2007 TE450 problems starting

Hello all, new member, new second hand Husky with 1300km on it, is my first dirt bike. Initial impressions are good if not a tad heavy but I am having heaps of problems starting it.
Initially cold start was very hard. Silly me was using hot start choke instead of cold start. Lesson learned and seemed to be better but still difficult. Just had full service (with non husky mechanic as they are rare as hens teeth here) had valve shims replaced etc. started fine at shop, ride straight to dirt for some fun, bike conks out at low revs and was impossible to start.
So this is when hot too!
Got home, washed and put to bed.
Next day tried cold start, impossible!
Battery is strong but wearing down after overuse!
Only way I could get it to start is to hold the throttle on the tiniest amount (like taking the slack out of the line)
This is getting frustrating especially if this happens when it dies goin up a steep single trail!
Oh there's issue 2, it doesn't like low speed stuff and I find it stalling easily, I am pretty slow so maybe I need to ride faster but it's annoying to have to feather clutch going down hill
Any ideas for an inexperienced newbie would be much appreciated.
Cheers

Pilot/idle jet might have a ring of varnish in it, reducing the size of the orifice. Replace the OEM pilot jet OR get a piece of copper wire, the multi-strand, speaker wire stuff. Separate out one strand, make it about 2 foot long. Wrap it around your finger to make a spring-like shape. Pass it thru the dismounted pilot jet a few times, see if the hole gets any bigger, if it does, it was varnished up. Don't use steel wire, too abrasive. Hot bikes need a precise amount of fuel to start and to run at small throttle openings, that's the pilot jet 's job.

Hi Coffee, I have the idle up at 2000rpm to keep it moving but still likes to cough to a stop regularly when idling down steep stuff. Hi OHR, I'm an older but not wiser rider (late bloomer) OK I would give this a go but need to work out where this jet is and how to get it out...off to google/utube to see if I have any luck. Would this also affect cold start as it's worse on cold? Cheers

I would check the AP setting for the stalling on trail. Do you know if a leak jet has been installed? The carb comes with a plug for the leak jet. There is also a trick of using a o ring on the AP linkage that I found helps with the on/off throttle stalling. Coffee has a real good write up on the basics for getting the carb set up.

You probably have an enrichener knob (cold start lever or knob) it used to be called a choke, nowadays, it opens an extra venturi for another stream of gas in addition to the pilot jet circuit. If the pilot jet is blocked then the bike is only getting about 1/2 the gas it should be getting at cold start, so a cleaned out or new pilot jet should help your starting.

Thanks for the help guys. I thought I'd tweak the air/fuel mixture and went searching for it with little help from the out of focus photo in the manual. Well I found it and I really want to meet the engineer who put it there so I can slap him! Everything I read says this needs to be adjusted occasionally and at different altitudes and with the motor warm. Well who could actually get at it and even if you could there'd be burt skin! Got a replacement knob on order from good ol' Ebay.
I have also undertaken that I'm going to have a go at rejetting so ordered a sigma kit (http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/33088576...NX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649#ht_2632wt_962) anyone used them and have i done the right thing?
I'm going to either master this or have to trailer the bike with bits in hand and tail between my legs to someone who knows what they are doing!
Oh the cold/hot start chokes havent aided my woes any either.

Curious to hear how you made out with this...my bike is starting to act a little odd at attempted cold starts...wondering if you resolved your issue?

Well still a work in progress. I got the jet kit from sigma, installed it and it was worse. Took to a mechanic who put old jets back in as said the new ones were wrong. Had to make do with using cold or hot start every time to start else wouldn't work. Is a real pain when bike is dropped on a hill when hot, trying to reach hot start to cancel not so easy!
A mate has recently done a heap of work on the rest of it and had had a tune and says had to screw air/fuel mix right in, reckons pilot is no good! So if I can find the new jets I will let him play. He says is going much better than before an he's been doing burn outs in his driveway wearing my new tire down

glad to hear your carb is on the mend, this is not to rub your nose in anything but to reassure you, my 07 has carburetted flawlessly the entire time i've had it, it was set up by the shop that sold the bike new with an akra slip on so it can run great, i would have no clue how to adjust a thing. i religously drain the carb completely once i'm done with cleaning it and it's being put away.

I also installed a handlebar mounted hot start lever, it's activated with my left thumb and as soon as it fires i let it go and i'm on my way, being 5'3" reaching under the tank for the hot start while balancing on the side of a steep climb was nigh on impossible! much, much easier to use now.

Oh Loony I have pondered whether I can get a hot start somewhere more accessible! Please give me details of yours, it'll make life much easier!!!

Ok...here's my "new start procedure". ignition, gas on, 2 twists, choke, and about three 5 second presses of the start button...will not start unless I also crack the throttle and progressively hold it...once started...NO problem with hotstarting on trail. What gives with the delayed cold start?!?!? anyone??

One cause: A coat of varnish on the inside of the pilot jet, effectively making a smaller jet size, works terrible when cold, works great when hot.

thanks for the feedback. had the bike in the shop and had asked for carb to be cleaned. Would have hoped this had been done after giving them the reason for request. they had increased the choke diameter...Looks like I'll wait until season closes my riding window and do this myself Your opinion makes 100% sense

The varnish build-up inside a jet must be scraped out, I take a piece of single strand, copper speaker wire, wrap it around my finger a bunch of times, and then thread that thru the jet, doing it several times. Over at another forum, they don't even try that, they are 100% "replace the jet".

Hmm. I called the shop to ask how the carb, specifically the pilot jet was, when they cleaned it during it's last stay..they indicated it was "clean" and went up a needle size on the choke. He indicated, he could go up another needle size on the choke..I'll try the copper speaker wire approach end of season for 1...to ensure I don't have the bike sitting in pieces when ride time is limited and 2..to to ensure I don't have the bike sitting in pieces when ride time is limited hehehehe. thanks OHR! Will let you know how it goes

So after last ride...when hot...was running the best it ever had been. When I took breaks 10-20 minutes to "shoot the sh*&" with fellow riders inbetween laps..found I had to crack to throttle while pressing the button to fire err up..I'm thinking this baby is in need of valve clearance adjustments. Had 0 clearances in 2 of 4 at beginning of season...could be pointing towards a rebuild. Plan now....early morning oil change (if able to start) go for a rip and then get this bad boy into the shop to get another valve clearance/leakdown test.

Coffee...can you tell me where the adjustment is for the pilot screw?!?!?! I have the bike open and about to check valve clearance tomorrow morning (can't find my feeler gauge)..anticipate valves need adjusting as I put over 2000 km on this rig over the season and bought this bike with over 10000km and it has yet to have a rebuild...anticipate it may be time... I think I found where it is but looks really tough to access...