not starting when cold

my xj 750 maxim will run like a scolded dog when i get it started... problem is that when it gets cold it will not start under its own power i have to hook it up to a battery charger and crank it with the charger on the 12volt/40 amp setting to get it to start.. after running for about 2 min. it will start right up every time but you have to choke it.... here lately i no longer have to choke it to start but floods a little... please help and thanks to those who help...

 

does it idle okay once it does fire? how long does it sit before it starts to act up again?
it sounds like the pilots are plugged up a bit

 

bike does not idle... I believe that it is do to a stretched throttle cable.... and it begins to act up again after setting for two hours.... after started it will idle while fully choked and runs perfectly... thanks for the advice hope you can give me some more..... thanks

 

stretched throttle cable wont have anything to with the idle. the idle is set by a screw on the backside of the carbs by the airbox. you can adjust it and get it to idle then try starting it.
it might be a simple fix
have the carbs been off the bike at all?
has any work been done to them?

 

carbs have been off and cleaned.... tried to adjust the idle screw but it don't seem to work very well... it only changes at idle when I turn the srew so much that the idle goes up really high.... if you have any more advice please help... also if you live very close by and know much about these bikes maybe we can get together and you could look at it... please write back... thanks

 

Where do you live? Please update your location. It will help you in case someone is close by.
As for the idle....
did you break the carb rack apart when you cleaned them?

Reset your idle mixture screws to 2.5 turns. turn them in until they SOFTLY bottom out, and then back them out to 2.5. fire the bike up and try setting the idle. it sounds like you are getting zero fuel from the pilot circuits.

 

i live in east ky and am in need of help... no the carb rack was not taken apart.... my buddy cleaned them... for me.... where are the idle mixture screws at? i am not mechanically inclined as i want to be.... let me know so i can get into gear on your advice... hopefully line out my bike.... thanks for everything....

 

the mix screws are located at the front of the carbs close to the intake boots. if you look down at the #1 carbs, you will see the chrome hat and a small flat ledge. the screws are right there. one per carb. turn them clockwise to lean out and counter clockwise to make it richer.

if it still wont idle consistently, you could have an air leak.
let me know how this works, first and we can go from there.

 

More so than the pilots being dirty I'd think the little tubes and the tiny orifice in the fuel bowls are still clogged. It sounds like the enricher circuit is not getting any fuel. Also there is no reason in adjusting the mixtures unless the RPMs are below about 1200. Above that the you are pretty much running on the pilots. Make sure you can shoot carb cleaner thur the hole in just off the bottoms of the bowls and that it comes out of the hole that the small tube on the carb body fits into. Make sure that when you shoot cleaner up those small tubes that it comes out of the hole around the butterfly plates. Also make sure the enricher cable is adjusted correctly and that it is opening the enricher valves.