Startup procedure

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Startup procedure

Postby AdamW » Tue Sep 06, 2022 4:50 pm

Bear with me. I'm used to modern motorcycles. I have a '63Scat that I finally got to start and run long enough to try to tune the carb. During the process I end up having to restart it a couple times, I'll notice that fuel will start coming out of the air filter (not flowing mind you). I've checked the float height and jet which seem fine but I'm thinking they are not? Each time, it takes more kicks to start until eventually I have to go sit down :-) Am I flooding it? if so, how can I prevent that from happening. Is there a start up procedure for these that I can read up on? I'm not finding any in the search. Thanks. -Adam
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Re: Startup procedure

Postby 250_Sprint » Tue Sep 06, 2022 11:33 pm

These can be flooded easily if you are used to modern motorcycles.
I have a 2012 Yamaha Road Star, push button start with EFI… easy to start.
I have a 1976 Honda CB750, push button start with 4 carburetors and manual choke lever. Turn on the fuel, set full choke, hit the starter button and immediately open choke 1/3-1/2 and she idles nice without throttle grip input. Slowly open choke until fully open and she is ready to ride.
I owned a 1966 Harley-Davidson Sprint H, 250cc, 4-stroke single, kick-start for 17 years. On cold starts, turn on fuel, choke is fully closed and as I came down on the kick lever, I would open the throttle slightly. She would start on first or second kick!
I don’t know if you have kept track of what start procedure gives the best results, but you might try: fuel on, choke fully closed and give it a kick, take note of what the engine does. MAYBE, give a little throttle opening as you come down on the kick lever.
If you do feel the engine is flooded, remove the plug, clean/dry the plug and let the cylinder air/dry out, then try again.
Again, take note of what steps you take and what the engine does. Eventually you will find the startup procedure for YOUR engine, which is different from other’s engines.
Set, check, recheck, and recheck again the carburetor is set to factory settings, or you will be wasting perfectly good kicks….
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Re: Startup procedure

Postby AdamW » Wed Sep 07, 2022 8:50 am

I'll do that. Thanks for the reply
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Re: Startup procedure

Postby hennesse » Wed Sep 07, 2022 11:28 am

I don't know about them modern murdercycles, but here's what I do with my 1955 Hummer, which has a similar carburator to your Scat. Similar, as in only internal jet size differences. BTW, if you've gotten it really flooded, take out the spark plug and dry it off. Maybe kick a couple of times with the plug out to clear out excess gas. Also, disconnect the fuel line at the carb, and make sure you have a good flow of gas through both (but not at the same time) the normal and reserve flippers. If you don't have a lot of gas mix in the tank, you may need to use the reserve flipper.

What I do: Turn on gas. Close the choke fully - push lever towards front of bike. Open throttle about 3/4. Kick. Mine usually starts after 3 or 4 kicks. When the engine starts, quickly move the choke lever about 1/2 way towards the rear.

Often, I am not quick enough, and the engine dies after a few seconds - it's slightly flooded. So I open the choke all the way, kick once or twice, and when it starts, move the choke to the 1/2 way position until it warms up.

Carb and float adjustment below. If you can't see it in the picture, the float is 1-13/32 +/- 1/64

Hope this helps - Dave

scan0001.jpg
Adjusting carburator (B models)
scan0001.jpg (107.5 KiB) Viewed 4326 times

scan0002.jpg
Float setting (B models)
scan0002.jpg (16.59 KiB) Viewed 4326 times
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Re: Startup procedure

Postby 250_Sprint » Wed Sep 07, 2022 12:51 pm

See, every engine is like a wom……, no two are the same, but similar. Each is different to motivate, and require different amounts of time to warm up. Each is a little temperamental.


Interesting word-temperamental. One definition is: liable to unreasonable changes of mood.
Temper-a-mental. Hmmmmm. Me thinks I should stop while I am still breathing.

Good Luck. You will eventually stumble upon the correct procedure for your wom… er, ah, I mean, engine.
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Re: Startup procedure

Postby AdamW » Wed Sep 07, 2022 3:12 pm

Thank you for all the answers. I'll be sure to pay attention to what works and what doesnt instead of expecting a particular outcome .
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