Tips on starting bike

[Rebeccaatthewell]

My bike had a leak in the fuel tank and I had to replace it. This took several months and now that the new tank is on and I had to buy a new battery, I still cannot get it to crank after sitting up so long. Does anyone have any tips on how I could get it cranked so I can get back on the road?

Thanks
Becca

[poppygene]

Hey, Becca... did you try setting the petcock on Prime for a few seconds? If not, this might help get some gas back in the carburetors. Leave it on Prime for maybe 15 seconds, then choke it and start like you usually do. Once it starts, set it back to Run or On.

Hope this helps.

[Rebeccaatthewell]

Hey thanks for the tip. So where do I find this petcock? I don't see anything on the bike labeled prime. I have been using the choke full out though.

Thanks
Becca

[poppygene]

It's the valve that regulates the flow of fuel from the tank to the carburetors. Should be on the left lower edge of the tank. The valve lever should have three positions marked.

[screwgunner]

If the motor will not turn over at all . Take out the plugs and spray some penitrating oil in each one of the spark plug wholes and let it sit a while.

[Rebeccaatthewell]

thanks poppygene. I think mine says on, off and resurve. There isn't a place for prime. But thanks anyway.

Hey screwgunner, I think taking out spark plugs is a little beyond me. I couldn't even get the battery in by myself. sigh, but I'll see if anyone I know has a clue how to do that Although the motor is catching for a few seconds, it just will not stay cranked.

Thanks guys
Becca

[poppygene]

Sorry, Becca... my bad, yours is the older type petcock.

I guess at this point you'll have to take it to a mechanic. Sounds like the carburetors are plugged up and need a good internal cleaning. This often happens when the bike has been sitting for an extended period.

[fenriz]

Check if the sparkplug works at all. Take it out and start the engine, if there's no spark then it needs to be changed.

[scan]

Sorry, Becca... my bad, yours is the older type petcock.

This is also a Kawasaki thing poppy. Kawasaki (and maybe others now but I've only seen in on Kaw's) use a vacuum operated valve to stop fuel to carbs. If the engine is off, the switch is off. So you have these three choices - 1. "on" for normal service 2. "res" for when run out the main quantity 3. "Pri" to primer the carbs when they are bone dry. Pri is really a vacuum switch by-pass.

Most other bike I have seen have 1. "on" for normal operation 2. "off" when not running the engine 3. "res" when you run out the main supply.

The only other case I've seen is on FI bike, there is no fuel shut-off.

Funny story about when I bought my ZRX. I brought it home from the dealer and wanted to have a look at the top of the engine. This required removing the fuel tank. After putting it back together I didn't notice I missed the vacuum line on the gas tank. I called the dealer crying about my new bike and they were going to pick it up with a flatbed. When I went back out, I looked more careful and noticed what I missed. I almost killed the battery trying to start the bike without any fuel supply.

Anyway, I'm sure this has nothing to do with the original question. I apologize for the hijack.

[kar_the_terrible]

Yeah, I guess in that case, for future reference, since ur bike has the older style petcock, you should turn it to off when not using the bike for a long time (actually, my dad insists petcocks should be turned off every night, but thats another story). If you want "lightbulb" back on the road asap, i guess take it into a shop.... but if you want to save the money, remove the carbs, get some carb cleaner from a local autoshop and diy. cleaning out the carbs is not a big hassle, just make sure you DO NOT use a cloth or wire to clean anywhere near the jets. Just spray the hell out of them with carb cleaner... the stuff just costs like 3 bucks a can, and one can was enough for me to clean two carbs that were sitting for a year.