Starting

[MaltaBike]

Time for a little update on this topic.

So:
I cleaned and re-cleaned every individual part of the carburettor;
Dismantled and cleaned the starter motor;
Changed a new battery;
Removed the fuel pump;
Changed the configuration of the fuel lines to offer (in my mind) less resistance to flow;
I also tried additives with the fuel.

Nothing!!

I had almost accepted the idea of emptying the bowl every morning, especially since there are other guys here who experience the same. In fact I placed a dedicated screwdriver and can (to receive the fuel).

Also, whoever I talked to seemed to not understand my problem and I could swear that on occasions I also got "the look".

The problem also seemed to be getting worse as on occasions the bike stalled on idle during a ride. It would turn on immediately, but stalling on idling is not a pleasant thing to have.

Then I remembered about the pilot screw. I thought that there was nothing to lose in trying different settings as long as I remember where I started from? Right? So I started closing the pilot screw, 1/4 turn at a time and after a total of 1/2 a turn, the bike seems to be in a very stable position. It turns on reliably every time without the need to empty the bowl, and it feels more powerful too. It also operates reliably over the entire range of revs and can take all the throttle abuse you can throw at it without a single hitch.

Pilot screws ... remember them

[AlexD]

I am super excited about this discovery, thank you for sharing, great to have someone finish a thread like this with a solution. I am also a little worried as this foible has saved my by bike from being stolen in the past... Time to get a better lock.

[Luc]

About starting problems with carburator engines:

If a engine is not used for some days the fuel in de carburator starts to vaporate. This means that the fuel level in the carburator is lower than ideal.
In the past that problem was solved with a special lever on the carburators; you had to push the lever several times until the fuel was coming out of a small hole in the carburator.
In modern times this is replaced by the elektric fuel pump.

If you have a engine without a electric fuel pump you can use the following solution if the engine is a couple of days not running:
simpley blow firmley on the plastic overflow conduit of the carburator for a couple of seconds. The result is that new fuel comes in the carburator and the fuel level in the carburator comes to the optimal level.
You will see that the engine starts after that without any problem... perhaps a tip: make the overflow conduit longer so you can reach it easeley.

I used this technique on a very "difficult to start" SZR660 many times and also on motorcycles and prototype two stroke racers after a complete rebuild... old techniques are not stupid, remember: nothing is new in this world!

Best regards,

Luc

PS: Sorry for my poor Englisch, I live in Belgium and my native language is Flemisch.