[dsn_klr650] nklr dirt tips?

[Randy Logan]

Are you sure your carb is filled back up? Open the drain screw a bit to make sure. I can't remember if the KLR has a "prime" position on the petcock, but if it does switch it to there for a few minutes to let the carb fill back up with fuel. If it doesn't have it, it may take quite a few tries (starting) before she'll run again. I have run my old XT battery down more than once after I drained the carb and tried to restart it. It just took me turning the throttle while starting along with alternating the choke on and off for a bit. Became quite a ritual, matter of fact. Just don't overheat your starter. Use short bursts and take your time. A suggested method - Make 3 short (less than 5 second) attempts, then take a break and have a beer. New Castle Brown Ale is a great mechanical assistant. Repeat. After a while you won't care that much if it doesn't start, but I'm betting she'll fire right after a bit of fondeling... I'm not a mechanic either - this is just what works for me. Randy '00 KLR --- a phipps wrote:

> Okay, my seat from Bill Mayer just arrived in the > mail a couple of days ago. > It looks great and feels very comfortable while > I'm sitting on the bike in > my garage. I figured I better get my bike going and > try it out on the road. > I'm not having much luck though. In the Fall, I > thought I had done > everything I needed to do to store it. I changed > the oil, added fuel > stabilizer, filled the tank, ran the bike, shut off > the fuel, drained the > carb, put a drop of oil in the cylinder, removed the > battery, cleaned > everything, ..... I thought she would start right > up again for me in the > Spring. Not so. It seems like the engine is not > getting any gas. I have > the gas line hooked up and the fuel petcock is set > to on, I'm getting spark, > battery is charged, but no go. I have little > mechanical ability and I'm > getting frustrated fast. Can anyone offer some > advice? > > Thanks, > Al > Fort St. John, BC >

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[Kurt Simpson]

> Spring. Not so. It seems like the engine is not getting any gas. I have > the gas line hooked up and the fuel petcock is set to on, I'm getting

spark,

> battery is charged, but no go. I have little mechanical ability and I'm > getting frustrated fast. Can anyone offer some advice?

Don't forget to check the on/off switch on the right handlebar...The professor's methodical approach is excellent...all of us are thinking you have a fuel problem. So you can start at either end. Fred likes to start at the carb end...I usually start at the tank end. If you want to ensure that it is the carb very quickly just loosen a boot and squirt some starting fluid in the carb. If it starts you can rest assured that you're on the right track and that you either haven't filled the fuel bowl by holding the starter long enough to create the vacuum necessary for the fuel to refill the bowl, or there is a problem with the line, petcock or vacuum line or the floats are stuck... Kurt

[Weaver, Mark]

It seems like the engine is not getting any

> gas. I have > the gas line hooked up and the fuel petcock is set to on, I'm > getting spark, > battery is charged, but no go. I have little mechanical > ability and I'm > getting frustrated fast. Can anyone offer some advice? >

my advice may or may not be useless, but after i installed a fuel filter on my wife's xt225 (which required me to take the old hose off and replace it, leaving the carb hoseless for 24hrs), i couldn't get the bike started no way. finally i took the filter off and it started instantly. hmmmm. i rode for a while, then put the filter back on. it still started fine and has run fine ever since. i would surmise that somehow an airbubble or kink or satanic demon or something was preventing the fuel from getting where it wanted to go. the carb was probably empty, and the starter probably didn't turn the engine over hard enough to provide enough draw to drag the fuel through the empty hose (which had a bit of upward slope at one point in its travel from petcock to carb, due to the very tight confines of the xt225). once the carb had some gas, the engine would start, and a running engine had no problem dragging getting more gas. i guess. i dunno. anyway it works now. good luck. try all the fine suggestions you've been getting. mw

[a phipps]

Hi Rick,

>Their is a small vacuum line just around the fuel line. If that line > >isn'thooked up it will not start!

Thanks for the info. I got the bike running tonight. As you suspected, the vacuum line wasn't attached securely to the fuel petcock. Once I attached it properly, the bike started up no problem.

>Nice to see their is another BCer on the list. A true >northerner to boot. I live in northern BC but on the coast. Have you >ever >heard of Kitimat?

You bet I have. Never been there though. I hope you are having better weather there than we are having in Fort St. John right now. It is cold and rainy here today. Thanks again. Really appreciate the help. Take care, Al A10 ________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com

[John Laybolt]

I hope that northern BC weather improves before us easterners begin our invasion! John(NS) --- a phipps wrote:

> > Hi Rick, > > >Their is a small vacuum line just around the fuel > line. If that line > > >isn'thooked up it will not start! > > Thanks for the info. I got the bike running > tonight. As you suspected, the > vacuum line wasn't attached securely to the fuel > petcock. Once I attached > it properly, the bike started up no problem. > > >Nice to see their is another BCer on the list. A > true > >northerner to boot. I live in northern BC but on > the coast. Have you >ever > >heard of Kitimat? > > You bet I have. Never been there though. I hope > you are having better > weather there than we are having in Fort St. John > right now. It is cold and > rainy here today. > > Thanks again. Really appreciate the help. > Take care, > > Al > A10 > > >

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[a phipps]

> >I hope that northern BC weather improves before us >easterners begin our invasion! > >John(NS)

I hope the weather improves soon too. I made a four hour round trip to Beaverlodge, AB to buy a new tire today. It was VERY cold. The forcast for today said there was a chance of flurries. I think it only got up to 4 degrees. I ran into some rain, but thankfully did not have to deal with snow. Al ________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com

[InWoods13@aol.com]

In a message dated 5/6/00 8:29:37 PM Eastern Daylight Time, klrphipps@... writes: << I hope the weather improves soon too. I made a four hour round trip to Beaverlodge, AB to buy a new tire today. It was VERY cold. The forcast for today said there was a chance of flurries. I think it only got up to 4 degrees. I ran into some rain, but thankfully did not have to deal with snow. >> Can't imagine not being able to ride year round. Imagine it makes you appreciate riding that much more though. And gives you time to tighten everything up, tweek things. I know snow, but hadn't discovered riding when lived in the North. Here, I watch the weather carefully too, mostly for rain & wind though. Tried a dirt riding technique on the KLR, today on the street. Weighing the outside peg in a tight turn (pushing down on the peg opposite the turn you're entering, forcing more tire on surface). I make no claim to be a grizzled street veteran. Is this a street technique? Wish there were more dual sport types in my area. Since I bought the KLR, and actually started looking for other dual sport bikes around here, I've seen exactly (1). Going on vacation tomorrow for a week, woo hoo! Way overdue & much needed. No riding, but much snorkeling around the upper Florida Keys. See you all a week. Scott (went and got too wordy again) A14 Sorrento

[Arne Larsen]

Attachments :From: Dash Weeks dweeks@lanl.gov> Subject: Re: [DSN_klr650] NKLR Dirt tips?

> I've played hockey all my life, been on bikes for roughly 15 years, worked > out religiously for most of my life and it really pays.

Speaking of hockey, which I too think is one of the best leg/lung/heart conditioners going... WE WON!!! =^) Cheers, Arne - Far left with the stylin' hair }=^)