Idle to high

[WildKat]

I just got my Kat back from the shop last week..they said the choke cable wasnt fully connected and that was hampering the effectiveness of it..makes perfect sense to me..and it does start easier now that I got it back.

but I started her up this evening, choked it like usual, started right up on the second try. but when i disengaged the choke, it still idles at about 2500 rpm instead of the 1000-1100 it used to. I assuming this is the choke cable sticking, since even when it was warmed up, it still idles high, and it didnt do that until I choked it this evening. no more than normal choke though.

question is, can you adjust the cable without doing a whole surgery on the engine, or is it better to take it back to the dealer and have them look at it again.

[The CyberPoet]

Re: Idle to high

question is, can you adjust the cable without doing a whole surgery on the engine, or is it better to take it back to the dealer and have them look at it again.

To deinstall quickly, remove the seat, the rear bolts on the upper fairing, the two bolts by the front of the tank on the upper fairing, pull the upper fairing slightly away, and then remove the tank. Disconnect the cable at both ends and remove. Reinstall the tank and check the idle -- if the problem is resolved, replace the cable. They're cheap ($22 OEM, Dealer SRP). The cable is very easy to remove on both ends (compared to the throttle cables).

I've run across what I think is a design flaw on the 98+ with the routing for the choke cable -- if it's not routed just right at the center of the tank running forward, the tank can smash it against the cross bar over the valve covers, which results in damages over time (and a stuck choke cable). See related thread:
Frozen Choke Cable Investigations...

Cheers
=-= The CyberPoet

[WildKat]

thanks poet!! good stuff as always, i'll give it a shot tomorrow morning and see how it works..

just double checking to confirm my suspicitions before I went any further..

[SUPA-FLY-KAT]

CHOKE CABLE STUCK

I HAD THE SAME XACT PROBLEM LAS YEAR, DID WHAT THE DR. TOLD ME ME 2 , AND NEVER HAD A PROB. SONCE..THANX POET

[WildKat]

will the fuel line need to be taken off as well, or is there enuff lee-way there to leave it on ? I try to cover all bases before I start takin stuff apart so im just double checking, no biggie either way...i'll be doing this tonite.

[The CyberPoet]

will the fuel line need to be taken off as well, or is there enuff lee-way there to leave it on ? I try to cover all bases before I start takin stuff apart so im just double checking, no biggie either way...i'll be doing this tonite.

98+: Fuel line (facing the rear of the bike on the petcock, should have a squeeze clamp), sender unit connection (right exteror side of the tank close to front seat edge is where it plugs in), vacuum line (right side of the right carb, visible from the side), and the drain line (underside of the tank) all need to be disconnected when taking the tank off. Sorry if I wasn't clear enough on that.

Cheers
=-= The CyberPoet

[WildKat]

no probs poet..

i checked it out last nite,, there was not visible signs of damage to the line, other than alittle bit indents into the outer coating, but no visible burn thru or bent major damage to it. I could see the linkage was sticking when I moved the lever back n forth on the handlebar. was too late to start it up last nite by the time i got around to do ing it, it was 3am in the morning, and the neighbors can be a bit dumb at at times if u know what i mean...so im gonna try it without the cable here shortly.

[The CyberPoet]

no probs poet..

i checked it out last nite,, there was not visible signs of damage to the line, other than alittle bit indents into the outer coating, but no visible burn thru or bent major damage to it.

Mine (mentioned in the other thread) didn't have any outward signs of damages either; it wasn't until I cut the end off and pulled the cable out of the sheath that any damages were visually noticable. If you have the cable out of the bike, you should be able to move the steel cable back and forth in it's sheath by holding the end with two fingers -- there should be no resistance to speak of in the cable assembly.

Cheers
=-= The CyberPoet

[chriskatana]

If you pull the left fairing off, or maybe look through one of the cutouts of the fairing you should be able to see the choke slide, easier to notice when moved by the choke lever. Once you have located it, engage the choke, then turn it off, then press on the choke slide, if it goes in further, then you either have a bad cable or sticky choke.

on your 98+ model it will be in the rear most hole just behind the petcock.
not sure if you can see it through that hole or if you'll have to remove the fairing.
Tis will tell you for sure if it's a choke issue or something else.

[WildKat]

when lifting the tank up, I could see the linkage for the choke with no problem... I pulled it off, again no visible signs of damage, and I was able to hold each end, and move it freely..however when it was still hooked up, i could see the small spring/linkage was stickin ever so slightly when I moved the lever, so after I pulled it off and tested it, I sprayed down the linkage, reinstalled it, moved the choke lever back and forth multiple times, started her up..no problem...i kept working it back n forth, and it came right back down to a nice idle again. seemed to be fine.. i'll try it again when i get home again, just to make sure.

it probably wouldnt hurt to just replace it over the winter, since its pretty easy to do.

[WildKat]

yup..so far so good..I went home last nite, after she had been sitting for about 12 hours or so..gave her alittle choke like usual, started right up on the second try..ran fine..no high idle... came out this morning, or this afternoon i guess it was, had been sitting for another 10 hours since last startup...started right up on the first try, no high idle..took her up n down the street several times (wanted to ride more, but it was cold out..LOL) and she ran great.

Im still gonna replace it over the winter, but its working ok for now..

thanks for the insight! 8)