KLE 500 Carb addjustment
 

Hi folks
My 96 KLE bought last summer had been running well but refused to start last November just before being laid up for winter. Petrol was drained out in mid December and some maintainence work started. On stripping the carbs last week Everything looked pretty clean apart from the pilot air screw which was very dirty and the small hole almost completly bunged up in both carbs. I turned the screw in 4 complete turns before it seated gently. And finally my questions are, could this be the starting problem and is this setting of 4 turns out seem normal or has a previous owner maybe had a wee fiddle to aid starting.
Thanks in advance
Gavin

I don't understand your explanation. You say you put the pilot screw 4 turns in...?
the way to adjust it is to go in until you reach the end and then turn out 1.5-2 turns. As stated on the workshop manual "Pilot Screw (Turns Out) 1 3/4 ±1/4". Mine is a KLE'94 and during summer I have to use 1.4 turns out (In Spain we have 35-40ºC...).
Try that, maybe you are turning out the pilot screw too much.

Best regards
Jules

4 turns are actually a lot, normally, if you need 4 turns for your motorcycle to go fine, a bigger pilot jet is usually recommended, but somehow, I just think the previous owner fiddled around with it too much!

Are you sure your pilot jet is not clogged (unless it was that you were referring to)? The pilot jet can usually cause a lot of trouble, as it easily becomes clogged, and if this was the case, then I am sure that, with the 4 turns, were the reasons your problems!

The way to actually get the best fuel mixture screw settings, is to set it at the normal starting point (1 3/4 turns). Then see how well the motorcycle responds by playing it around with the throttle. If it doesn't respond well, then try richen that screw for an other 1/4 turn. If it runs worse, then you know it's too rich, so go leaner! Continue doing this until the best response is achieved!

There should be an other way to test it, but have not tried it myself. Should include to turn the pilot screw in as much, till the idle gets rough, then turn it out till the idle gets rough again, and set the screw to something in-between.

I hope this helped!

/Mollrik

Update
 

Thanks folks.
Carbs were cleaned and rebuilt and jets set at 1 1/2 turns out. Initialy, the bike still refused to start, eventually realised that fuel in tank must have dropped to reserve level after priming and switching to reserve bike fired up and is running OK.:clap: Only problem now is indicators have stopped working. Spent an hour today with test unit to check system and suspect the flasher unit is stuffed :thumbdown:,

Thanks again GP