Sitting for 5 months Bike Won't start

[Modie]

First off, it's my brother's bike and this is par for the course with him. Were supposed to go riding tomorrow and last night he decided to try to get it started. Battery was sitting 'connected' and he had his fuel switch 'on'. He got a new battery but it won't start. It turns over just fine but won't fire.

Is his gas bad?? Do we need to drain tank, carb?? He had no kick starter so we can't purge the carb by kicking it over. I'm heading over tonight to help him and I would like a few options.

I tried to topic search bit I didn't find anything relavant. Thanks.

[handfulz28]

bad gas and the carb is probably clogged-both the fuel jets/passages and maybe the air passages.

Bring a couple cans of carb cleaner and good luck...

[hometheaterman]

Yep try cleaning the carb. Also check the spark plug I'd put a new one in for the heck of it. Does it backfire any? May be the plug.

[hometheaterman]

Sounds like the pilot jet may be clogged but I'm not an expert when it comes to jets I'd try changing plugs first though. Maybe pour a little gas down in the cylinder also to see if it will start.

[2wheels-drz]

change gas, clean the carb, and stick a new plug, it should go den!

[DRZ400SK4]

I trust you used ten cents worth of 'fuel stabilizer' before you left it in storage?

If not, remember that's all it takes to avoid these big hassles, next time.

[deej]

Hey I have the new KLX 250S, electric start only, and I just figured out something today. It has the manual choke knob down at the carb like the old bikes, and I went to ride it back to work after lunch today, I hadn't started for a few days, anyway it just cranked and cranked, and would almost start, but then I decided to try something and pull the choke out farther than it comes out to the only stop, and it started. It would pull just a 16th of an inch more than the start position and it worked, you might give this a try.

[oldmanb777]

Hey what kind of bike is this? If it is a DRZ-400 "S" model, then you may need to put the petcock in prime to get gas moving. Smell the gas, you can usually tell if it has gone bad.

[matt_o_70]

my experience has been my DRZ seems extra sensitive to old gas..?

even with stabilizer I have to drain the carb after the bike sits for winter etc. I have a E so the plastic tank may excellerate the gas going bad? but My 2 strokes never had this much trouble after winter with gas without stabilizer! my street bike is always fine with stabilizer.. starts right up!

I have found that a little starting fluid and some fresh gas in the carb. go a long way to makin it start up after a few months.

my .02

[DRZ400SK4]

It's a good idea to BOTH drain the carb and put fuel stabilizer in the tank before storage.

The small volume of fuel in the float bowl is likely to go bad much faster than the large volume that's in the tank. And when it does it turns into a varnish like sludge. Not a good thing.

But if you don't drain the carb, at least run the bike so the residual fuel in the float bowl contains some fuel stabilizer.