Why is my Suzuki motorcycle having a hard time starting up?

Question

Hello folks,

I am a recent owner of a 1971 Suzuki ts 125.

Yesterday, I took her out for her first ride with myself and my girlfriend on the back. We road a good 8 or 9 miles when, while going up an incline, we stalled.

At this point, I tried to start the bike again. It started on the first few kicks, and would idle for a moment, rev up kind of high, and then suddenly turn off again. This happened several times. Even though I had just put a gallon of fuel in, I decided to top her off and see what would happen.

Eventually, I got the engine to start again and take us back home. The same thing happened again while downshifting.

Could this possibly be a mistake I am making while shifting gears?

Is my engine overheating?

Is there something wrong with how the bike idles?

I'm afraid if I take the bike out too far, the same thing will happen again, but I will be stuck.

Answer 1

You need to check that the carburettor is set correctly, the plug type and gap is correct, and the ignition timing is correct..

It does sound like it may be overheating, and that could be caused by any of the above points..