BrettD Posted April 16, 2020 Report Share Posted April 16, 2020 I have a brand new 2018 TXT280 that I picked up as a left over. I have rode it twice and its very hard to start, especially when its hot. I actually broke the kick starter off after my first ride kicking on the thing! The carb is clean, it has fresh gas (non-ethanol 80:1 Motorex) and a fresh plug. It seems like unless I kick it perfectly, it won't start. My friends have Sherco's and they all seem way easier to start.. Is there a recommended jetting specification I should run? 1000ft above sea level, 50-60 degrees? Would there be any benefit to mixing in some race gas? (Id doubt it but can if it helps..) Should I look over electrical grounds and connections? Like make sure grounds are all clean of paint and corrosion free? It stinks when you have a new bike and it doesn't work like expected.. I just want to ride it, not kick the hell out of it. It seems like the kick starter motion is a little different (IN A BAD WAY) compared to other bikes. Its almost like you have to kick back and down with it all the way up at TDC, instead of just down. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d2w Posted April 16, 2020 Report Share Posted April 16, 2020 There are plenty of posts here about the starting procedure which is REQUIRED with GGs. Don't just try and try like it's a dirt bike as you'll frustrate yourself and likely break the internal starter mechanism. Verify that the choke is ON if it's cold. Second gear. Roll back until it stops (at the top of the stroke). Clutch in. Foot on lever. Push back until slight resistance is felt. Now, kick firmly and through until it stops at the footpeg. No throttle if the choke was on, but a little throttle if you were starting from warm/hot and the choke was off (as opening the throttle defeats the choke). If it doesn't start then repeat the entire procedure, especially the roll-back to position the piston. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
micm Posted April 17, 2020 Report Share Posted April 17, 2020 Yes plenty of tips on here. They are difficult to start until you get the knack, then they are a little bit easier. In my opinion, they will never be as easy as a Sherco or a Beta. It's all to do with the kick start mechanism design. When I bought a 300 Gasser a few years ago the UK importer selling the bike to me actually said 'you know they are difficult to start' and they were right! See if you can find a rider with one to show you the basics. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
huski Posted April 17, 2020 Report Share Posted April 17, 2020 Some are worse than others for no apparent reason.Seem worse if the idle screw is set weak,but there is a knack to kicking them.You have to get a bit forward on the bike and kick backwards as well as down.Theres a bit of slack before the mechanism takes up which you have to feel for,it's easy to damage the quadrant gear if you just kick it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nigel dabster Posted April 17, 2020 Report Share Posted April 17, 2020 All as above, but have you checked the spark plug? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrettD Posted April 17, 2020 Author Report Share Posted April 17, 2020 33 minutes ago, nigel dabster said: All as above, but have you checked the spark plug? Thanks everyone! Yes, put a fresh plug in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lineaway Posted April 17, 2020 Report Share Posted April 17, 2020 So, have you jetted it. It is a two stroke. Did you buy it from a trials dealer or just someone sent you a crate? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrettD Posted April 18, 2020 Author Report Share Posted April 18, 2020 21 hours ago, lineaway said: So, have you jetted it. It is a two stroke. Did you buy it from a trials dealer or just someone sent you a crate? I have it set up with the jetting that it came from the dealer with. I bought it from a dealer. I have also disassembled the carb and verified it is clean. I can not recall what was in there but I have played with the air screw.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lineaway Posted April 18, 2020 Report Share Posted April 18, 2020 They normally come lean on the pilot, so going richer would help the starting and make sure the float is correct. Also the `18 model year was bad for all brands with poor venting gas caps. It would be worthwhile to check. Also you can always just lay the bike over till you get a dribble of fuel out of the carb over flow. Best to get the engine to top dead center before you kick it. You can just kick the thing to death and it will never start like a normal bike. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nigel dabster Posted April 19, 2020 Report Share Posted April 19, 2020 With a gas gas it is definately technique first. I know the jetting in the us is hit and mis because of the variation in gas, but feel this much more likely to be a clean running issue than a starting one. As above watch some one else starting a gasser and get them to do the same technique to yours? Basically spark and gas it will fire up, factory jetting shouldnt affect this greatly? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrettD Posted April 25, 2020 Author Report Share Posted April 25, 2020 So after riding it again, I did a few things different and discovered something. First, mixed race fuel and normal pump fuel at 50/50 and 80:1 motorex. Don't know if it helped but it defiantly didn't hurt. Second, the technique everyone described definitely helped. balance up on the pegs, have it rolling, lean against something or standing with my left foot on something higher to get up above the bike better helped a ton! Third and issue that I need to sort out - Once it was hot and I took a break, shut it off and chatted and spotted for 20-30 minutes. When I went to go restart it, it was cold again and it would not start at all, no matter what. I tried to bump start it, kick with proper technique, choke on/off, everything. Nothing would start it... Rolled all the way back down the hill to where I was parked and was about to call it a day. I leaned agains my truck and kicked it a few more times and got it to fire but it was totally loaded up. this makes me think the float may be sticking or something, overfilling the carb or something. Im going to pull the carb off this evening and look at the height and make sure there is nothing I am missing.. Either way, thanks guys! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d2w Posted April 26, 2020 Report Share Posted April 26, 2020 (edited) Happy to hear that it's almost sort for you. Here's two other "long shot" items to verify; do verify that your tank breather/one-way valve is working correctly and allowing air into the tank. Also, verify that the carb vent lines are allowing the fuel in the bowl to be pressurized to atmospheric. Plugged lines/hoses can be a bitch to track down. Edited April 26, 2020 by d2w Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smarty156 Posted April 26, 2020 Report Share Posted April 26, 2020 I've also found that they start easier if the wet/dry switch is set to the dry setting. There's a definite knack to starting them though. Having said that, I have a friend with a 2018/19 bike (think it's 19 but can't remember) and his bike is difficult to start for some unknown reason too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bauer Posted April 29, 2020 Report Share Posted April 29, 2020 I have a '17 280 and I had a heck of a time when I first got it (you'll probably find my post on here about it if you search.) I will say that the rocking back and forth seems to have made the biggest difference. I don't know how tall you are, but I'm about 6'1" and I also found that moving the shifter lever back 1-2 splines on the shaft made a difference to the kicking angle where I felt resistance near TDC. I know they are all a little different, but I think after 25-30 minutes of "off" time, I might need to use the choke depending on how hard I'd been riding prior to shutting it off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrettD Posted August 8, 2020 Author Report Share Posted August 8, 2020 Final update. Let me start this out with, I was way off about all my issues I though I had... It all came down to something that is very disappointing from a QC issue from manufacturing. After going through all my above mentioned issues, I noticed it was still at times difficult to start, and especially when hot. It would load up and smoke like a civ! I would be really surprised if it was muffler packing being that soaked so I started to look at the bike some more. By the time I really dug into it, the bike had 5 hours on it. I had also noticed a lot of transmission fluid was missing and was not leaking. So I start to suspect possibly miss installed crank seals. I remove the motor from the bike and ship it to a midwest GasGas expert. Prior to sending it to him, I discussed the issues I was experiencing over the phone and he speculated at a few things and the worst case. We agreed on him splitting the cases, tossing crank bearings, seals and case gasket and call it a day. Upon disassemble, crank seals, bearings and case gasket were all intact and looked to be good. After further inspection, he found porosities in the cases! The motor had been sucking oil through tiny holes in the case!!! Considering that this is a"legacy" pre bankruptcy bike, there is no support for it. So the fix was to machine out the questionable areas and epoxy it. CRAZY!! He sent the motor back to me and I got it back together. Thing starts with ease, doesn't smoke and runs great. Its too bad but I guess everyone gets a dud every now and again.. I might sell the bike at this point but don't really know what to sell a like new 18 TXT 280 racing for. Any price guides? I don't know if the issues I have fixed devalue the bike more. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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