Motorcycles, Snowmobiles, Go-Carts, ATV's and Golf Carts - suzuki FA 50

'86 model Suzuki FA 50

Hard starter. Once started, starts fine. Turn it off for a little while, then it is hard to start again. I can turn it off and start it right back up, but if I let it sit for a while.....

Dirty carb? Bad rings? Carb need adjusting? If so, what is the procedure? I mean how many times do I turn the jet out to start adjusting after running it in all the way?

Tx

Hey boman, nice little bike! Known problems with this under powered machine....Engine overworked leads to ring wear=weak compression. Thats the number 1 thing to check. Nothing else can really be checked set until you know this number. Carbon buildup in ports/pipe can lead to hard starting and loss of power. Does it have a fuel shut off valve? If so, the next time you shut it down turn the valve off and let it run out of gas. When cold give it a try. If it starts easily you have a slight flooding problem which can go back to the compression thing if the carb is in order.....Mike

Sounds like it might be the float valve . If you can pull it out yourself look at the tip to see if there is a groove worn in the point of it. or if it is rubber it may be dried hard.
If it has a petcock try turning it off. As you should do this when storing so not to have a gas spill if it should over flow. I have run in cdi box probs that would do strange things like that. Also check to see if there is any debries in the fuel tank and if there is an inline fuel filter replace it. Good luck

Thanls a bunch, guys. I think I may be on the road to fixing this thing. I suspected the carb. When I changed the plug, the old plug looked good, dry, nice color, etc.. I then wondered if it had sit so long and run so little that maybe the battery was not staying charged. It seemed the longer it was ran, the longer it could stay off then restart with no problem. Granddaughter rode it for quite a while a couple of nights ago. Next morning it fired right up :). Starts on every kick. I do feel there is still a carb problem as it seems a needle valve is sticking and it leaks fuel out the overflow tube. I intend to take the carb apart and check it for trash, distorted needle, etc. I wish it did have a cut-off valve. It has "On, "Pri (prime"), and "Res". I think when I get the carb straightened out, she will have a nice little bike. She is very excited about her "first scooter!"

TX

The petcock is activated by engine vacume so no cut off is required. Sometimes the petcock will wear out and allow fuel to flow to the carburetor when the unit is shut down, which will cause excess fuel to dump out the overflow tube. Replace the petcock - new ones are available from dealers, and it will stop the fuel leak and improve starting performance. Good luck. Don