Tip for hard starting after a few days off.

[keman]

Ever go out to start up your bike after it has been parked for more than a day or so and had it really not want to start?? You've checked the battery, choke is on, the petcock is on... WTF??

Our bikes are notorious for the gas eveporating from the bowls!!

Here's what I do with good results.

Before you even try to start the bike, switch the petcock to PRIME for about thirty seconds, then back to ON. Set your choke to on (pull on) then start the bike.

Remember to never run the bike on prime or park the bike on prime. I never even step away from the bike while it is on prime. Any leaks at all could become a serious hazzard with the petcock wide open and eight or so pounds of gas pushing down. Left over night could drain your tank into the crank case and do some real damage if you try to start the bike...

 

[Steve]

Good tip, some bikes seem to require that, others don't.

Just further incentive to NOT leaving the petcock in the PRIme position:
If you are lucky, the gas will dribble past the rings and into the crankcase and thin out the oil.
It is also possible that gas might get dribbled into a cylinder that is at the bottom of the intake stroke, ready to come up on compression.
If there is more gas on top of the piston than there is room in the combustion chamber, ...
Let's just say that thing can get rather ... ummm ... interesting rather quickly.
It is not unheard of to bend or break a connecting rod or a crank.

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