Kawasaki Sportsbike Riders Club - Australia - Online Forum

howdy! im having some trouble starting up my 2001 zx9r in the morning, only when its cold though. Basically i have to crank the choke twice and then try to start it. Sometimes though ill try the start button and nothing will happen. I can twist the throttle completely around and nothing happens. Obviously this floods it a little so i let it sit there for a bit then try again. Usually this works. Without fail though i need to pull the choke out twice. Is this normal? Any ideas as to what i could be doing differently? Cheers

How long since you had your valve clearances checked? How many km's on the bike? Where are you located (is it icy cold, etc)?

Errr .... I'm not sure but. You do realise that you set the choke lever in position, as in full on or half way and then press the starter button yes?
Just the way I read your description it sounds odd the way you are going about things.

Agreed with S&W .... It sounds like you are "pumping" the choke .... then flooding the carbs .. whereas you should simply set the choke, and only a slight throttle to get it goin ..

Lets straighten this point out first yeah???

my ZX9 i used to set the choke on a frosty winters morning in Hobart (-2c > 2c) after it was sitting outside all night to maybe 50-60% hit the starter, sometimes it would start and then die, but 1 or 2 starts and it would come alive!

Like others are saying, set your choke to at least 25% on before you start

The "choke" doesn't pump fuel in. It's a needle in a valve that allows the engine to suck through more fuel. Moving it back and forth won't do anything. There's no mechanism for pumping fuel into a ZX9 other than either using a high pressure fuel pump to overcome the needle and seat (not clever) or pouring neat fuel down the throats (not practical for every day use). They don't have accelerator pumps.

Said needle can get gummed up, though. Or badly worn, but I've only seen that once or twice.

My '02 starts really easily. On a warm day I just press the starter and flick the throttle open a bit. On a cold day it needs a bit of choke as well, but it's only when the temperature's below about 5 degrees that it needs full choke.

Someone had to be a smart alec!

Forgot the old start technique for a while there ... you get so spoilt on injected bikes Carb tune and tight valve clearances are normally the biggest culprits IMO

hey guys, sorry i haven't had access to the net in ages. Im in melbourne so its not ridiculously cold in the morning but still chilly. I set the choke at %100 if anywhere. Next time i start it ill try putting on %25-50 and see if that works. I have no idea what my 'valve clearances' would be... Im a bit of a noobie as far as mechanics goes, but eager to learn! Can you get carbie cleaner that you can add to the petrol, or something along those lines, or is it a bit more in depth than that. Thanks for all the help guys, much appreciated!