Welcome aboard! If you put where you're from there might be a member close enough to give you a little help. Does your bike already have the Raptor petcock? (If it does, it says On - Off - Res. No PRI on the Raptor) If it has the original petcock, I would start there before messing with the carb.

Good luck,
Ken

I bought a 5 pack of rubber plugs at Autozone to cover the vacuum tap. They don't seem to last very long, though. Maybe a year and they're cracked and ready to fall off. I'll probably have to replace it with a short piece of vacuum line plugged with a small bolt when I use up all of these.

When that stock petcock goes bad, and they often do, it can cause all sorts of weird problems. A lot of people on here swap them out even if the stock one is still good, including me.

Thanks Justin, that's why I thought it would be a good idea to change the battery and the spark plug anyway. Make sure those are not part of the problem.

One more question, does the factory petcock have a filter? when you replace it for the raptor, do you add a filter?

Thanks!!

marccarrion wrote on 10/27/16 at 17:38:20:

The bike is very picky starting. One day no problem, next day it won't start. Pushing the power button I can hear the battery and sometimes the engine starts revving but it dies in less than a second. Sometimes the engine does not rev at all... I leave, come later in the day and it starts at the first try... or it used... now it is not starting again.

Make sure you are using full choke when starting a cold engine. Also, don't touch the throttle until the engine is running, and even then it's not necessary until you remove the choke circuit (which should stay on for 15-60 seconds depending on temperature).

marccarrion wrote on 10/27/16 at 17:38:20:

and the carbs, and then I'll proceed to clean the carbs.

There is only one, so "carb" will do.

The advice given about changing the petcock to a Raptor unit is good advice. The OEM unit fails. If the bike sat for a long period without being ridden prior to your purchase, there is a good chance that the carb needs to be cleaned. The screws that hold the float bowl and slide cap can be difficult to remove because they aren't actually phillips heads (even though they look like they are). You can buy and use a JIS screwdriver, but here is my suggestion; Use a long (12" or longer) screw driver that is in good shape, and use a lot of down force when turning the screw. This has worked for me 100% of the time for over 4 decades. Once the screws are out...throw them in the garbage and replace them with SS cap screws that you can buy at the local ace hardware store.

There is a lot of good info on this site about cleaning the carb. I suggest you read the data as there are a few "good to know" type things. If you can get the tank off...you can clean a carb. I've been doing it since I was 12 years old. If a dumb kid can do it, so can you.

More than likely, you just need a good cleaning. If you are happy with the jetting (no bogging or surging) thee isn't a need for a kit. Of course, if you are experiencing bogging or surging it could be a result of a clogged circuit. At this point, I'd just clean it.

Loosen the front and rear clamps, move them out of the way, turn it 90 degrees and twist it out.

While the carb is off the bike, stuff a rag in the intake boot so nothing finds it's way into the engine.

I have tried turning it 90 degrees clockwise (from riding position) and the top hits the frame... it can't turn I read someone had to remove the top before removing it, is that normal?

Marc