, even after I take it off my bike and bring in the carburetor alone. Below is a video so you can hear the sound of it, and any other things I can check before taking it to the shop.

Thanks guys ;x

[mrlmd1]

Are you using the choke when you try and start it?
How old is the gas? Was the bike stored many months without a fuel stabilizer in the tank?
When was the last time it was running and what happened to it since then?
Did you try some carb cleaner in there or Gumout or Berrymans or Seafoam first, before you decided to take the carb apart?
There will be many questions from members here for you to answer first before you can get any help in trying to solve your problem.
And charge the battery again while you are trying to figure this out.

And it might be nice to join our site and say hello and introduce yourself before asking for help in your first post. Welcome to here anyway.

[blaine]

Hi,James.Welcome.It sounds very much like your choke is not working.Did you check plug to see if you are getting fuel.

[Easy Rider]

Originally Posted by James1217

I want to know if you guys think this sounds like the carburetor, because the shop wants to charge me $95 for them to clean it, even after I take it off my bike and bring in the carburetor alone.

And that would likely be yet ANOTHER mistake.

You get BIG points for trying to fix it yourself.....but then lose a few for taking it beyond your experience and expertise.......like taking the carb apart.

How much time and money do you intend to invest before you let the professionals fix it ??
And by that I mean just telling them, "It doesn't start; I cleaned the carb." instead of telling what you want them to DO to it ??

Time for a little reality check, I think. :cool:

You can probably prove if it really is a fuel problem by spraying a little starting fluid (ether) into the air box before turning it over. If that causes it to fire for a couple of strokes, then fuel likely is the problem.......but then what would you do ??

The basic problem IS that nobody can give you really good advice by remote control; there are too many unknowns involved. It sounds to me like it is time to cut your losses and move on.
$100 sounds like a lot for a tow but maybe that's the going rate in NY. You might want to call around on that. It doesn't have to be the shop that takes it in.

Oh, and welcome to the site. There are several of us here that would LOVE to help you but it sounds like things might be too far "gone" already.

[alanmcorcoran]

James,

Your bike sounds just like mine when it has been sitting a while. It sounds like it is almost running. You didn't mention how much choke you had on.

It doesn't sound like there is a problem (yet) with the battery or plug. It could be old gas or crap in the gas tank but if I had to guess, I'd say it probably IS the carburetor, but it might not be anything serious. The carb could still be gummed up (how well do you know your way around a carburetor?) (There are some nice pictures and information here viewtopic.php?f=8&t=617 about the various jets, etc.) Personally, I do not have enough skill or experience to attempt to service a carburetor, but my point is, that if the jets are even slightly gummed up it will make it hard to start, stall frequently and idle/run roughly. This can be caused just by lack of use.

It may be that you just need to coax it a little more to get it going. If you do get it running let it go a bit before you attempt to put it in gear.

Mine gets a little balky even when it's just been sitting a few days and, after a few weeks it gets hard to start. I try not to let it go more than a week anymore without at least a brief ride. the good news is, that most of the time the problems are cured just by putting a tank of gas or a tank of gas plus carb cleaner though it. If you can get it started.

[GZ250]

This normally happens with my GZ when I try to start after a long gap and especially when the bike sits under open skies. Now after cleaning the carb if you have messed something I can't cay but it is a non-issue if you are just starting after sometime and the bike was in good running condition when it was left.

Start with an overnight or a couple of hrs charging to the battery. That is the main thing. Over time the batter looses the real juice that it cannot give the push to the engine to roll over. Leave the gas On-Res-Pri switch to Prime for a minute so everything gets wet with gas. Use choke. It will start.

If you have old gas add gas additive to it. Get fresh gas and add additive to it. It will clean everything from the bike's stomach.