hard starting

hey,

my 81' kz 550 has some real nasty starting problems when its cold, so im wondering what adjustments can i do to make it a little easier. once its warm, it has no problem starting.

here is my starting procedure when cold. use full choke and hold the throttle wide open. then after a couple seconds of cranking, release the throttle and the engine will fire up for a second or two, then quit. sometimes i adjust the idle extremely high, so when it finally starts it revs really high. but sometimes i just say screw it and put some gas down one of the cylinders and i can get it goin.

i just cleaned my carbs, and synced them.

any help would be greatly appreciated



buzzz

does the 550 have the rubber diaphragm? my yamaha had a pinhole in one and was hard to start. after fixing that i dont even need the choke

I find my KZ550 starts easiest if I keep the throttle just slightly cracked beyond an idle with the choke set appropriately for lower temperatures or not used at all in warmer temperatures. If I open the throttle too much the engine will not fire presumably as it is too lean.

btchalice,

what rubber diaphram are you referring to??

buzzz

on the top of the sliders some bikes are vaccuum operated and some have direct pull slides