spenco

Member
Apr 26, 2006
1
0
I'm new to riding. It's been 20 years since I've been on a bike. Back then I had an XR200 that I rode to death. It always cranked easy with just 1 or 2 kicks. The KX is really hard to crank if it ever stalls on me. It's not bad when it's cold and I choke it or when I shut it off intentionally. But if it stalls and dies it takes an act of congress to get it started again. I follow the recommended procedure for cranking it but it just wears me out kicking on it. People tell me that's just the way the new 4-strokes are but I can't believe that. I need help before my leg falls off.
 

AnTs

Uhhh...
Nov 5, 2005
246
0
Try to put it at TDC ( top dead center ) put the hot start on, then kick it. Should start. Also check the plug because i had a yz250f and it fouled alot of plugs and was a pain to start. But then i got a cr250 and its a breeze to start :)
 

robwbright

Member
Apr 8, 2005
2,283
0
Someone said:
Welcome to 4S technology. Fix the problem and you'll be a rich man. :)

Yep - 4 stroke MX bikes are not trail bikes like XR's. If you wanted easy starting you should have got a 2 stroke or a trail bike.

Many times even the pros have trouble getting theirs to start when they have a crash.
 

xLastShotx

Member
Aug 9, 2005
34
0
yeah i have an 2004 kx250f and it is almost impossible to kick start it once its been warmed up already i usually get very tired out and end up push starting it. I guess thats just how they are. I had a mechanic go over the whole bike becuase I thought somthing was rong, but he said it was 100% fine.
 

nikki

Moto Junkie
Apr 21, 2000
5,802
1
spenco - whenever a 4-stroke MX bike gets hard to start, the first thing you should do is check the valve clearances. If you have a manual, it is pretty easy to do, takes about 30 minutes (maybe up to an hour for your first time).

Find the valve clearance specs in the manual - exhaust valves (front of the bike) have one spec, intake valves (back of the bike) have another, and make sure you have a feeler gauge with the same sizes. Then you follow the steps in the manual to check them.... in a nutshell, remove tank/shrouds, remove valve cover, get bike at TDC, and slider feeler gauge between valve caps/rocker arms to measure clearances. If you find that some of the valves are out of clearance, you'll need to loosen the cam chain (mark where it lines up with the cams first, we use a paint marker), remove the cam holders and cams, find out what size shim is in that valve now (can remove the valve cap with a magnet), and adjust as needed. Once you reshim like two times, you should consider new valves.

Kawasakis don't have the best track record when it comes to valves, so you might want to check before it's too late. Hard starting is one of the first warning signs.
 

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