So I have this 2008 KLR with about 11,000 miles that sat in the carport covered with a tarp for the last five years and now I'm trying to get it running. I am not an experienced motorcycle mechanic so I'm in the dark a lot about what I'm doing. I'm doing a lot of reading about motorcycle maintenance.
Right now if I go out and pull the "choke"/enrichener all the way forward and then try to start the bike it will turn over and run for about one second and then die. I can't start it after that unless I squirt a little starting fluid behind the air filter. Then I can goose the throttle, and warm it up and it will run great. I can drive it around, shut it off, turn it on again, etc. It sounds like it's running perfectly. After it sits overnight it won't start again.
I replaced the battery and I keep the new battery on a battery tender.
I changed the oil and filter.
I put in a new spark plug.
I tracked down an electrical problem which turned out to be a bad neutral switch and I replaced that.
I installed the Thermobob 2 kit and replaced the coolant.
I cleaned the carb. It was really bad. I used a cheap carburetor rebuild kit from Amazon. I wonder if that was a good idea.
I installed a little washer under the needle and drilled out the hole in the slide like the internet told me to.
I cleaned the carb again making sure I cleared the little holes under the butterfly valve.
I installed a pilot mixture screw with a knurled knob that can be easily adjusted on the bike. I adjusted it.
I double-checked the float bowl fuel level which was too high, but is now right on the money (at the seam of the float bowl and the carb body).
I moved on from the starting issue for the time being. I've only put about fifty miles on the bike going around the block occasionally to test it out. I don't trust the tires, but I'm not ready to change them yet.
I think what I should really do next is check the compression, take a look at that spark plug and make sure I got it gapped correctly, and check the valve clearances.
Two days ago I put on a braided brake line on the front, rebuilt the master cylinder, installed new brake pads, and put fresh brake fluid in. Seems to work great.
Yesterday I gave the rear brake the same treatment but I was completely unable to bleed the system. The master cylinder wouldn't draw fluid out of the reservoir. It seemed to be trying to push fluid to the calipers though. I can only guess I made a mistake putting the master cylinder back together, so this afternoon I'm going to take it back off and see if I screwed up. Maybe a cup is upside down or something. I got a fresh bottle of brake fluid.
I got the parts and special tools in the mail yesterday to do the doohickey replacement. That will be the high water mark in my maintenance odyssey so far. I'm a little apprehensive but nothing is ever as hard as I think it will be.
Also on the agenda before I will release the bike for full duty is lubricating the swingarm pivot bolt and replacing the tires. I will check the spoke tightness, wheel runout, and bearings while I'm at it.
I'm trying to do all the work myself, although there is a good motorcycle shop a couple of blocks away from my house.
Am I on the right track here? Is there anything else I should be focusing on? What do the starting problems suggest? Is there anything I ought to farm out to the nearby shop?
That's it. Sorry for the long rambling post. Thanks for any input you can provide. I'm like a blind pig trying to find acorns here. I just don't have the experience to confidently choose my next moves.
Right now if I go out and pull the "choke"/enrichener all the way forward and then try to start the bike it will turn over and run for about one second and then die. I can't start it after that unless I squirt a little starting fluid behind the air filter. Then I can goose the throttle, and warm it up and it will run great. I can drive it around, shut it off, turn it on again, etc. It sounds like it's running perfectly. After it sits overnight it won't start again.
I replaced the battery and I keep the new battery on a battery tender.
I changed the oil and filter.
I put in a new spark plug.
I tracked down an electrical problem which turned out to be a bad neutral switch and I replaced that.
I installed the Thermobob 2 kit and replaced the coolant.
I cleaned the carb. It was really bad. I used a cheap carburetor rebuild kit from Amazon. I wonder if that was a good idea.
I installed a little washer under the needle and drilled out the hole in the slide like the internet told me to.
I cleaned the carb again making sure I cleared the little holes under the butterfly valve.
I installed a pilot mixture screw with a knurled knob that can be easily adjusted on the bike. I adjusted it.
I double-checked the float bowl fuel level which was too high, but is now right on the money (at the seam of the float bowl and the carb body).
I moved on from the starting issue for the time being. I've only put about fifty miles on the bike going around the block occasionally to test it out. I don't trust the tires, but I'm not ready to change them yet.
I think what I should really do next is check the compression, take a look at that spark plug and make sure I got it gapped correctly, and check the valve clearances.
Two days ago I put on a braided brake line on the front, rebuilt the master cylinder, installed new brake pads, and put fresh brake fluid in. Seems to work great.
Yesterday I gave the rear brake the same treatment but I was completely unable to bleed the system. The master cylinder wouldn't draw fluid out of the reservoir. It seemed to be trying to push fluid to the calipers though. I can only guess I made a mistake putting the master cylinder back together, so this afternoon I'm going to take it back off and see if I screwed up. Maybe a cup is upside down or something. I got a fresh bottle of brake fluid.
I got the parts and special tools in the mail yesterday to do the doohickey replacement. That will be the high water mark in my maintenance odyssey so far. I'm a little apprehensive but nothing is ever as hard as I think it will be.
Also on the agenda before I will release the bike for full duty is lubricating the swingarm pivot bolt and replacing the tires. I will check the spoke tightness, wheel runout, and bearings while I'm at it.
I'm trying to do all the work myself, although there is a good motorcycle shop a couple of blocks away from my house.
Am I on the right track here? Is there anything else I should be focusing on? What do the starting problems suggest? Is there anything I ought to farm out to the nearby shop?
That's it. Sorry for the long rambling post. Thanks for any input you can provide. I'm like a blind pig trying to find acorns here. I just don't have the experience to confidently choose my next moves.