question?how old are your plugs?do you have a throttle position sensor still on it and have you checked it out?that has something to do with the timing,my suggestions. I,m still in the learning curve with my bike.

Scott, is the starter jet inside the carb? Maybe it is clogged. No, there is no smoke coming out when it starts. I was leaning more towards an electrical problem since I smell fuel, like what chopper warrior was suggesting with the solenoid. I'm going to pull that solenoid cover off in a few minutes and check it out. Thanks for all the input my friends, I really appreciate it!!!

I went with the E3 plugs and didn't have any problems with them. They are about 8 months old and I checked them recently and they looked fine. Still digging.

texasscott1 wrote:
The '99 has a very small hole in the starter jet. If it were to clog then I would think it would be very hard to start cold. Mine starts right up even down to 25, cranks a little slow at that temperature but starts.

You stated that it seems flooded. Is there a lot of black smoke when it finally starts? The accelerator pump at the stock setting shoots a pretty good stream of gas.

yes! this is exactly what my bike does. Starting it cold and no choke is terrible. It backfires through the carb, feels like it floods itself and there is a good amount of black smoke. But once I ride it for a good while (more than an hour) it seems totally fine with starting. Bike seems like it takes FOREVER to warm up though, it has the same starting issues if I ride for 30 mins, get off for 10 or 20 minutes, then try to ride again.

Also, it seems like it floods itself really easy when it's cold. If I'm cruising and I open the throttle up hard while its cold, it will sputter a few strokes and then wake up. If it's warm, then the power response is immediate with zero sputtering.

One last thing, as I think it might be related: Whenever I stop really hard, the engine dies. I've tried with bike cold and hot, and it doesn't make a difference. I have no idea what to think of that.

KondratkoJoe wrote:
texasscott1 wrote:
The '99 has a very small hole in the starter jet. If it were to clog then I would think it would be very hard to start cold. Mine starts right up even down to 25, cranks a little slow at that temperature but starts.

You stated that it seems flooded. Is there a lot of black smoke when it finally starts? The accelerator pump at the stock setting shoots a pretty good stream of gas.

yes! this is exactly what my bike does. Starting it cold and no choke is terrible. It backfires through the carb, feels like it floods itself and there is a good amount of black smoke. But once I ride it for a good while (more than an hour) it seems totally fine with starting. Bike seems like it takes FOREVER to warm up though, it has the same starting issues if I ride for 30 mins, get off for 10 or 20 minutes, then try to ride again.

Also, it seems like it floods itself really easy when it's cold. If I'm cruising and I open the throttle up hard while its cold, it will sputter a few strokes and then wake up. If it's warm, then the power response is immediate with zero sputtering.

One last thing, as I think it might be related: Whenever I stop really hard, the engine dies. I've tried with bike cold and hot, and it doesn't make a difference. I have no idea what to think of that.

What if you start it cold, with the Enricher? Is it still terrible? Is the idle set right? Are you leaving the throttle alone, on a cold start using the enricher?

Roadies take awhile to warm up. Most usually leave the enricher halfway out, until the bike has warmed enough to respond well to the throttle. Wanting a Roadie to respond as well to the throttle when it is cold, as it does when it's well warmed up, is fine, but it's not going to happen.


Do you know this is a 6 year old thread?

Yes I am aware, but it's perfectly describes my issue as well. With the enricher it starts just fine.

What do you think about the dying when I stop quick?

KondratkoJoe wrote:
Yes I am aware, but it's perfectly describes my issue as well. With the enricher it starts just fine.

What do you think about the dying when I stop quick?

Do you have the idle set low and lumpy?

No, idle is set to a happy 900

When you say it dies when you stop quick do you mean roll the throttle closed quickly or when you stop the bike quick?

davej wrote:
KondratkoJoe wrote:
Yes I am aware, but it's perfectly describes my issue as well. With the enricher it starts just fine.

What do you think about the dying when I stop quick?

Do you have the idle set low and lumpy?


^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ That is my guess as well. Roadies will idle as low as about 600 rpms when the motor is warmed up well, but it should be set between 850 and 950. Get it set right, and then leave it alone. Roadstars are seriously unimpressed with the low slow lumpy idle. The potato potato thing is not right for a Roadie.

Since it starts fine with the Enricher, I wouldn’t try starting it cold, without it. That’s how it’s supposed to work.