Okay, about a week ago I bought a Suzuki Eiger from a guy that used it in his chicken houses. He bought a Polaris Ranger so the Eiger got used less and less, it was starting to get harder and harder to start until one day it would start then die and wouldn't start again until you waited a few mins then it would start and die again.
So I bought it for $700 thinking it was carb problems. So I got it home a cleaned the carb, and I got it to start though with difficulty. So I drove it around a day or two and decided to put fresh gas and a inline fuel filter because it was so hard to start and was running terrible. So I did but it still started really really hard but ran okay, so I decided to replace the spark plug and clean the carb including the pilot screw this time. So I set the pilot screw two turns out, replaced the spark plug, cleaned the whole carb again and cleaned the air filter really good.

It is still very hard to start especially when cold and quite often when driving it will go to boggin down and back firing if you give it much throttle so I just have to keep the throttle just below that point for about 30 scs then it will clear up.

So I went out today to run it and it will start and die like when I bought it.
I put a good day of hard core riding in yesterday and when I parked it, it was running fine.
Its in the 50s - 70f here and about 600 ft above sea level.

So what could be my problem?

 

Okay fiddled around with it and got it to start and run but it still acts up every now and then. And is still super hard to start whether warm or cold and back fires very loud when trying to start. O, and the belt will squeal every now and then. Is that normal? And why is it so hard to start?

 

Eigers run a bit lean as standard and won't start without choke. Is your choke working properly. Both the lever on the handlebars and the cable rusts if not used for a while. Also check valve clearances, bad starting can be low compression. I fit a new belt when they start squealing, it always quietens them.

 

Thanks for the reply merrryman. Yep, the choke works properly. I tried to get it to start this morning and I just about ran down the battery before it finally stopped dying and back firing like a 12 gauge shot gun and it finely ran. How hard is it to check the valves? I bought it with the speedo saying 3000 miles but once I got it running I noticed it didn't work so no telling how many miles it has.
And about the belt, he said he had never replaced it and he had it for a long time so it might be close to the original belt. When I brake using the rear brakes it makes a claddering nose and when I back up spining it does to. And its when I brake hard enough for it to make the claddering nosie and then back up and then go forward it seems to hesitate and that is when the belt squeals. The claddering nosie is coming from the throttle side of the engine where the belt is. And I think I can hear it when going in rough spots to fast.

 

Okay, it seems as if my problems are getting better and worse. Now when its warmed up it idles fine and 2 out of 3 times starts flawlessly. BUT I let it set an hour earlier today and then ran the battery down trying to start it. So it starting better when warm but when cools its getting harder to start.

 

Have you checked the compression just to eliminate that variable?

 

No, I don't have a compression gauge and I lost my feeler gauge to check the valves unfortunately. Went out this afternoon andit was about 70f and hit the starter and even with it cranking slow it started up on the 2nd try It is going to be in the 40s in the morning so I'll see what happens. This is just weird it runs strong when running.
Thanks for replying!

 

Got it to start this morning, it ended up being about 50f. It didn't want to but I got it to. I am used to my Honda where I just hit the starter button and its up and runnin. So I guess I need to check the compression, valve clearance and timing if all those are okay I'll be stumped.

 

This may not be your issue, but we had similar issues with a friend's '07. There's a vent tube that comes up from the carb and is routed up near the top of the intake. His was running sporadically. Sometimes it ran great, other times it would start hard, then die when we were out riding. We cleaned the carb like 4 times and eventually found out that breather hose was pinched. It makes a 90 degree turn when it gets routed through the tank plastic. Fixed that and it has ran great ever since.

 

Thanks for the reply RonV, so I checked it a it is clear. There is a place on the cylinder where it looks like there used to be a line that hooked up there but it is plugged. Don't know what it is for but its been plugged. How do you check and reset the timing? I can't find how to in the manual. And what kind of belt do you recommend?