When will the piston kits be available and are they better than stock? What does it/will it cost? I bought a PWK carb last week but my bike is still hard to start. I bought the bike used on ebay and it may be that it needs rebuilding.
Before you start throwing parts at your bike, you may want to do some checks. Do a compression check and see what kind of numbers you get. Somewhere between 140 and 200 psi would tell me you don't need a piston. I'd expect to see 170-180psi. The PWK is a fine carb, but I don't think it's any better than the Mik. Just my opinion. A cheap check would be to go buy some VP 110 race gas. Not that you need the octane, but it's just good, consistent gas. Mix it at whatever ratio you're running, then drain everything out of the gas tank and carburetor. Dump in that race gas and see if she fires easily. If so, then you can attack the brass. With the PWK, I'd ball park the jets at a 42 Pilot, 175 main, and slip the clip on the needle to the middle position. Then take the airscrew 1.5 turns out from fully seated. The bike should certainly start and run with those settings. They may not be ideal for your area, but it should at least run.
pistons carbs Thanks Roostafish I do need to do a compression check. I bought the PWK from Motosportz prejetted w/JD jets so I don't think its too far off. I agree the Mik isn't all that bad but my float started flooding so I just took the easy but expensive route. I like the round screw top on the PWK, much easier to work with I think. I've been wanting to try some VP gas though...
Make sure you turn in the idle screw, it will be hard to start and not idle until you adjust it for your bike. I would turn it in 1/2 turn at a time and then try to start it.
The WR also has a weak ignition so if things are less then perfect it can be hard to start. Try a fresh plug (I like the EIX series), replace the stock plug cap with a NGK since it is a known source of prolems, and make sure all the coil connections are clean and tight.
I was wondering about the plug cap and ignition. I checked the compression - best I could do was 160psi so it's a little tired. Thanks for all the advice. I love this bike though - turns so much better than the KTM'S I've had.
I wouldn't get uptight about 160psi. Did you do it with a splash of oil down the plug hole? That'll raise the numbers and make them more consistent. Check it at least thrice. The manual says the bike only has 6.9:1 compression. 160 PSI should be fine. Run 32:1 premix for peace of mind. More oil = less wear, to steal a phrase. I never considered the plug cap, but that's sure an easy fix. Take a look at that spark with your eyeballs. It should be nice, bright. and fat. My knee jerk reaction to your problem: Gas. Today's gas, especially if you live in an area which uses the satanic additive Ethanol, can go bad in mere days.
We have it here. I have gotten to the point where I can walk into the garage and smell when the gas is starting to go bad...
I also read that you should roll the bike down a hill to check comp on a 2t to get the engine spining fast enough to get a proper comp reading
