I can't start up the bike -- HELP!

[blaine]

You need to check to see if you are getting fuel to the carb,before tearing things apart.Open the drain on the float bowel to see if any gas comes out.If not,what position do you have the petcock in?With the petcock in the PRI position you should be getting fuel to the carb.
:cool:

[alantf]

Originally Posted by 7653

I put in a new battery.

Don't want to flog the subject to death, but you did charge it up before installing it? Right? :2tup:

[mrlmd1]

I'm really not trying to be nasty or anything like that, but one of your problems is that you ask for advice and then don't listen to what you get, We are trying to help you. You have fixated on the battery as being your problem despite what you have been told, but it's your money to spend anyway you want to. Did the dealer even bother to load test your old battery before he happily sold you a new one?
Your battery is no longer your problem. It did not have to be changed. It had little to do with not being able to start your bike, as you were told before. And regardless of what the voltage read when you measured it, it MUST BE CHARGED FULLY BEFORE YOU USE IT. That means YOU put it back on the charger and let it sit for a number of hours or you will soon have a useless short-lived new battery.
You most likely have a dirty carb or a problem getting gas into it.
Are all the vacuum and other hoses connected to the petcock? Are you checking to see if gas is flowing? Is the gas in the tank new?
Turn the petcock to PRIME and open the drain on the bottom of the carb and see if gas flows out. If so, turn it back to the RUN position and don't forget to turn the drain screw closed.
Are you getting spark? Have you checked the spark plug to see what it looks like?
You could dump some Seafoam or Berrymans directly into the carb and let it sit for many hours or overnight. Drain out the carb through the bottom by opening the drain screw. Fill the carb with one of those cleaners I mentioned, and then walk away and let it do it's magic overnight. Drain out the carb the next morning, put the petcock on PRIME for a minute just to fill it back up, then switch it to RUN and try to start it again. If it starts and runs it's going to run like crap for a few minutes until all the stuff works it's way out of the carb, but it should smooth out in a short time.
You could also look at this thread - viewtopic.php?f=7&t=4013&p=44920&hilit=carb+cleani ng#p44920 and there are many other on here. Do a search for carb cleaning.

[bonehead]

I'm with mrlmd1, check your 9 year old spark plug. $3.00 and nothing wasted. Also be sure that you have'nt accidentally hit the kill switch.
Also, be sure it has FREASH gas. New spark plug is where I would start.
Good luck.

[alanmcorcoran]

76,

Go back and read my posts. I had the same problem you are having. Don't pay $98 for a diagnostic - ask them what it costs to clean the carb, pay it, and then make sure your bike starts. Make sure they understand that you are paying them to get the bike starting easy, running smoothly, idling properly etc. You might need to have several goes at it until they accomplish that and you don't want to keep paying. Don't try and do it yourself. It's not a simple job and you'll likely not succeed. You want to ride the bike yes? If you want to be a mechanic that's different.

Good luck. Dont take the jabs on here personally. We're kind of a cranky bunch.

[geezer]

you think this carb is hard to work on? my god son i had that little thing out and apart in about 30 mins. this is the easiest bike i have ever worked on. i think you and this guy need to get your hand dirty and dive in! hey dont take my jabs personally i myself am a crotchety old man :retard:

[alanmcorcoran]

To each his own geezer. You probably have a history of actually improving the situation and quite possibly have "worked on" other bikes and other carbs. This gentleman appears to be be somewhat new to the world of wrenchery and things motorized. Given his success rate and instruction following with his battery situation, I concluded his mechanical abilities were closer to mine (as in nonexistent) and thought he'd be more likely to achieve his goal of actually riding his new vehicle if he enlisted the help of an expert. But, I mighta been wrong. I flat out told him the battery wasn't the problem, it was the carb, (and yet he bought new battery.)

FWIW, I have a lot of internal inertia to overcome before I'm willing to get my hands dirty. I'm not that interested in doing the actual fixing, not that good at it, and I have a really expensive piano that I'd be also getting dirty - so it's really just easier all around if i keep my hands nice, soft, pink and clean. I will concede, however, in a post zombie apocalyptic situation, if I can't fix my shit myself, I'm either gonna end up as somebody's bitch or, more'n likely - zombie. Fortunately, the KLR seems to be less cranky about carb stuff - that's my Zombie Tested/Zombie Approved (ZTZA) post apocalypse ride of choice anyway. Also - I now have three bikes, so I have good odds that at least one of them is ridable without me having to eff with it.

[geezer]

ok fine,

anyway my bike sat for years too, it makes me wonder why people dont ride these more often, cus 70mpg is kinda hard to ignore!

[alanmcorcoran]

What with gas going back up towards 5 bucks in CA, I'm thinking about putting the Geezer up for sale again, but, I've sort of gotten used to it in the lineup as the around towner. It's hard just to climb on the KLR without pulling a muscle and the Geezer fits between the two cages parked in the driveway a lot better than the Strat. But I think I'd probably just ride the Strat more if I sold it. Then there is the interest from friends/heirs in learning to ride on it. I'll probably do what I always do - think a lot, talk a lot and do nothing.