Starting help

[roach51]

I just picked up an 06 yz250f and tried starting it last night and man was it tough. It was about -5C last night and I'm at an elevation of 3300 Ft. and I know the bike comes jetted for sea level. I had to kick the bike over for about a half hour before it finally fired up. I had the choke and fuel on with lots of fuel in the tank. Does anyone have any cold weather starting tricks they could share to help me out. thanks

[Doug.]

Did you just kick and kick, or did you bother finding TDC and going from there?

[gncmxer98]

some times just giving one quck twist of gas helps, but don't give it any more than that.

[roach51]

no I didn't try to fnd TDC. Can you feel it through the lever?

I think I may have flooded it right away, by giving it too much throttle.

[gncmxer98]

Don't give it any throttle, except for maybe once if need be. when you slowly kick down and then back up you can feel it grab, when you feel that, let it up a bit more and then kick it over. On my 06 yz250f, I don't really have to worry about finding TDC, but when its cold I have given one shot of gas before starting. Always starts atleast by the 3rd stroke if not sooner.

[HFD267]

2-3 twists of the throttle before the first kick. If it doesn't start after 4-5 kicks, I pull the hot start and it usually starts the next kick. It works for me.

[audacity]

minus -5c! got love it...yamaha calls for 3-4 throttle pumps at anything lower than 5c...have a look at the manual. you'll love the bike!

[roach51]

thanks alot guys. I'll try all your tricks and have a look in the manual.

[Matt96xr6]

Pump the throttle 2 times with the choke on.

But off the showroom floor, you are probably going to have to go through the bike. If you are racing it, you will go through it anyways (at least if you are smart). But check the float level - many seem a bit high , clean out the jets, lube and adjust the hot start. You might as well start jetting the bike since you are in the carb. Check some of the jetting threads.

[Lboy]

Mine was a bit hard to start the first couple times as well. Now,after consulting the manual(they never gave me a manual when the bike was delivered. Long story...), it starts up right away after 3 or 4 kicks. Its cold here too....like 30 degrees F or so.

I just do what the manual says. Pull the chocke and kick a few times with no throttle.

[roach51]

Lboy- you're at about the same temp as me then. I tried today giving it a few pumps of throttle and it started easier. Still took a little while but not as bad.

[trail_blazin_canuck]

When it is real cold and i want to get it started real quick i take a hair dryer and blow it over the top of the valve cover for a couple of minutes,works eveytime on my 03 yz250f.

[Lboy]

Yeah,it seems every time I go to start it,it lights up quicker. It is a lot easier since breaking the motor in. I hate getting a new bike in the middle of winter........its SO hard to deal with...hahaha. At least it gives me time to do exactly what I want to the bike over the winter.