Hitchcocks Forum

Help please chaps. I can start my iron barrel 500 from cold first kick, most of the time. However,it won't tick over until the engine is well warmed up. It pops and misfires and will only keep running by holding the throttle open to perhaps a quarter of it's travel. I've tried spraying wd40 on the rubber carb to head connector to see if air is being drawn in, but this would appear not to be the problem. The enrichment device seems to be ok as it won't start from cold without it, and if used when the engine is running she definitely seems to have an asthma attack! What I can't understand is that if she's running weak when cold, how come there's no sign of this once warmed up? i.e. if it's an air leak does this seal itself once normal running temperature has been reached? Once warm the bike runs perfectly. The bike has a short sports exhaust with standard micarb which has a standard pilot jet and 115 main jet. Would a bigger pilot jet help? Or is this as good as it gets?

The later "iron barrels" run exremely lean to get under the emmision legislation Reg. If you've changed the silencer you will very likely need to change the jetting too. It's also worth dumping the PAV which takes about 2 minutes and maybe also the exhaust down pipe if it is blocked by the cat/hottube which is all part of the PAV emmisions cheating mechanism. You maybe able to cut the welds to remove it or just change the down pipe. Jetting guides are here on the site but it is only a guide remember.

Thanks Eddie, Pav has been removed by previous owner. Downpipe is single wall. I'm sure that when I bought the bike five years ago it wasn't this bad, even in summer it spits and pops until warm. Do they all behave like this? I've made no mods to the bike myself except for fitting electronic ignition. It would just be nice to start her up and not have to twiddle about with the throttle while trying to get gloves etc. sorted.

A carb clean might be the answer.

Had the same problem went to 27.5 pilot jet instead of 25 std problem solved also helps to lift needle up one notch. Good luck.

Worth a Try and it Costs Nothing...(A) Make Sure your Battery is Fully Charged,,(B) Put in a Fresh (New) Spark Plug...Now See if 1st Kick Returns...(This Should Rule out Sensitive Electronic Ignition and the Enfield Spark Plug Virus) "Good Hunting"

I put the 1950s-style exhaust on my yr 2000 Bullet 500. Didn't change the carb settings and it still runs perfectly. I agree with the previous people; put a NEW, not just cleaned-up spark plug in. That improved mine. I also had really bad problems once, and then cleaned the carb out properly. It made a big difference. And stayed good.

Also, did it have these problems before the electronic ignition, or does that need a bit of sorting out? Good luck, Chris

Thanks lads, I think Scotty may have the answer, as I have cleaned the carb a couple of times to no avail. Starting isn't a problem, so long as I stick to doing things properly, and don't let my mind wander!! As far as I can remember, in the five years I've owned the bike she has always been a bit touchy about running nicely until warmed up. I shall order the appropriate pilot jet tonight. I shall let you all know how I get on. Cheers for all the helpful comments.

Same here...

Tornado needs little throttle, but I try to start and then move off. There is very little power for the first 100 yards (metres), which is tricky as the drive from the house is uphill.



Having got to the first junction at 200 yrd or m, he is ok to pull away by then. If she starts easily, and runs well when warm, then tI assume that can't be anything serious wrong with her.

Hi Reg, have you tried adjusting your mixture screw? Just a thought. Cheers, Paul.