SuzukiSavage.com - Choke won't stay out and unstable steering

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Choke won't stay out and unstable steering
07/23/17 at 13:06:22

Greetings.
Abstract: A few days ago the starterchoke wouldn't stay out. When starting I have to hold it until the engine is warm. Also the steering got wack all of a sudden. Impossible to roll with no hands on the handles for more than 30 meters.

Question #1: Can I remove the choke from the carb and tighten/replace the spring and put it in again without doing anything else first?

Question #2: Wonky steering... Bearings seem good, column straight, rims are balanced, tires are correct airpressure. It was a dream to handle last year but now I look like a drunkdriver! What could it be?

Regards,
Cryptonitor
Savage '93

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piedmontbuckeye

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Re: Choke won't stay out and unstable steering
Reply #1 - 07/23/17 at 13:43:33

Did you by any chance try to readjust the drive belt, and get the rear wheel out of alignment? If rear wheel is not aligned by marks on swingarm, you could be having handling problems from that.

I have disagreed with others on this forum in using the rear wheel adjustment to adjust the belt left to right rather than using the swingarm marks to align the wheel.

I would rather trust the Suzuki factory to have the marks correct and go by them than to risk handling to keep the belt in the middle of the pulley.

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verslagen1 YaBB Moderator ModSquad Offline Where there's a will, I want to be in it. Posts: 28886 L.A. California Gender:	Re: Choke won't stay out and unstable steering Reply #2 - 07/23/17 at 13:54:45 Cryptonitor wrote on 07/23/17 at 13:06:22: Question #1: Can I remove the choke from the carb and tighten/replace the spring and put it in again without doing anything else first? I don't believe you can tweak anything to get the detent to work better. The spring on the shaft is a return spring.
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verslagen1

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Re: Choke won't stay out and unstable steering
Reply #3 - 07/23/17 at 14:07:39

Cryptonitor wrote on 07/23/17 at 13:06:22:

Question #2: Wonky steering... Bearings seem good, column straight, rims are balanced, tires are correct airpressure. It was a dream to handle last year but now I look like a drunkdriver! What could it be?

I had issues with this when the steering head bearing grease had dried out and developed notches at straight position. Took them apart, cleaned with scotchbright and regreased.
Also would check rear alignment. But even if the marks are accurate, I don't think anyone could accurately align anything by them. A straight edge on the sides of the tire to the front are the way to go. You might have to play with this, the rear wheel is offset in the frame from the factory.

If you had your rear wheel off, left spacer is the big one and fits tightly in the seal.

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batman Serious Thumper Offline SuzukiSavage.com Rocks! Posts: 3806 osceola new york Gender:	Re: Choke won't stay out and unstable steering Reply #4 - 07/23/17 at 17:28:45 Make sure the stem on the choke is straight, if it is bent it tends to pop back in.
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Cryptonitor

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Re: Choke won't stay out and unstable steering
Reply #5 - 07/24/17 at 04:22:38

Did the rear-wheel alignment with measurements and long piece of straight wooden plank. That gave me better alignment than the notches. Might be dried out bearing on the column! But shouldn't I grease those bearings up after cleaning?
About the choke... Maybe someone has been tampering with it. Looks straight. Overhauled the carb and engine last year. Ran flawlessly for many months then sudden weirdness. Can not see any fault

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Dave YaBB Moderator ModSquad Offline SuzukiSavage.com Rocks! Posts: 18099 Camp Springs, Kentucky Gender:	Re: Choke won't stay out and unstable steering Reply #6 - 07/24/17 at 05:33:43 The "detent" for the choke is plastic, and it eventually gets hard and brittle and stops working - the only repair is to buy a new one from Suzuki.
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justin_o_guy2 Serious Thumper Offline What happened? Posts: 55279 East Texas, 1/2 dallas/la.	Re: Choke won't stay out and unstable steering Reply #7 - 07/24/17 at 06:53:48 Ran flawlessly for many months then sudden weirdness. Details describing the onset of weirdness, the symptoms, Was it parked? Work on anything?
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Cryptonitor

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Re: Choke won't stay out and unstable steering
Reply #8 - 07/29/17 at 00:20:32

Steering fixed after I kept it covered for a few days (maybe the old grease in the bearings got hot and sticky). Turned fully left and right many times and it sorted itself out.
The choke is fine now after I kept it out of direct sunlight and increased idle RPM. Might have been too low idle that caused so much vibration that choke got shaken in. Thanks for all your help!

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Mike Barnett YaBB Newbies Offline SuzukiSavage.com Rocks! Posts: 15 Tampa Bay FL Gender:	Re: Choke won't stay out and unstable steering Reply #9 - 12/15/19 at 11:50:53 The choke/enrichment knob on my wife's '06 will not stay out when I pull it out... it goes in on it's own as on as you give it any throttle. From what I'm reading, it sounds like I need to replace the unit. Can it be replaced without removing the carb from the bike?
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Dave

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Re: Choke won't stay out and unstable steering
Reply #10 - 12/15/19 at 13:14:38

Mike Barnett wrote on 12/15/19 at 11:50:53:

The choke/enrichment knob on my wife's '06 will not stay out when I pull it out... it goes in on it's own as on as you give it any throttle. From what I'm reading, it sounds like I need to replace the unit. Can it be replaced without removing the carb from the bike?

If the choke stops working correctly and goes back in when pulled out......the plastic detent has gotten weak. The only way to fix it is to buy a new one.....the original on your 93 is 26 year old, and it is time for a new one.

You can replace it without removing the carb from the bike - but you likely have to remove the throttle cable mount on the carb to get the choke replaced.

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Gary_in_NJ

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Re: Choke won't stay out and unstable steering
Reply #11 - 12/15/19 at 13:28:34

Motorcycles don’t fix themselves. If the steering was hanging up, it will likely happen again. This is a safety issue and you should consider not riding the bike until you can identify the root cause.

I suggest getting the front wheel off the ground and checking to see if there is any fore and aft play in the forks. If there is the steering head nut may be loose and/or the bearings are dry or worn.

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