fuel problem JR80

[Todd S]

Hi, was just trying to get my son's 2003 JR80 brought back to life. We had drained the tank last fall. I find out today that he didn't let it run till it ran out of fuel. We put new preium in it today. Kicked it a couple times on the stand and it ran. Then it quit. We have gas at the carb and I turned the screws back and forth returning them to original settings, and we took the air cleaner off. We can kick and kick and not a pop. I squirted just a tiny whiff of ether in the intake and it ran fine for about 3 secs. I repeated the whiff 2 more times and it fired and ran perfect for 3 secs. I stopped with the ether because I proved it has adequate spark. Any suggestions before we take the carb off and take it to the dealer?

They tried to tell me that they use some special cleaner now that is too expensive to be practical for me to stock at home. I live 60 miles from the shop so it's a pain to take things in there and the wait is even more painful.

I always let my old honda run till the carb was dry and the next spring everything fired up and ran fine.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Todd

[EastCoastMotion]

Hmm well my best guess is to say that the gas sitting in the carb prolly built up a lot of crud and varnish inside the carb and because you are getting ample spark, the varnish and crud are blocking the fuel from getting to the cylinder. Sorry to say it but that cleaner is probably your best bet for fixing it. The carb may need to be taken apart and cleaned with the carb. cleaner. Im not sure of any other things around the house you could use to clean the parts in the carb with, but IMO i wouldnt want to use anything else. (wouldnt want to risk messing up the internals)

[axel_2078]

I'm not sure if this bike is a 2 stroke or 4 stroke (gas/oil mixture or just gas). If it takes regular gas, I would recommend putting fuel stabilizer in the tank if it's not going to be run dry. I do that on all my vehicles when I have to leave them stored for a while and they always start right up. Maybe the carbs are a little gummed up inside. Have you been able to take it off to look at it?

[modjr80]

I have had 2 of these for my kids. With the poor quality of gas we have available to us today any kind of fuel conditioner/stabilizer is a good plan before storage. Not only to keep the varnish down but the octane will be preserved for the next season. These carbs are super simple to work on. If you have the ability to take the carb off the bike you have the ability to remove the 4 screws holding the float bowl on and spray it down with carb cleaner from Auto Zone for 2 about bucks. After you remove the 4 screws take the handle of the screw driver and tap the bowl to loosen it. Lift it straight up off the carb and lay it down on a clean rag. If you do this careful you can reuse the bowl gasket. You should now see the float assy. Carefully push the pin through the float and remove the float and inlet needle being careful not to bend the tangs on the float. Once you have removed the float and inlet needle nothing else is loose on the carb and you take your $2.00 can of carb spray with the red plastic tube and squirt it through all orifices until you see it come out some ware. Same with the bowl. Reverse the procedure for assembly and you ready to go. Best thing, your kid thinks you’re the greatest motorcycle mechanic there is Have fun and don’t be afraid to do this

[Dave2122]

I agree with Modjr80 but would not overdo the carb cleaner as it can destroy any rubber or plastic pieces. Also you can remove the main jet and needle valve and clean out the crud that has built up over the winter. It is a simple job really nothing to be to concerned about just take your time. Clean all parts with compressed air after they are carb cleaned so as to dry them off.