lilttlefoot wrote on 08/23/17 at 10:34:42:1) Mine dies right after start up -so now I turn the throttle like a milli-second after the start, and hold it there for 5-10 seconds to get it to get past that point where it wants to die on me, but sometimes it still dies anyway. My garage owner, who is a sportbike enthusiast thinks my idle is set too low (not even sure what that means, how to fix it, and if that would solve this problem) and says it's an easy fix, I could do. Is there a picture by picture tutorial of this somewhere?
On the left side of the carb there's a knurled screw that controls the idle speed. if you can't find it, look in the tech section index (link below) for carb 101 then scroll down till you find the right pic. As a beginner, you'll like the idle speed a little high.
Quote:2) While it gets a little better/less frequent after the bike has warmed up, the bike is REALLY lurchy in first gear.
could be idle speed, could be clutch adjustment.
Quote:3) We have to shift between 1 and 2nd gears at different speeds. My first gear is about 0-18/20 mph before I feel like the bike is asking to switch to second. His bike does about 0-15mph and asks for second gear faster/earlier than mine. The few times that I've manged to switch to 2nd gear and it "felt/sounded right" at 15 is when I'm twisting the throttle really hard/accelerating fast.
could be idle speed, could be clutch adjustment.
Quote:4) My clutch engages WAY later than my husband's bike, so my friction zone is much smaller in comparison to his bike. Can we fix this or is this better to ask the dealer, too?
if you can't adjust this out using the knob on the clutch lever then you'll need to take it to the dealer.
Adjust the clutch play until you have at least 1/8" gap between the lever and the perch.
Quote:5) Backfires for almost every time I pull the clutch for braking. I have realized that PART of the backfire problem is something I am doing wrong when I ride because when I ride my husband's bike, I make it backfire more frequently than when he rides his bike.
could be loose header bolts or muffler clamp, torque the header bolts to 20 ftlbs.
Quote:6) Squeally brakes (though I see from the forum, it's a common problem- so I guess I'll just be glad they work.)
yes a general problem caused by moisture or dirt, both are easy to fix. wash with soap and water. dry as you normally would. final dry takes a few braking sessions just like when they taught you how to emergency brake in the safety class. You want to heat up the brake to drive off any moisture. Since you are new, I would progressively brake harder to get the feel for the brakes any way. This works for both front and back, and you need to learn how to get the max out of them any way. Find a straight lonely road and take her up to 20-30 mph then practice. After a dozen times the brakes should be hot and completely dry.