Since new, my bike has been a bitch to start when it is below 40 degrees out.
Several things would help.....like turning the fuel off and running the carb dry whenever I get home....or tipping the bike over on its side to spill some gas over into the carb.

But they are a pain to do.

So I put a simple low-$$ fix which is a snap to install and flawless in operations.

I got a jet-ski primer kit ($15) and installed it on the bike.
When it is cold out, I prime it with a pull/push on the primer knob, put the choke on, and hit the starter. It cranks up immediatly every time.
Installing it was easy.
I cut the fuel line about 2 inches below the fuel cutoff valve.
I then inserted a "T" connector with a 1/8" connector in the middle.
Be sure to use clamps, as you do not want it to come loose.
I then connected up a 4-inch section of fuel line which came with the primer and attached it to the 1/8" T.
I zip-tied the primer on the mount for the idle-adjust knob.
I then drilled a small hole into the top of the plastic air-intake hose imediatly before the carb.
I glued on a 1/8" fitting into the hole and attached a hose to it.
I ran the hose under the seat and plugged it into the outlet of the primer
Done!






Cheers!

pullin-gs said:

nice post! good Info!!!

Innovative solution!

pullin-gs
Very interesting. Quite apart from the problems of starting the KLX250 because of low temperatures, many riders have problems starting their bike if they haven't used it for a couple of weeks or so. Their solution is to run the carbie dry at the end of their ride or emptying the carb before starting the bike > 2 weeks later. As you say, a real pain. Does your solution mean that when the carbie is primed using your modification, the old fuel that was left in the carbie is forced out and replaced with the new fuel? Apologies for my ignorance on this but I use my bike only every 2 weeks or so and I will definitely be installing a primer to get around the starting problem.
Noel

pullin-gs
I misunderstood your notes at the time I sent my last thread. I now realise the air intake is primed; not the carbie! Cheers,
Noel

Cheaper than a TM33, good job

Today's commute was 25-degrees out.
Two pumps, pull choke, and the bike starts right up.
So far so good.

cheers

well here is my fix and your gonna laugh.
i bought the bike new in the fall and then it started getting cold.
well i did not ride for a while and figured i would start it up and let it run for a while cause i hate for things to just sit.
would not start as you all know.
what the !!!!!
fuel on, choke on. again, what the!!!!
put some gas in the tank and started up. ok i guess the gas drained out of the tank and all:confused:

next day gave it a shot, and no start and the tank was full.

now i'm pi$$ed . why you piece of @##$%%# and as i was saying that is had the bike by the handle bars and was shaking it like crap while holding the start botton.
started right up!!!!!!!!

and there you have it, my 1st free mod discovery to call my own.
fuel on, choke on, both hands on bars, hit the start botton and at the same time shake the crap out of it.
and no @#$$$&^% required.

that is the way i do it anyways.

Yes, the tipping trick does work nicely, as I mentioned above.
But when I go to work in the morning the first thing I do is pack my computer and sometimes a gym bag also while still in the warmer garage. The bike wont tip fully loaded.
I suppose I could tip it first, start it. Warm it up. Turn it off and then pack it up? So far I am loving the simplicity and ease of the primer though. It is a good fix that has no drawbacks as of yet that I can find.

Cheers

pullin-gs said:

I do not tip, i just shake it a bit while starting.
my idea is a good idea until I get time for your better idea.

I'm going to try that out tommorrow morning....unless it is warm out.

Howdy!
Can you explain why the low temps bring on the hard start? Would an inline primer bulb , like those used on outboard boat motors, work? I'm assuming it wouldn't, but don't know why. Do you know if they addressed the cold start issue in the "09" model coming out this spring?
I'm almost ready to buy a new "07" klx250s and I have seen this cold start issue posted on a few message boards. I don't think this is a deal breaker but I'm not sure. I have read that the "09" has some changes/ improvments in the carb, but I don't know if it was to address the cold start issue. It almost read like what they did was add a bunch of emissions junk to make it Califonia legal.

It seems like the more I look, the more undecided I become. "07"klx250s vs "09"klx250s, or maybe the new fuel injected yamaha wr 250r or the Suzuki drz 400s.
I'm 5'7" 160lb and like to ride in the woods, and around town on my ol' 1985 klr 250. The ol' klr needs a bunch of work and its time to move on. Leaning towards the "07" klx 250s.
Dan

Just be shure that you shut down the fuel shortly before you finish your ride & when you go to restart,it should be fine. I've had mine parked for over 2 weeks & she started in under 30 seconds in below freezing weather.

Bought a KLX250 back in Feb. Hasn't been started since Dec. After reading that it would be a begger to start I wasn't looking forward to starting it after such along cold winter. I live 2 hours north of Toronto Ont. Can. Well, today was the day. The temp finally went above freezing. Pulled the choke and cranked it over a few times. Nothing! Tried it again and nothing. I thought, "Here we go, fun times ahead." Read somewhere that it helps to drain the carb.. Easy job, 2minutes or so and once again pulled the choke and cranked it over. Started on the first crank. Tried it a few more times and everything came up roses. Hopefully, draining the carb or letting it run dry will continue to solve any starting problems. I'm just new at this KLX game but it worked for me. Give it a try.

I ended up buying my KLX in March. I was dissappointed immediately as it would not start in the cold, upper 20's low 30's. I ran the battery down trying to get it to fire. I didn't want to put my full size battery charger on it because i had learned that I wanted a trickle charge of about .6 amp. Long story short, I bought a Energizer battery tender at Walmart for $19. It has a switch that lets you toggle between 1 and 2 amp trickle. I set it to 1 amp and attached it to my battery with the quick connect pig-tail that came with it. It charges the battery and then shuts down and monitors the voltage, just like the $60 tenders. After hooking the bike to the tender it fires off every time even when the temps are in the 20's. When I park the bike I put it on the tender.

I will try your shake and quake method... let you know in a couple days.
Thanks for the tip.

Don

Why does the bike have this problem? Thinking of buying one but am hesitant after reading this. c good

first I've read of the problem. i have a klx300 and haven't noticed any problem. is the root of the problem different from the 250 to 300?

Over 5000 miles since I did the mod.
The fuel line has turned a nasty brown/yellow color, but other than that, no problems. I have riden rain/shine to work for the last 60 days with no problems starting. I tried to start it last week without a prime, and sure enough, it just cranked over, hit once, and died after about 2 seconds. Would not start after that until I primed it.

PS: I park in down-town DC, fight for about 10 spots with other riders. Even in this cold weather there are usually about 5 other bikes. Not much room to "shake and quake". I supose I could pull the bike out from between, but the oncoming traffic on 11th street might get pissed.

I could also take a few minutes and drain the carb, but that is kind of embarassing in the middle of town, especially if one of the Harly bikers comes along.....they are used to taking sheet out of the bag for mechanical issues....I bet it would make thier day to see tools out to get a rice-burner to start!

Cheers

Pullin'

c good said:

Its not just this bike, my wife's 2006 XT 225 and a friend of mines' XT 225 have the exact same problem. However if you shut off the gas and run the remaining gas out if your gonna park it for a few days, weeks or months, it will start up every time.

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