I have an 87 that I have had since 88. I would ride it every once in a while but a year and a half ago I tried to start it and it kicked and damn near broke my ankle. How can I start that thing easy. I am not a motorcycle mechanic. Can I send my carb to you to rebuild and do your mod. I like my bike and it only has 5 thousand miles on it. Thanks.

I would be happy to go through the carburetors for you. Shoot me an e-mail. My email is in the about section on my KZfaq page. Any interest in selling the bike? lol. I love these old xl600r's

Thanks

Just found your channel after picking up my very own '85 XL600R! I really appreciate this tips so far, but it looks like the link here says the playlist doesn't exist anymore. Any chance you have a new version of it? I'm trying to clean up my carbs as I type this :D

Yeah I think I deleted it and lumped the videos into just motorcycle related stuff

That's good, I guess everybody's bike is a little bit different. Mine has never kicked back at me luckily. I used to have an xt550 that would do that though

The older TT Yamahas will shoot you over the bars almost every time lol

Running a huge 1 cylinder bike with kickstart - always perform "Pre flight checks" before going airborne :P

I just got my first xl600r and mine did the same thing sent me right over the bars and fractured my ankle 😂

Remove it all together? Haven't tried that method, but yeah I suppose that would work as well. And sounds easier

Yes I believe there is just one crossover tube to fill the bowl on the right carburetor

Ty

I ran into a very similar problem with my XL600R when i bought it with not being able to start it for a few weeks. Cold start was usually fine with 1-2 kicks. You just need use the kickstarter to turn the engine over until it wont move (TDC). Then pull the decompression lever and then kick it maybe an inch to be *just past TDC. Then full hard kick and your are off and running. But once it was even a little warm (and before it was hot) it never started. Then i found the trick. 1. Turn off fuel. 2. Open throttle and pull decompression lever. 3. Kick it through maybe 10 times to clear out the carb. 4. Turn fuel back on. 5. Repeat cold start process above. Hot starts once the bike was fully warmed up were also fine with 1-2 kicks. Hope this helps you are anyone else trying to get these fun beasts started.

i hold the docompression valve open and kick it over easily 10 times. after that it shouldn't take more than three real kicks.

Im at sea level. But i had the bike up at 10k and it still started fine

Honestly I'm not sure. if it would be the same on the 250. I would assume not. You shouldn't really have to do this mod on the 250 though. It may just need a carburetor clean

I appreciate your information bike runs good but its a bitch to start warm

@@outdoors446 shouldn't really need choke at all when it's warm. I assume you mean when the engines warm or outside is warm?

When engine is hot after running for awhile then tring to start

@@outdoors446 got you. Yeah it really shouldn't need choke after it's been running and warm.. Maybe it's getting too much fuel

I'm not sure off hand. None direct replacement without modification

NoNonsenseKnowHow, you guessed and got lucky. A little jet enlargement means a lot in flow increase. My take below. I have a 85 XL350 that had to meet EPA smog requirements aka jetted lean as well the cold start fuel enrichment circuit leaned out, thanks Kalifornia EPA BS. The cold start XL fuel enrichment plunger has a couple steps down in plunger diameter entering into a jet leaning it down as you go from full to quarter choke. Looking as the spare XR carb not requiring lean EPA smog the cold start plunger has a flat round seal like a nail head when open passing more fuel than XL's with this stepped plunger end sticking into the jet restricting fuel flow. PITA cold starts. XR's not on street hence not leaned down normal running and cold start for EPA smog requirement. Thinking "what if" on your 600 XL's to install a XR 600 fuel enrichment plunger assembly instead? Must also mention the XL350 has only one slide needle groove primary and secondary carbs vs five groove XR needles allowing tuning richer or leaner plus larger main jets than the XL carbs. Running XR carbs on XL engine like 1960's fueling. To just drill out the fuel enrichment jet is a guessing game, one must know the jet ID first before drilling. Example a measured enrichment jet 0.022" diameter, 0.022" x 0.022" = 0.000484 sq/in, x .7854 (.7854 a constant for area) = 0.000380134 sq/in cross sectional area. Wanting that area increased by x 1.25 times equals a sectional area of 0.000380134 x 1.25 (desired increase in cross sectional area) = 0.000605 sq / in cross sectional area, divide by .7854 =0.000770308, , square root 0.000770308 = 0.0277" diameter jet. With your 0.036" diameter jet increase as example starting at 0.022", 0.000380134 sq/in cross sectional area vs 0.036" diameter jet 0.00101787 sq/in cross sectional area an increase of 2.67768 times. Havd to ask at what part of the fuel enrichment lever position is at a couple seconds after start up in position from fully off to fully on fuel enrichment lever position? Drilling out fuel enrichment jet too large then the lever is like a switch, full on rich or fully off very little in between enrichment control during warmup. Rescured a friend's carb he doubled the cold start jet diameter hence the cross sectional area increased times four and the enrichment became a on/off switch, lean or stumbling rich fouling plug condition. Ended up drilling out larger then soldering in a short piece of brass welding rod starting over from small to within enrichment lever operating range....~~=o&o>....

I'm not sure what it converts to in millimeters. What size should I say it is in thousands of inch and a video? I don't remember

NoNonsenseKnowHow Can you write it down for me please? How many inch it was. I heard you say “ one thirtysixthousands of an inch “

.036 or .914mm

Hopefully that helps out. Greetings from Northeast USA

NoNonsenseKnowHow Thx for the quick response man! Now to find a drill that small :D

Yes

It's possible. Did you trace the choke circuit on it?

@@NoNonsenseKnowHow I did it looks exactly like the choke circuit on your carbs

@@NoNonsenseKnowHow also thanks for answering so quick and being helpful thank you

Interesting. Maybe somebody swapped an incorrect Bowl on it at some point? Sounds weird to me. But as far as I know there was nothing different about the 1984

@@NoNonsenseKnowHow yeah I instantly went on an eBay hunt for another bowl or an entire carburetor but I can't seem to find anything

Thank you. Way much easier than 375 000 gooses necks apart and 28 large toes to fill a quarter of 76 of a dogs distance between his front teeth and that's just now much oil you need.

Did it fire on ether? If so, something probably happened when you rebuilt the carbs. Carbs can be a little tricky, but easy once you've made enough mistakes - heh heh - don't ask me how I know. Also, if your tank is metal (street version) little rust particles clog the little jets, and that needs to be dealt with, or you will quickly have a poor running bike, just after cleaning the carb.