To start my Penton Six Days (cold engine) I hold the tickler down until fuels flows out the overflow tube, choke "on", and kick the start lever. The bike is almost always a one kick starter. No one told me to do it this way but it works for me. My question is this. What is happening inside the Bing carb while I am watching fuel flow out of the overflow tube onto the top of my engine case? Forgive my ignorance please! Thanks guys!
Craig Wilson
Pushing the tickler down is holding the floats down and causes the needle and seat to open. The fuel level in the float bowl raises and overflows into the engine and out the over flow tube onto your engine.
Thanks for your answer Ron. From your description it looks like raw fuel goes into the engine to create the rich mixture needed for a cold start-up. I should have known.
Craig Wilson
That is exactly it, raw fuel runs down the intake to start the engine. The best mod to a jet ski is to remove the choke plates (they have butterfly chokes like a car carb) and install a "primer kit". Its a brass nipple that goes in place of the choke shaft hooked to a plunger patched into the fuel line. All it does is squirt raw fuel down the carb just like the tickler.
Brian
Thanks for your input Brian. I assume that the keihin and mikuni carbs and their choke levers utilize a different method to achieve the rich cold start mixture. Also, why the need for both a tickler and a choke lever on my Penton? I am a curious person!
Craig Wilson
The Mikuni/Keihin use vacuum to draw raw fuel through a separate circuit that gets opened by the choke plunger. My 440 Maico has a Mikuni and to make sure it starts when cold I turn on the gas, and lay the bike over on its side to flood the carb much like the Bing tickler. On a Bing, IMO, you do not need the choke, most Bing's dont have the choke, only a tickler.
Brian
My Bing has a Mikuni style "choke lever" which is not a choke at all only enricher.. I do not use it much. On hot days in the afternoon when the bike needs a little help to start I will use it instead of using the tickle.. but in the morning when I first start the bike, the tickle is the way to go.
Thom Green,Still crazy after all these years!
76' 250 MC5 (orginal owner)
74'250 hare scrambler (project)
74' 1/2 440 maico
78' 440 maico
72' cr125 Husky (project)
93' RMx 250 suzuki