New 04 YZ450F Help

[ironworker]

I Just got an 04 YZ450F today, I have started once and it was a bear to start, the Mechanic where i bought it told me when cold if it didnt fire up right away to open the throttle all the way and kick the bike, This is how you start a flooded 2 stroke, as soon as i got home i popped the manual and it says do not open throttle at all or the bike would kick back (Which it did) I am afraid i can break somthing doing it his way and not following the manual, any suggestions from 4 stroke owners would be helpfull since i just spent $6300 bucks and i dont need to buy a new shaft for doing somthing stupid.

Thanks - Rich

 

[j_freak]

While I have no experience with new bikes, they're basically similar to old bikes. I would start by pulling the plug and cleaning it off with some carb cleaner or starting fluid. pop it back in, kick it a couple times with no choke, a couple times with choke, about four times without choke. If it still hasn't started, or tried to start, pull and clean the plug, then repeat the process.

 

[Okiewan]

the Mechanic where i bought it told me when cold if it didn't fire up right away to open the throttle all the way and kick the bike,

Uhh... mechanic? Is this guy like 102 years old with a corn pipe hanging out of his mouth?

Read the manual. Do not deviate from the manual. True, a quick blip of the throttle after sitting for 2-3 weeks will help, but, do not deviate from the manual. 4-Strokes ARE NOT HARD to start if you pay attention.

jfreak.. am I missing something here or have you never owned new 4-stroke? That is your starting procedure? You've GOT TO BE KIDDING. "Basically similar"? What on earth does that mean? Kinda sorta? Almost? Sorta but not really?

Read the manual.

 

[j_freak]

double post

 

[j_freak]

jfreak.. am I missing something here or have you never owned new 4-stroke? That is your starting procedure? You've GOT TO BE KIDDING. "Basically similar"? What on earth does that mean? Kinda sorta? Almost? Sorta but not really?

Read the manual.

No I wasn't kidding. And yes, I have never owned a new bike, 2 or 4 stroke. As for that starting procedure, that's pretty much what I do, but I don't have to clean the plugs unless it hasn't been run in a few months. I figured I might as well make a suggestion, since no one else had chimed in yet.

 

[ironworker]

No the mechanic was not 102 he was 40 maybe, and this is why i posted the question, i knew better than to deviate from the manual and it really pissed me off when i got advice different from that. like i said it was hard to start, i never hit the throttle i just turned the fuel on and pulled the choke and started kicking it. after like 10 kicks the salesman told me to wait a minute he would get the mechanic out to show me how to start a 4 stroke because they are different than a 2 stroke.
Thanks for the reply Okiewan, im sure its the operator and not the bike like in most cases, and as for pulling the plug every 9 kicks and cleaning it off, :laugh: i been riding 30 years and thats a new one on me.

Thanks - Richard

 

[tator]

FOLLOW THE MANUAL!!! It is hard at first but you will get the hang of it. The first week I got my 426 I must have kicked it for 1 to 2 hours a day, but after 3 months I could start it with no problem.There is a learning curve going to a 4 stroke. But it is worth it.

 

[ironworker]

Tahnks Tator, i will, i knew it would be different, i buzzed it up and down the street and within 10 feet i knew the 2 stroke was history. :yeehaw:

 

[tator]

Also, if you go to www.motorcross.com they have tips on starting 4 strokes that might be helpful.

 

[aus426]

the yz450 is a mans bike, so you have to kick it like one! forget everything you ever knew about starting 2 strokes and swing on that lever like u wanna break it off!!

 

[ironworker]

the yz450 is a mans bike, so you have to kick it like one! forget everything you ever knew about starting 2 strokes and swing on that lever like u wanna break it off!!

HAHA, well im 6'4 210 lbs all Man, I can kick my 53 Pan Head so im sure i can kick a dirt bike, after i got home from work yesterday it fired right up (First Kick) i let it cool down for an hour and went back out and it fired second kick so i guess when i got it from the dealership the lame salesman must have been pumping the throttle as he was bringing it from the back, anyhow its all good now, starts every time.
Thanks for all the posts.

Richard.

 

[BSWIFT]

Once you do get the bike started, check the idle. The 450F should start in a couple of kicks. As Okie said, if the bike sits a week or two, crack the throttle open once before kicking but not any after that. The accelerator pump will squirt a bunch of fuel straight down the throat of the carb each time you stab the throttle. Jetting maybe an issue but not likely. Check your plug and try again. A suggestion given to me was to put your right hand on the throttle mount and not the grip while kicking. This prevents you from twisting the throttle while kick starting. If the bike continues to be hard to start, turn the idle up 1/8th turn clockwise.
The BK mod costs $.05 and takes twenty minutes to perform. I have pics and instuctions if you want them. Just email me at bswift@dirtrider.net .
tator, the 450 and 426 are vastly different starting. I do agree to kick hard. Autodecompression is so sweet. :thumb:

 

[Treejumper]

On my 03' 450 i have to do 3 quick cracks of the throttle if it sat longer than a day and it will fire on first kick. If it had already been running sometime in the past hour or two i dont have to do anything but kick it once. Several hours since running i have to crack the throttle once.

 

[Up2abq]

Just got an '03 450 and am stoked as that thing starts first kick! Guy I bought it from warned not to touch throttle on start or else! Even after hard riding here in the desert it starts right up without using the hot start . Try cleaning the plug, check for spark and gap .70mm and then use the cold start lever (choke) and NO gas and that baby should start screaming!

Good luck

 

[DennisC]

I'm sure some of the seasoned veterans will get a kick out of my answer. After riding quads for the last 15 years I got pretty spoiled. That little start button takes all the hassle out of it. I purchased a 426 of Ebay last year. I thought I got screwed big time! I couldn't get the thing to start for two weeks. Every time we would go out to ride, after driving for an hour and a half to get there, it wouldn't start. When I called the previous owner he kept assuring me it always started right up. So after just about falling on my butt a million times, I ordered a kick stand. Now I can get up on it and really kick it. I guess before I just had a wieny leg. I was used to kicking my banshee sitting down. Once I figured out the proper starting procedure I can always start it in 1 or 2 kicks. Gotta say this bike has just about killed me! Much easier sitting on the quad and letting it do all the work. Oh well I wanted a new adventure, I sure got it! Good Luck

 

[averageskill]

Here's the deal on starting 4 strokes

Using your foot, push starter slowly and find the compression stroke, it's where it's hard to move the piston up...now, careful here... just after the piston reaches top dead center, stop! Now, let the kick lever ratchet back up to top. Let her have it with zero throttle and choke if cold. This technique works best because the kick motion moves the magneto through the exhaust stroke to charge the coil and also through the fire stroke where it all comes together. This works on all 4 strokes. Some of the newer bikes have auto decompress which makes it a little harder to find the compression stroke, but you can still feel it. :nod:

 

[helio lucas]

well, the real deal on starting 4 strokes has arrived 6 years late. is a 2004 thread!!!

 

[Rich Rohrich]

well, the real deal on starting 4 strokes has arrived 6 years late.

... and with the new auto-decompressor bikes, none of that fiddling around is required anymore. If it's jetted correctly you just kick it like a two-stroke.