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Message started by sarahkhas on 08/27/13 at 15:11:32

Title: bike keeps dying
Post by sarahkhas on 08/27/13 at 15:11:32

hi! i am in a pickle. sarah from denver here. i just took a trip up to breckenridge (10,000 ft) and since i got here my bike keeps dying when i idle or slow down. now i am not sure if i can make it home with my bike acting like this. i have my clymer manual with me, the only thing i can think to do is adjust the idle until i get home but i can't get it to idle to adjust it. i tried the choke too (never had to use it before) but it didn't help. i bought the bike this summer, the only work i have done so far is change the oil and check the air filter. it has run great all summer but i have kept it in denver driving around the city and surrounding areas, this is the first high altitude trip. i am supposed to head home tomorrow. any ideas? any help would be great, thanks in advance, a little worried here :-[

Title: Re: bike keeps dying
Post by ToesNose on 08/27/13 at 16:13:50

Try the petcock on prime Sarah.

Title: Re: bike keeps dying
Post by photojoe on 08/27/13 at 16:26:40

Try turning the idle screw clockwise 1/4 turn before you start the bike, adjust accordingly. Pull the choke out full to start it and put it in 1/2 way after it fires up, for a few seconds. Hit the throttle a bit after pushing it in. At this point I would go for the higher idle until you get back down to earth.

If switching to prime, don't forget to switch back to "run" after shutting down or you may get gas in your oil.

High altitude messes with our carbs jet settings which balances our air/fuel mixture at sea level, which is thrown off by the thin air up there.

Bump this thread to the top, hopefully one of our more experienced members will add something to the mix. I'm sure adjusting the air/fuel mixture may help, but I'll leave that to more experienced hands.

Good luck.

Title: Re: bike keeps dying
Post by deejaysham on 08/27/13 at 16:28:03

Hmmm... Sadly I have no suggestions Sarah but I'm also in Denver and this past weekend I took my Savage (or S40 but same difference) up to Rocky Mountain National Park, through trail ridge road (12,000 feet) around through Granby, Winter Park, and back to Denver.

No problems. I didn't stay anywhere for long though, so maybe that makes all the difference but I just thought I'd share my experience with a bike whose carbs are used to Denver's altitude and who just drove to similar and higher elevations... for what it's worth. At least you know it should be possible for the Savage to handle it.

Title: Re: bike keeps dying
Post by sarahkhas on 08/27/13 at 16:53:17

hi!

toesnose, turning it on prime worked. so i am guessing the petcock is bad. can i run it on prime until i replace the petcock?

photojoe, i adjusted the idle too, it sounds better. i'll make sure the rpms are right when i get home.

deejaysham, we should start a newbie club in denver! glad you got to take a mountain trip with no issues :)

ONCE AGAIN, THANKS TO EVERYONE BUNCHES AND BUNCHES!!! i am a newbie determined to work on my bike myself, this community is so helpful!

Title: Re: bike keeps dying
Post by Charon - FSO on 08/27/13 at 16:55:35

I live at about 1800 feet above sea level. Before my (box stock) S40 got totalled, I drove it up Mount Evans and across Trail Ridge Road. It never missed a beat. I stopped and restarted it as occasion required, and never used the enricher (choke). Never took the petcock out of ON, either. Nor did I adjust the idle. The bike simply ran as if it didn't know any better.

Title: Re: bike keeps dying
Post by verslagen1 on 08/27/13 at 17:27:27

high altitude makes the carb run Rich
Running with the choke out will just make it worse.
Glad it was an easy fix. Could be a bad vac line.

Title: Re: bike keeps dying
Post by sarahkhas on 08/27/13 at 17:31:34

hi verslagen!

i'll check that too when i get home. thanks! :D

Title: Re: bike keeps dying
Post by jcstokes on 08/27/13 at 18:16:30

When you are home Sarahkhas, go to the tech section, table of contents and links and scroll to petcock and click on test your petcock, don't just turn it to prime. If the petcock fails this test and you Raptorise make sure you get a 5/16"outlet Raptor. Then go back to the tech section and click on txsizzlrs post on how to replace the petcock. This is right at the top of the tech section.

Title: Re: bike keeps dying
Post by deejaysham on 08/27/13 at 21:45:46

283A293A3330333A285B0 wrote:

deejaysham, we should start a newbie club in denver! glad you got to take a mountain trip with no issues :)

Totally! S40 newbs unite! We could be some kind of biker gang that rides out to mountain twisties but then carefully obeys suggested MPH warning signage for sharp curves!

Title: Re: bike keeps dying
Post by sarahkhas on 08/31/13 at 12:56:29

thanks jcstokes once again! will do. i was supposed to take her on another trip i just got back from, hard to see all the bikes on the mountain roads and me in my car, but better safe than sorry, always! deejaysham- the cripple creek ride would be great on a bike (where i just got back from)- more of a gradual climb with awesome views!

thanks again everyone, i know i post repeat questions but there is sooo much information here i get a bit overwhelmed. soon enough i will be as bada** as the rest of ya :D

Title: Re: bike keeps dying
Post by old_rider on 09/01/13 at 08:54:46

Sarah, welcome! and by turning the petcock to "prime" you can run out of gas with no notice and not have any in "reserve", keep an eye on your odometer and fill up at 100 mile incremements to insure you won't run out of gas!

Title: Re: bike keeps dying
Post by sarahkhas on 09/10/13 at 19:49:00

Hi all! I FINALLY had some spare time today to try the petcock test. I am having trouble getting the vaccuum line off the carb- it seems really stuck. I bent back the wire clamp (forgot the name of those) and pulled pretty hard to no avail. Being a newbie I don't want to mess this up, is there some way to loosen the vaccuum line? Or should I just muscle it until it comes off?

Title: Re: bike keeps dying
Post by verslagen1 on 09/10/13 at 20:22:30

just grab it with pair of pliers around where it's mounted and twist it til it breaks loose from the nipple, then pull off.

Title: Re: bike keeps dying
Post by justin_o_guy2 on 09/11/13 at 03:50:44

Yea,, dont grip it too hard, just wanna spin it & break the thing loose, then itll pull right off.,

Title: Re: bike keeps dying
Post by sarahkhas on 09/11/13 at 13:48:40

thanks verslagen and justin!