My bike starts fine when the engine is cold, but after I ride for a while and let it sit for a couple hours, with choke on it takes some cranking before it fires. Seems like it only happens when it is pretty hot out. Any ideas? I need to change oil & get valves adjusted. Wasn't sure if that had anything to do with it. May be a combonation of that & a tune up needed. Tim

 

How about you try starting it without the choke (or enrichment circuit, which it really is) pulled out.

It really shouldn't need it even after sitting a couple of hours and the overly rich mixture can make it hard to fire off.

 

mine does that somewhat when warm. I have always chalked it up to carb settings. I've not had any tuning done on it though.

 

Florida, June, mid-nineties, forty mile ride and a stop for a cold drink. Re-fires at just the touch of the button. No choke, no throttle feather, nothin'. This despite Moriwaki high compression pistons and sport cams.

Could might want to check the tension of the throttle cables and look to see that the cold start enricher is actually off when the **** is pushed in. Those big carbs are sensitive to their state of balance, too. Does it run on one cylinder for a while at a cold start? Especially during cold ambient conditions? I would assume that a carb balance is the final step during a valve adjustment session.

You can always spot the riding elders in the group, they prattle on about carbs.

 

This. you shouldnt need the choke unless its bone cold, and even then only a little.

When i first got my superhawk i treated the choke as a on/off switch and had trouble starting. then i realized how much adjustment there is in it, and i only leave it out for as long as it takes to put my gloves on.

 

+1
The first start of the day with the current temps, as Jay956 stated, the choke is on as long as it takes to put on your gloves.
When I do a hot start I use no throttle at all. If I do, it will fail to start easily.

 

If she tuned right she most of the time would never need the enricher circuit at all. At the most half a pull for first 15 seconds then none for the rest of the day.

Tune your carb correctly and stop using the **** after first start of the day.