WilliamsOliver98

There's no blue smoke for definite, there's white/grey smoke occasionally. I would say the plug is baked on, it doesn't wipe off easily, ive cleaned It a few times and have to scrub it off. ive included a few images, sorry for the poor quality, its hard to get it to focus. Hope they help.

Ill also be sure to check the fuel level in the carb too, didn't even think of that and the test looks simple enough! thanks for the help guys. i'm not a great mechanic but ill get there hopefully!

There are only a few electrical components. I replaced the ignition coil a while back. Its got a CDI ignition system, which I don't know an awful lot about tbh. I did run some resistance tests on the pulser generator and the CDI unit itself and they are within the normal ranges specified in the book. The timing on it ive set according to the book also, it starts well so I didn't think that was a problem, but I may be wrong.

Ok, ill give the choke a more thorough inspection tomorrow and ensure its working correctly so I can cross that off the list for definite, i'll also clean the plug and check the gap, its a new plug so shouldn't be an issue. Any chance that its nothing to do with the carb and is more electrical or something? I've been looking at the carb and surrounding areas for the last few days and cant seem to find anything a miss.

I'll give it a once over tomorrow to double check the choke out, but im 90% sure its all in working order, when the choke lever is pulled it moves the arm on the carb so I assume its working. I've put some lubricant on the cable too to make sure its not sticking or anything like that.

It starts better without the choke, the air filter is in good nick, its the original filter that I cleaned and added new foam onto to stop it from getting any dust in. I did try it with a conical filter that i'd bought but it was on of those cheapo ones and didn't seem to make any difference (better or worse). I even started it without an air filter on just as a comparison and there was no difference.

Hello there, I've been working on my bike (Honda Xl125 1983) and after it not running properly I decided to study the spark plug, its carbon fouled, and I read that it was a sign of the bike running too rich. Since then, I've installed a new air filter and checked for air leaks, which there doesn't seem to be any. I then inspected the carb to make sure the float wasn't sticking and was at the correct height, which it was and even looked to make sure the needle was positioned on the correct groove (as specified in the manual). All this and the plug still indicates a rich fuel mixture? am I missing something obvious? I've tried adjusting the mixture screw on the carb whilst the bike is running but it still runs like shit (despite it being on the recommended settings), ive got it to a point where it idles but it cuts out after a while and has no power. Is it just a case of adjusting the carb screws until it runs smoother? or could something else be the culprit Any suggestions would be appreciated! Thanks

Thanks for the reply, yeah I live near a town called Welshpool to be more specific, so Llandrindod is an hour drive which isn't its too unreasonable! ill definitely keep him in mind! I understand that because of my location ill have to travel, just cant believe the lack of places around here!!

Hi guys, just been fettling around with my old bike and the time has come where I'm officially out of my depth, and think its time someone knowledgeable looked at it. I started looking for a garage around my area and there's rather slim pickings, the one I decided to go to was a bit out the way and not only did not fix my issue, but were utterly hopeless! they lost the bolts for my side panels, ripped out some of the electrics and charged me a fortune! So the question I'm asking is, does anyone have any suggestions for a bike mechanic in the mid-wales area who's got a good reputation? or is there anyone local who would come take a look? Thanks