Check your valves... I bet the intakes are tight. Get them shimmed right and she'll start 1st kick.
05 Hard to Kick Start
Hello everyone I've just joined and already this forum has been very helpful. I just bought a '05 450R a few days ago at a steal of a price. I have two other Honda utility ATV's and have loved them so I jumped on this when I seen it. However, I'm having some issues with it...
It is very hard to kick start. When I say that I mean 30-40 tries and this thing just won't fire up. When it finally does, it runs great. Once running and warm there are no problems throughout the RPM range. No bogging, stalling, or anything. It's just getting the darn thing started.
Let me provide some more info. The quad is all stock internally as far as I know. Even the air filter and box are unmodded. Where I live is about mid forties temperatures right now, but the quad is kept in a heated garage. Elevation is 549 feet. When trying to start I read to kick it on the compression cycle, which I've tried. I also read to pump the throttle once or twice before kicking, which I've tried. I've also read to choke it, kick once, then un-choke and kick, which I've tried. All to no avail.
This is the first kick start I've owned and I'm not very knowledgeable around a carb. I've already downloaded the free service manual off here and read the sticky about carb jetting to try to gain a little more understanding (both are very helpful thanks!) I guess what I'm looking for is some tips or pointers to lead me in the right direction on what is going on. It's very frustrating reading how everyone else's fires in 1-2 kicks! haha
Any help is greatly appreciated and thanks!
It is very hard to kick start. When I say that I mean 30-40 tries and this thing just won't fire up. When it finally does, it runs great. Once running and warm there are no problems throughout the RPM range. No bogging, stalling, or anything. It's just getting the darn thing started.
Let me provide some more info. The quad is all stock internally as far as I know. Even the air filter and box are unmodded. Where I live is about mid forties temperatures right now, but the quad is kept in a heated garage. Elevation is 549 feet. When trying to start I read to kick it on the compression cycle, which I've tried. I also read to pump the throttle once or twice before kicking, which I've tried. I've also read to choke it, kick once, then un-choke and kick, which I've tried. All to no avail.
This is the first kick start I've owned and I'm not very knowledgeable around a carb. I've already downloaded the free service manual off here and read the sticky about carb jetting to try to gain a little more understanding (both are very helpful thanks!) I guess what I'm looking for is some tips or pointers to lead me in the right direction on what is going on. It's very frustrating reading how everyone else's fires in 1-2 kicks! haha
Any help is greatly appreciated and thanks!
1 - 18 of 18 Posts
Yep, I have the same issue sometimes with my 04, valves need to be adjusted.
DO NOT GIVE IT GAS WHILE KICKING HOWEVER! You can snap the case or smack your leg up pretty good.
DO NOT GIVE IT GAS WHILE KICKING HOWEVER! You can snap the case or smack your leg up pretty good.
Yup I have close to same problem on mine need the valves adjusted.
PS welcome and post some pics off your R
thanks for the input guys. I was hoping I could avoid tearing it down too much, but that doesn't look like that'll be the case.
Valves are easy they dont take to long
Mine is always hard to start the way I get mine to start is keep the fuel off and choke on then once it kicks over for a second then I turn the choke off and it takes a couple more kicks.
has to be the valves my 05 did the same thing
This is not normal, fyi. Sounds like most likely a carb cleaning/tuning issue (stuck float maybe), or the valves are tight. A properly tuned/maintained bike should start on the first or second kick.Mine is always hard to start the way I get mine to start is keep the fuel off and choke on then once it kicks over for a second then I turn the choke off and it takes a couple more kicks.
Well I've got the tank and plastics off. Decided to check spark and nothing. Replaced the spark plug still nothing. Next I plan on checking the coil and stator
I'm not sure if this is a compounded issue or singular so I'm still going to check the valves to be safe.
Update:
After some testing I found that my stator wasn't working correctly. I bought a used one from a member on here, put it on, and within 5 kicks it fired right up.
Now it's cutting out at WOT, but that is another issue for another thread.
Thanks for the info, and while it didn't turn out to be the valves in this case, I still appreciate the advice guys.
After some testing I found that my stator wasn't working correctly. I bought a used one from a member on here, put it on, and within 5 kicks it fired right up.
Now it's cutting out at WOT, but that is another issue for another thread.
Thanks for the info, and while it didn't turn out to be the valves in this case, I still appreciate the advice guys.
also, it never hurts to check your valves just to rule that out. Sounds like a jetting issue now that you've got it running and it's cutting out at WOT.
Yeah I was thinking the same thing ridinlow.
Funny story about that... When I got the quad home I seen the guy had been running it with the air resonator off (the white little plastic thing that is on the intake) so it was allowing massive amounts of un-filtered air in (yes I inspected the carb and to my huge surprise it wasn't dirty at all apparently it hadn't been trail ridden like this) I bought that and put it on the same time I fixed the stator.
So after riding it with it choking at WOT I started thinking that since it was previously jetted without that resonator on, with it now on it must be running really rich. I took the lid off and it has helped tremendously, but isn't fine tuned by any means so that is a temporary fix until I have time to take apart the carb again.
Funny story about that... When I got the quad home I seen the guy had been running it with the air resonator off (the white little plastic thing that is on the intake) so it was allowing massive amounts of un-filtered air in (yes I inspected the carb and to my huge surprise it wasn't dirty at all apparently it hadn't been trail ridden like this) I bought that and put it on the same time I fixed the stator.
So after riding it with it choking at WOT I started thinking that since it was previously jetted without that resonator on, with it now on it must be running really rich. I took the lid off and it has helped tremendously, but isn't fine tuned by any means so that is a temporary fix until I have time to take apart the carb again.
After u adjusted ur valves it started right up? Mines use to start 1st kick now it takes a couple kicks.Yup I have close to same problem on mine need the valves adjusted.
Im having the same problem with my 05 450r i just purchased it for a steal, previous owner said it needs new spark plug in a couple months but bike will either start up after 30 kicks or after 2 once it’s warm. Kick start has way too much compression. Did you figure out problem with yours?Hello everyone I've just joined and already this forum has been very helpful. I just bought a '05 450R a few days ago at a steal of a price. I have two other Honda utility ATV's and have loved them so I jumped on this when I seen it. However, I'm having some issues with it... It is very hard to kick start. When I say that I mean 30-40 tries and this thing just won't fire up. When it finally does, it runs great. Once running and warm there are no problems throughout the RPM range. No bogging, stalling, or anything. It's just getting the darn thing started. Let me provide some more info. The quad is all stock internally as far as I know. Even the air filter and box are unmodded. Where I live is about mid forties temperatures right now, but the quad is kept in a heated garage. Elevation is 549 feet. When trying to start I read to kick it on the compression cycle, which I've tried. I also read to pump the throttle once or twice before kicking, which I've tried. I've also read to choke it, kick once, then un-choke and kick, which I've tried. All to no avail. This is the first kick start I've owned and I'm not very knowledgeable around a carb. I've already downloaded the free service manual off here and read the sticky about carb jetting to try to gain a little more understanding (both are very helpful thanks!) I guess what I'm looking for is some tips or pointers to lead me in the right direction on what is going on. It's very frustrating reading how everyone else's fires in 1-2 kicks! haha Any help is greatly appreciated and thanks!
This thread is from 2013. See the dates at the top left of each post that’s when they were made. I made the same mistake myself.Im having the same problem with my 05 450r i just purchased it for a steal, previous owner said it needs new spark plug in a couple months but bike will either start up after 30 kicks or after 2 once it’s warm. Kick start has way too much compression. Did you figure out problem with yours?
But maybe we can help you what mods do you have on your quad, and what jet size’s.
Chances are you need to adjust your valves as well. And while you’re in there check your decomp.
also try turning your idle up some. But need to know your mods and your jet sizes.
1 - 18 of 18 Posts
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