used to start w choke and gas

[scarylarry]

now w choke on and touch a little gas it bogs down..nothin..then let go of gas and starts to fire?..and sometimes backfires

[Grandpot]

I never use the choke until the temperature is below 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Mine won't even start if I use the choke and it is warm out.

[Tfrank59]

Changes like this are rarely good. Even though it'll start it's possible you've got like a vacuum leak or something clogging in your fuel system that brought about the change. I'm just speculating  

[John Schmidt]

Judging by what you described, I'd try starting without using the choke(which is seldom needed anyway), and no throttle. These carbs don't have an accelerator pump like carbs on a car so twisting the throttle has little or no effect when starting, it doesn't shoot any fuel into the carb throats. Frankly, it sounds to me like your battery is getting old. Put a meter across the battery posts and hit the starter, if the voltage drops down to around 10vdc or lower....time for a new battery, regardless of how old the current one is.

The backfiring tells you there's excessive gas in the motor already....probably from using the choke unnecessarily. A weak battery usually will only fire the motor in that instant when you let off the start button.

[Gryphon Rider]

Since new my Valkyrie has needed choke when the engine is cold and the ambient temperature is below 20-23°C.  If this were to change and the bike were to become difficult to start, I would be looking to see what needed fixing.

[WintrSol]

You all know it's not a real choke right? It's a valve that passes a rich mixture past the throttle and, if the throttle is open, doesn't do much, if anything. I always push the lever all the way, past where it feels like it's done, and just push the start button; when it fires, I may give a short turn of the throttle, to spin it up, but then let the 'choke' warm it up.

[Tfrank59]

Yep we know it's an enricher. I pretty much need it all the time even if it's hot unless the bikes been running within the last like 30 minutes. I also have to give up blip of my throttle while I'm cranking, but that changed only after I change my exhaust

[Gryphon Rider]

You all know it's not a real choke right? It's a valve that passes a rich mixture past the throttle and, if the throttle is open, doesn't do much, if anything. I always push the lever all the way, past where it feels like it's done, and just push the start button; when it fires, I may give a short turn of the throttle, to spin it up, but then let the 'choke' warm it up.

Yes, the "choke" is the enricher, the Valkyrie's rear diff is not at all a differential (unless your Valk is a trike), shocks are actually dampeners, your car's sway bar is actually an anti-sway bar, etc.

With a cold engine and the enricher on, my bike needs a tiny bit of throttle as the starter spins the engine in order to fire.

[gordonv]

Unless my IS is warm, I always need the enricher on. How long it stays on is based on how quickly the RPM rises. Summer, winter, temp does't seem to matter. How warm the engine is, does.

So chock on, turn till it encounters resistance, then turn it some more. The first is just taking up the slack in the cable. After it starts, I turn it off to maintain a 1500 rpm while it's warming a little.

[Highbinder]

I agree with John, if the bike starts just as you release the key, that usually indicates a weak battery.