Vintage Dirt Bike Q & A

After a thorough renovation, I just fired up a '74 MT125 this past weekend (after probably 30 years!) and was pleased to see it crank on the 3rd kick. It seems to be running OK, but I'm having to twist the idle speed screw almost all the way in to keep it idling, and even then it won't idle for more than about 30 secs before the engine simply slows down and dies. The air mixture screw is backed out approx 2 turns from closed, and the bike is running on 32:1 premix. The throttle cable is new and may need some adjustment, although it has no play and the motor revs from the first nudge of the grip.

Any advice?

Compared to riding my old '70 CB100, this Elsinore is a nimble, FUN ride!

Thanks!

_________________
'70 Honda CB100
'74 Honda MT125 Elsinore

Drop the carb bowl and remove the pilot jet. Clean well. I use the thin metal wire out of a bread twisty to insure the hole through the jet is clean. Then let us know if you have any improvement. (Go ahead and clean the rest of the carb and main jet when your there).