Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/126402
an advantage be cause you understand the motorcycle better than an ave rage rider. But you still won 't have a com p lete sho p or a big tool box with you , so you hav e to work with less th an usu al. Most of th e suggesti on s a re . sim ple, a nd some ma y not work in you r particul ar situa tio n or with your kind of bike. That's whe re judgment is important . And besides, you may have found a better wa y a lready . Engine problems Your carburetor is loaded up with gas , and the engine runs slow even at full throttle, then d ies . The cause doesn't matter when you 'r e hung up on the course and anxious to mov e again . Be sure th e choke hasn 't been kno cked closed , then use full throttle as you kick the starter. Ease off on th e throttle a little after it fires up but doesn 't clear itself and rev up . If it die s, try again . Still no luck ? Shut off the gas a t the tank percocks, a nd use th e same p roc edu re again . Always use full throttle to clear th e engi ne of excess fu el. Be sure to turn th e gas ba ck on before you blast down th e trail. If gas is pou ri ng out th e ca rb xoverflo w and gushing on th e ground , the fl oat may be stuck or d irt is ca using th e trouble . If your b ike will sta rt , rev it up a litt le. The vibration may loosen th e float if it 's jammed. T appin g th e carbu re to r bod y with th e handle of a screwdriver or ot her tool that won 't damage it somet im es work s. If it still drips, shut off th e fuel a nd rem ove th e bow l to chec k for dirt and for th e posit ion ing a nd fr ee movem ent of th e float. If you don 't kn ow th e normal pos iti on , lea ve it a lone. If th er e's dirt , dump it out (don 't lose any parts) th en flush with a little g as from th e gas lin e befor e rea ssembling . If it ran long eno ugh to get you th is fa r , it shou ld go again . T he op posite p roblem ' is wh en you r eng ine runs out of gas during fast running, even th ough you 've got gas in th e tank a nd it's turned on . If you ca n get th e carb bowl off easily. do that to find out if fu el is ge tt ing throu gh that fa r . If t h e re's a tickle r , use that instead . O r remo~e the gas line from th e carb to see if gas is flowing . If it 'is, check th e vent in the gas ca p to see if th e hole is plugged up . Som etimes fuel will flow at low and medium speeds , bu t if th e vent is plugged a vac uum is crea ted a t high speed beca use more fuel is be ing burned in a sho rt tim e. It ha ppen s! As a last resort , chec k th e float to see if it's in a n a b no rma l positi on th at closes th e floa t needle befo re th e bowl is ful l. Foul ed plu g ? Ch ange it , especia lly if you 've been in a situation wh er e th e engi ne go t hot , like workin g your way o ut of a swa mp , or Iow -rhror tl e ope ration has left the tip coa ted with oil. No ex tra spa rkp lug? Clean it and check th e gap , th en use it again . No sp ark is more ser ious and a lot more fru strating. If th e spark p lug wir e is on and tight and th er e's no cru d on th e porcelain to short it out, try a new plug befor e suspecting anything else. Still doesn't sp a rk? Disconnect th e kill button , if you r bik e has one , and try again . Check the co il connections for tightness next , and if the engine's been under wat er , and it still doesn't fire , you'd better remove the sid e cover over th e e1ectrics and see if it's damp in th er e . If so, dryir the best you ca n . Are th e points OK? If not , clean th em with a knife or sa nd p a per. If your m otorcycle has capacitor discharge ign ition (CDI) there's nothing you ca n "Championship Enduro, " copyright © ' 1977 b y Steve Booth and Brian Palormo, is available direr froni the publisher, Paragon Publications, 3106 Sweetbrier, 'L a fa yett e , CA 94549 for $5,95 postpaid, California residents add 6 % sal es tax , The Lates(NewsAnd DevebpmentsFran Bultaco.1.'heCanpanyThatBuilds l\1otorcycles.And NothingEIse. JilftPolfteroy ~ent to Spain to "check out" the New MK·12 Pursang. He liked it so much he's campaigning on e for the World Championship Title! You don't have to go to Spain, just to you ~ local Bul Dealer. While there look for these '79 improvements. New and Improved Features for '79 include: • Stronger frame with lower engine mounting • Unbreakable PVC plastic tank, fenders , FIM side panels and waterproof ai r box • 260mm air/oil forks • 280mm rear travel with S&W Stroker Shocks • New style Bing carbu retor • High output ignition system with lighting coil • 'Akr on t "Works type " WM-3 3" wide rear rim with new super-wide Pirelli PENTA-CROSS T yre Due to the cu rrency exchange. you will find the new PursangVERY pleasantl y priced ! Bultaco Internation al P.O.80. 2237 ' Virgin ia Bea ch , VA 23452 804/ 463-2 75 1 Subscribe and get your name on the front page of Cycle News. TERRYCABLE The Teflon Super Smooth Cable * Comp lete li ne f or ra cin g • bi kes *Requires no oiling * Smooth est pu lli ng cable *Flexibl e t hrottle wire g ives 'Io ng li f e * Heav y duty housing. re si sts stretch an d ab us e Write for Free literature T er rycable PO Box 1321, Hesper ia , CA 92345 (7 14) 2 4 7 -2 6 46 Out of stat e call toll free (800l854-46!11• . 27