Total Motorcycle Community Forums

Hello all,

I am a new rider and just aquired a 1982 Yamaha XJ650. The bike runs amazing, with a clean even idle and great throttle response. My only problem with the bike is that its a pain to get started cold. This only happens if the bike is dead cold.

He bike will start fine and then die after a few seconds (with full choke and the fuel switch in the primer position). Any throttle action seems to kill it. Each time you re-start it it holds on a little longer, and eventually after 5-6 tries holds on and stays running. Once running it quickly smooths out and runs amazing.

When I bought the bike the guy said he had had the carbs cleaned out before selling it (though I am aware dishonest people abound our society).

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Hmmm that's peculiar. Have you tried adjusting mixture screws yet? That might help. Not sure though.

them old bikes is grumpy when they are cold... get the carbs cleaned again and see what happens....

Well cleaning the carbs seems to be the stock solution, and I'm not really trying to sidestep that. Its very possible whoever cleaned them before I got the bike didn't do a great job or something.

However I barely could afford to buy this bike and the helmet, and carbs would be a winter job at best. Are there fuel additives you can put in the tank that might help this a bit?

Yamaha's "Ring Free" is a carb cleaner that you add to the gas tank, it works well and is only about $9.00 a bottle. One bottle will do several treatments, just be sure to read the instructions on the bottle. Get it at your Yamaha parts counter. BTW, you don't start the bike with the petcock in the primer position, the petcock is vacuum controled and should be left in the on position at all times, as soon as you turn the engine over, the petcock will allow gas to flow and not before. The prime position is there to fill the carbs should they be empty from cleaning or after being drained for storeage. XS

I have an XJ600 Seca II, they are notorious for cold starts. I think this is normal for your bike.

My mechanic drilled the mixture screws on mine. It is still a hard start if I haven't ridden in a few days but that is the nature of the beast. This mechanic also has an old Seca that has over a hundred thousand miles on it, I figure he knows his Seca's