MOPED ARMY

if more info is needed, here it is:

I've been told this bike is pretty heavily modified, the guys at two stroke described it as 'the fastest bike in the tri-state area' before i brought it to baltimore. that's the extent of my knowledge about the modifications.

ran fine in new york. transported to baltimore in the back of a sedan. put gas and oil back in it and ignorantly tried to start it without pulling the lever. i noticed the carb was leaking gas/oil out of the vents in picture one. when i tried to start it properly, it would make a sort of muffled sound and not start. i spilled the excess from the vent and left the bike to dry out a bit. after a few hours of that, it would start and move well but then sputter out and stop after about 20 seconds. this is still the case on the next day. my first instinct is that i need to clean out the carb after doing whatever i did to make it overflow and leak, but if anyone has any input on other potential fixes please let me know. i need the bike running by the 9th of august as i bought it to commute to work from the apartment i'm moving to.

**sorry if double posting like this is disallowed, i tried to edit the OP but was unable to

You got to love seeing other members reaching out and helping other members, in person.

update– i just finished cleaning the carb, it seemed relatively clean to begin with, if anything there was a tiiiiny little something in the idle/ pilot jet. I haven't tried the bike out again yet because it's late but i think i may have discovered the actual issue:

when i twist the throttle, the choke remains closed. I wasn't aware it was supposed to open until i got to the end of the carb-cleaning video i was following along with and the guy mentions it as a test to make sure everything's ok.

could i be correct in assuming that's the issue? what could cause this, and how should i go about correcting it?

thanks ahead of time

-yes, all the gas came out thru the vents in that plastic air filter.

-yes it ran fine before transport

-fairly certain the petcock was off during transport but i'm interested in knowing what the issue could be if it weren't (cpuld have opened during loading it without us noticing) however tho, we did drain the bike before loading it.

-i'm assuming those little L shaped nozzles on either side are the overflow vents? there was a tube connecting them when i bought it with a massive crack in the bottom, so i replaced it. i'm realizing now based on that comment that maybe the crack was intentional and whoever put that tube there was just trying to make it so that the overflowing gas didnt leak down the side of the carb. should i put another hole in the bottom?

-just cleaned the carb as i said and it was relatively clean already, float and needle were in good condition

-would you mind explaining to me what the crack case is, and what it would mean for it to be full of gas? i'm reaaaally new at this

He meant crank* case, or the bottom end of the engine. again, those tubes are overflow/breather tubes. Disconnect those (or cut a slit - weird solution but whatever) and make sure your bike isn’t flooded before trying to start it again. You can un-flood a bike by tipping it like you’re trying to do a wheelie in place. This will empty any un-ignited fuel from the cylinder. (edited)

i'll give the bike a tip this afternoon to check and see, but i definitely wasnt getting any drips from the engine when i was tipping the bike to drain out the excess in the carb, and i will say that the tube has remained mostly empty during this whole process.

i'm fairly certain that this is the carb attached if that gives an answer to anyone more knowledgable than me

does anyone have any answers re: the choke not opening when i throttle? it is supposed to do so, que no?

The tubes are supposed to be open to the air, hence "breather." Just cut a notch in the linked tube or cut it in half so they dangle. Some people don't event run tubes. I don't know why "Nick Haber" is fucking with you but he is.

There are 3 types of chokes found on PHBG models- pull choke, cable choke, and lever choke. AFAIK these all have to be operated manually and are not linked to the throttle cable. Better pics of your specific carb and choke setup would help diagnose.

The purpose of the choke is to help start a cold engine by enriching the air/fuel mixture. You turn it on, start the bike, and once the engine warms up to operating temp, you turn it off. Some bikes don't need choke to start, some do, depends on tuning etc. Once it's running at operating temp you do not need to touch the choke again after you turn it off

Oh hahaha I was like... wtf is he talking about, this must be some sick joke. sorry dude!

ok phew well thats a relief. when it was sold to me the guy showed me how to open & close the choke and said to start it closed and keep an eye on it in case it opened while riding, so i'll continue following that direction for now. tonight i'll tip it to check if the crankbox is flooded, and give it a test drive to see if cleaning the carb helped. fingers crossed, will update this evening.