Low idle and choke doesn't work

[Tigerboy]

My Baggy runs fine though recently I notice he doesn't idle correctly. Idles at low RPM as it should, but occasionally stutters.

Usually stalls out when I come to a sudden stop so I have to restart him. At least I have a workaround so I can continue riding

The problem is mildly annoying. Most likely I think the pilot jet is clogged. I looked at the carburettor and where that is didn't seem obvious. If it's anything I'm familar with, the float bowl comes off then it's accessible. Something I plan to do before it's too late.

Next, my choke cable doesn't work. It doesn't choke. I tried following it to the carburettor and the action seems there but there's no way of knowing whether the butterfly valve within is actually moving or not. This is not a problem now but it will be. If the bike sits for a while, and the weather is cold, I'll never get my bike started.

I don't know what caused my choke to all of a sudden 'go'. It was fine until I tried to start my bike after having sat for a couple of weeks and it wasn't easy. Normally there are 3 click positions for the choke, but I can only get two. It seems something is stuck somewhere and I need to find out what's causing it. Normally you have a fast idle when the choke is on, but I don't get any difference in idle at all, which is why I say 'it doesn't choke'.

If the pilot jet is okay, then only other thing I can think of, is the choke cable having come loose from the butterfly valve, which then ends up in a position of letting in too much air in at idle so the fuel mixture is a bit too lean to maintain idle. So fixing the choke might actually fix the idle.

All conjecture until I start getting into this.

[harold]

If your choke is partialy on, your bike should be running rich after it warms up. It should be very noticable. The carbs are a bitch to get off a Baggie, but you should be able to get some kind of mirror with a light, to look into the carb through the air box to see the plate. One of those cameras in a snake would come in real handy for this.

[Bill Jurgenson]

what does low idle mean?
The XTZ motor does not idle smoothly due to the balancer shaft, it can't.
So anything under 1500rpm is too slow. That has nothing to do with this or any other carb.

The choke doe not have a butterfly valve any more than it has anything else but "on" and "off."
I strongly suggest finding and carefully reading one of the online explanations of the Teikei carb.
Assuming the the choke wire is working smoothly in both directions, it could be the choke itself.
The handlebar choke cable can be a pain and some simply let a short length of wire to pull hang out on the left.
The choke piston can stick. It is simple enuf to check by pulling the radius-bent steel tube away from the carb.
Of course the choke lever must be off. It should pull away easily and snap back once the rubber bellows have been pulled back.
No? If it does not snap back and just hangs there, it is stuck.
Unscrew the brass cap screw and pull the entire unit out. If it is sticking, the brass piston will be scoured. Polish it carfully with 1000gritor finer, wipe it clean with a clean rag oiled with gun oil and remount. Do not oil.

It is completely normal that the motor will not start after a period of nonuse.
Part and parcel of the carb again and the source if probably hundreds of discussions on every forum concern bikes with sny of the many flavors of this eingine.
Skorpionisti often shut the petcock and let the engine then die instead of simply turning it off if they know it will not be used for few days. They claim it starts right up if they do that.

[nopantsflyer]

just relocate the choke

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=4699

[Tigerboy]

what does low idle mean?
The handlebar choke cable can be a pain and some simply let a short length of wire to pull hang out on the left.
The choke piston can stick. It is simple enuf to check by pulling the radius-bent steel tube away from the carb.
Of course the choke lever must be off. It should pull away easily and snap back once the rubber bellows have been pulled back.
No? If it does not snap back and just hangs there, it is stuck.
Unscrew the brass cap screw and pull the entire unit out. If it is sticking, the brass piston will be scoured. Polish it carfully with 1000gritor finer, wipe it clean with a clean rag oiled with gun oil and remount. Do not oil.

Wow, you're a lifesaver. That was exactly it. The choke was indeed stuck and I see it is a piston, not a butterfly valve as I first thought. I used rifle bore cleaner which is the same idea as gun oil.

I will see if that fixed my low idle problem, as the two problems came simulataneous, when the choke piston got stuck. I might not have to clean out the pilot jet after all.

The next thing I'll do is check the fuel filter. I have never looked at it, probably not a bad idea to check after 44,800+ km on the bike.

[handsomejackuk]

how much did you pay for the manual choke on the carb.. as they seem aweful expensive in the U.K. ???

[Baggy_Al]

Bill wrote

Skorpionisti often shut the petcock and let the engine then die instead of simply turning it off if they know it will not be used for few days. They claim it starts right up if they do that.

I always do this with my Baggy and have no problems starting it, even after 2 weeks, it is always a good tip if you have a gravity feed fuel cock.

Al.