Poor Starting - Kick Start XT600
 

For anyone who has come across this post on a search for poor starting, this is what a blocked pilot jet does to the 'starting routine' for a 1984 (kick start) XT600:

1. Forget the choke.

2. Set throttle to 1/3 - 1/2 fully open. (This brings the main jet in to service). Hold this steady during the kick...

3. Kick it over. Your leg will need to make up the additional vacuum that is needed to pull enough petrol through the main jet - so JUMP on the kick start like your life depends on it. It needs a LOT of vacuum and a LOT of kick.

4. At about the 5th - 10th attempt, it will go.

5. It will actually tick over OK on the main jet - but the idle screw has to be set accordingly (i.e. screwed in loads).

When it goes, it will backfire like anything on overrun and it will run very hot because it is running lean.

I learned an important lesson from this. The pilot jet is the most important of all the jets in the carbs on an XT600 kick start... It is the base for the mixture on which the other jets build.

Include the mixture (CO) screw in this. Mine is now 2.75 turns out and still probably still not set perfectly. But it now starts reliably on the 2nd or 3rd normal strength kick.

Hot Starting XT600 kick start 34L
 

I have no problem starting my Tenere from cold. However, when I stop at a petrol station to fill up I find restarting, difficult and usually have to wait about half an hour before it will go. Any suggestions? Thanks

graham2000

You either have a cracked fuel line or you're carb is flooding...

Usually a very small crack in the fuel line will cause that.


Vando beer