Ok so thia may be a very dumb question, but my 2005 klr650 has always started with me not having to touch the choke. I bought it anout a month ago. The ppastic peice which is notorious for breaking, is indeed broken. Any markings are well worn away as this bike has been well used but not abused. The lever switch is to the right side since i bought it. This morning i went to start it but it had a few huccups being in the 60s for the first time since i have owned it. I went to use the choke (push lever to the left) and it would not start, so i put it back to the right and got it started. Just for kicks i pushed it back to the left while running after idling for about 5-6 minutes and reading in the temp gauge so it was well warm enough. The thing died after a quick surge in rpm and about 2 seconds of rough idle. So my question is since i have never owned a lever type choke always plunger style, which way is off and on and if it dies with the choke off, what could it be? It never stalls or anything while riding it.
I don't know what's broken on yours so I'll include more orientation here.
The "choke" lever should be under the handlebar and pushing the lever to the left should pull on the cable. That turns on the "enricher circuit" (even though it's labeled "choke" it's not really although they both help with cold starting).
Once the bike is running fine, turning on the enricher can make the mixture too rich for idling.
Off is lever to the right with the inner cable all inside the cable sheathing.
On is lever to the left with some of the inner cable pulled out of the cable sheathing.
What you described was the engine dying with the choke turned on, but you asked about the engine dying with it turned off. Or maybe I didn't read right but together we can figure this out.
If it really dies when warmed up with the "choke" turned off then your carb is way too lean. Clean the pilot jet and uncover the idle mixture screw (just above the starter motor) and enrich the idle mixture.
Thanks for your reply, ok so now hat the dumb question has been answered (thank you) i can easily describe whats happening. I will run just fine no issues with stalling or other wise, and that is with never touching the choke or more accuratley the enricher. I cannot get the bike to start while the enticher is on, nor will the buke continue to run once i put the enricher on
The black plastic thread in piece which attaches the choke cable to the carb is available as: Carb choke plastic nut- Arctic Cat 5507-025 for about $5.00.
I'm still not clear as to the symptoms. The choke cable pulls the plunger out in order to richen the mixture for starting. If bike will start under cold conditions without the choke then the carb is too rich, which may be due to a number of issues from plugged emulsion passages, wrong pilot jet, too high fuel level, etc.
If it requires the choke to keep running when warm then "what Grinnin said".
Besides a replacement plastic cap connecting the "choke" cable to the carburetor, a metal version is available from Stead Engineering. The rubber boot on the cable at the carb helps to seal the system from external air; good idea to snug things down if you can.
The starting enricher ("choke") system acts as a sort of mini-carburetor. When ON, the enricher plunger is pulled from its recess in the carburetor, allowing fuel to enter the venturi; simultaneously, an air passage is uncovered. Thus, the starting enricher system mixes both fuel and air and presents this fuel-rich mixture to the engine for start-up.
After the engine is warm, when idling, a mere jiggling of the "choke" likely will kill the engine.
If your engine will start and idle without the choke when cold, the idle mixture is too rich so you are both wasting fuel and increasing ring and cylinder wear due to fuel washing.
I discourage the use of metal choke fittings because the carb threads are both soft and very fine pitch so easily damaged. From time to time I encounter a bike which has the plastic threads on the choke fitting ("nut") which are damaged due to cross threading but this never damages the carb threads.
For my money, I'd rather replace a $5.00 Arctic Cat fitting #5507-025, than deal with a damaged carb thread. I keep a spare or two on hand which reminds me that we used the last one on Louis' bike.
Haven't cross-threaded my metal choke fitting yet, AFAIK, although I'm certainly capable of doing so. Never thought of a plastic nut as a sacrificial part to prevent thread damage.
With a Chilliwak Tool to unscrew, and to thread the choke cable connection into the carburetor, I'm sure a plastic nut will work just fine.
Used a metal connector on my KLF300 (ATV); having a little trouble with the carb; hmmmmmmm . . .
That was a great reminder about the choke sucking air when the plastic "nut" is broken. The Gen1 which was here for the cracked sump has making the loudest sucking noise I've heard in a long time. I don't think I've remembered to mention that so your reminder was timely.
I know that I'm responding to an ancient thread, but I could use some advice. I just bought a 2007 KLR that is in great shape, garage kept, and virtually immaculate. The previous owner had it sitting in his garage and hadn't run it with any regularity. He replaced a battery and it cranked right up. I have no idea how old the fuel is that was in the tank or whether he used fuel stabilizer. I took it out for a ride this past weekend and found that the engine would stall if the "choke" lever was anywhere but the full left position. Since I was unclear whether that was the on or off position, I just ran the bike with the choke full left. I'm new to riding dual sports so using the turn signal I kept bumping the choke lever and stalling at intersections. From reading this thread, it sounds to me like the carb needs to be adjusted/cleaned so that it runs with the choke lever in the full right position. Am I correct in thinking that? I'm not a gearhead so I'll need pointers on where the adjustments are to be made on this carb. If there are ports that need cleaning, can you you guys send me in the right direction.
I've run about half of the original fuel out of the tank. Before my ride last weekend, I added a can of sea foam and topped off with fresh fuel. Any help here would be appreciated.
You need to read & understand the blue hi-lited link, within this link. Then watch the videos. There are several tiny passage ways & outlets that need special attention.
For the most part your carb does not need 'adjusted', it needs to be thoroughly cleaned & re-assemble to nearly exactly where it was in 2007. Pilot mixture screw adjustment & mid-range needle shimming excepted.
My choke issues appear to have been resolved with a tear down and cleaning of the carb. Now the choke works as designed and it idles well with choke off. I do have another issue that I’m trying to resolve. It appears that the throttle doesn’t return to idle as quickly as it should. In my shift from first to second the rpms are still high and I have to wait to match rpms. A friend suggested that I may have a vacuum leak. I’ve ridden the bike a bit more and it seems like I may be the problem and not the bike. The more I run the bike the better it appears to perform.
May I suggest that you should LOOSEN the adjustment of Both throttle cables 1 turn.
Or is the throttle grip rubbing the inner throttle housing or metal 'bark busters' on the outer end?
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