Hi all,
Been out on my kle today, and started having problems it fairly randomly starts running badly then just stalls, then it will usually start again fairly soon. A guy in a bike shop said he thought it may be the regulator rectifier? Does this sound possible? Any help would be awesome! Cheers!

Need more clues?

What voltage is the battery? After a ride.. and let sit for say 5 minutes? (12.7?) After being ridden with the engine running (14?)

When the fault occurs;
How hot is the regulator/rectifier? (check its temperature when things are operating normally before the fault)
What voltage is the battery?

Is the fuel tank full or near full? (could be a vacuum forming in the tank causing fuel starvation? Undo the fuel cap - if you hear a hiss you have a vacuum forming.)

Other possibilities .. if this only occurs when things are hot then
Ignition coil, black box, engine sensor...

thanks for that, i'll check the temp of the r/r
others things i thought it could be are
-i had the tank off to put in a new air filter, may have put the breather back wrong
-ran on reserve (forgot to switch it back thought i'd drain the carbs to check the fuel
-i put a 12v socket on, any chance this isnt helping? not that i have used it alot yet!
i went for a ride the other day, and around 80 miles from home the exhaust header pipe came loose, rode home before i could fix it, any chance this may have done something?
cheers

Check that your fuel filter is not partially blocked.

Carby jets clean? [if you ran the tank dry you have probably picked up some of the crap that normally sits in the bottom of the tank]

Also when did you last clean/replace the spark plugs?

Start checking the "easy" stuff first.

Things like rectifiers and other less likely stuff comes after you have checked the basics.

Mechanics always try to "fix" the expensive stuff first, then keep you coming back with more money while they continue to drain your wallet in search of the problem.

Find an "old school" mechanic who runs a workshop that works on all brands and ages of bikes, they are the ones who know their stuff and won't rip you off.

hey, thanks for the advice! I had a breif look! and to be honest probably caused more harm!! A couple of things to ask though!

Whats the easiest wasy to check the jets?

If some crap went down the spark plug hole whats the best course of action? it didnt look like alot of crap but not sure what went in (told you i probably made it worse!)

the spark plugs are the originals tho I have only had the bike less than a year but she is 6 years old so probably due a change anyway

Im used to doing a fair bit of work on diesel engines, this is my first experience of a petrol, so im not quite sure!

Just thought i'd throw in a pic!

For the cost involved just fit a new set of plugs [if you can find Iridium spark plugs- that is a type of plug, not a brand- most plug manufacturers make them these days. Just make sure they are the same heat range as the originals, a few extra dollars but you won't have to replace them for the next 100,000km].

To clean the carbie jets you will need to remove the carbie/s and carefully pull it apart to clean it.

Be VERY careful to do this in a clean area where you can't lose any of the small parts, and note where everything came from so you get it back together correctly.

Ideally get someone who has done carbies before to help you the first time you do it.

You will also need to fine tune the carbie after you have refitted it.

Actually, thinking about it, maybe you should find someone who knows how to do a carbie mixture adjustment before you get too deep in to other things [mixture screws are adjusted with the bike running, a good mechanic can do it "by ear"].

Nice bike.

Mine is the earlier model [1994].

Nice bike, just out of interest what tyres are they?

thanks again for your advice! I have cleaned the carbs and changed the spark plugs, just got to finish putting on my new renthal bars then i can test her out!

The carbs seemed very clean so im not going to get to excited yet! still hoping for the spark plugs to solve it though!

The tyres in that photo were Dunlop 605's

I have now gone over to Mefo Explorers as the rear Dunlop wore out in 5,000 km [I'm used to getting 15,000+ km out of my rears and 25,000+ out of fronts].

On my Wee-Strom I'm running a Mefo on the front as well, combined with a Mitas E07 on the rear [Mefo don't make one wide enough to fit the Wee].

Based on current wear the Mitas rear is going to make around 25,000 km on the Wee.

The Mefo Explorer rear on the KLE is going to run around 18-20,000 km I think.

Mitas E07 rear



Mefo Explorer front



Mefo Explorer rear

[BTW, the log wedged on top of the fence is almost 3 metres [10'] long and weighs around 2,500 kg......it was floating in the recent floods in the area and ended up lodged there as the water receded ]


I'm finding the both the Mefo Explorer and the Mitas E07 to be very good for the riding I'm doing now, they do very well on the dirt while still giving good grip on the tar.

I would recommend either brand for 50/50 riding [but remember......no tyre grips on wet, greasy clay, not even knobbies ].


Ock.

Hi. I had a similar problem on my kle and it turned out I had routed the carb breather pipe wrongly when putting it back together. Started fine and would run for a bit then just die. Then start again a bit later. It was the breather being squashed by the seat where it hooks into the tank/air box bracket.
It is probably something simple if it is running fine then dies and runs again after, maybe another breather such as tank as has been previously suggested.
I have been learning as I go and the carbs are easy enoug to get your head round. I bring them into the living room and lay a cloth out. You need a slim flat ended screwdriver to get the pilot jet out and an 8 m spanner for the main jet. Some red rubber grease helps - to put in the groove to reseat the rubber diaphragm. Also the screws are really delicate. I tapped the screwdriver with an adjustable as applying pressure to act like an impact driver to get them out. . .
But if it runs ok then just dies it is probably not the carbs that need cleaning. One of the other guys will probably know better but I think if the carbs need a clean it will most likely be spluttering and running badly and not just die on you after running ok.
Anyway, hope my amateur rambling helped.
All.the best.
Nathan.

Oh and I have had loads of bits of crap,fall,down the spark plug holes. Never made much difference. What I do though is get a pipe or straw and blow all the crap out of the hole before taking the spark plug out. Have a poke about with a screwdriver first then blow it out when it's loose. It,stops it all falling in the hole soon as you pull the plug out. Lol.
My exhaust,headers have come,loose too a few times. Just gets a bit loud and rattles a bit. . . .

thanks for the advice mate, same problem with the breather pipes! simple mistake to make! running fine now! nice to see someone else witha KLE actually in the UK! dont see many around!