1994 yamaha xt350

[joshbot007]

I would like to ask some questions about this bike. Yes i have bought it and had it quite a while. My first question is why is it a dual carb set up? One piston with a dual set up confuses me. Second is the left fork seal is bad. So how hard would of a repair would that be. And how much if i sent it to a shop? Next question is how to adjust the clutch. It is EXTREAMLY HEAVY and sticks a litte at the end of its release? Last question is how can i get the bike to start easyer when HOT. It is getting better to start cold (so am i,gues im getting used to it). But the bike is extramly hard to start when hot and if i stall in the woods i may not have enough energy to kick it 15 good kicks. Any and all responces are greatly apriciated!!!!

 

[dirt bike dave]

Dual carb setups have fallen out of favor as they are more complex and costly, and don't add much if any performance. They were somewhat popular for a few years. The theory was better performance at both low and high rpm's compared to a single carb, sort of like a 4 barrel carb on an old V8 compared to a 2 barrel. Maybe better emissions in theory. Or maybe the marketing guys though they were cool and would sell more bikes...

Shop labor for a fork seal replacement is less than an hour, probably only 1/2 hour if your shop does not have a 1 hour minimum. Bring them the fork leg off the bike. Probably $40 or so for labor, plus a new fork seal ($20+-), and they will want to change the fork oil ($20+- from the shop). Most old bikes need a special tool to disassemble the forks.

Clutch cables are usually pretty cheap. See if Motion Pro has one for your bike. If the cable is old, might as well just put in a new one. Make sure you route the new cable correctly. Some bikes do have stiff clutches, but if the cable is not routed right that can make the pull harder.

Hard starting when hot can be several things, but one of the first things to check is your valve clearances. On a bike, they tighten up with wear and heat. If they are too tight, the valves don't close all the way when the motor gets hot. You lose compression and the motor won't fire. Some bikes are jetted too lean, and that also can cause a problem with hot start, but check your valve clearances.

 

[joshbot007]

Dual carb setups have fallen out of favor as they are more complex and costly, and don't add much if any performance. They were somewhat popular for a few years. The theory was better performance at both low and high rpm's compared to a single carb, sort of like a 4 barrel carb on an old V8 compared to a 2 barrel. Maybe better emissions in theory. Or maybe the marketing guys though they were cool and would sell more bikes...

Shop labor for a fork seal replacement is less than an hour, probably only 1/2 hour if your shop does not have a 1 hour minimum. Bring them the fork leg off the bike. Probably $40 or so for labor, plus a new fork seal ($20+-), and they will want to change the fork oil ($20+- from the shop). Most old bikes need a special tool to disassemble the forks.

Clutch cables are usually pretty cheap. See if Motion Pro has one for your bike. If the cable is old, might as well just put in a new one. Make sure you route the new cable correctly. Some bikes do have stiff clutches, but if the cable is not routed right that can make the pull harder.

Hard starting when hot can be several things, but one of the first things to check is your valve clearances. On a bike, they tighten up with wear and heat. If they are too tight, the valves don't close all the way when the motor gets hot. You lose compression and the motor won't fire. Some bikes are jetted too lean, and that also can cause a problem with hot start, but check your valve clearances.

Thank you so much! But the bike has good compretion when hot. Even a bit more than when cold. But not so much i would say the decompressor is failing. Any more sugestions?

 

[dirt bike dave]

It's not that the decompressor is failing. It is that the tight valves do not seat all the way when hot. You don't lose all the compression, just some of it. It will still feel like it has compression, but it will be harder to start.