Definitely needle not seating. Be it dirty needle/seat or stuck floats. I'd go with the tapping method to see if that helps. If not, cleaning the carb out should do it. A spec of dirt or even large dust can cause them not to seat. Gas will run everywhere if the petcock is left on... I had fresh fuel mix fill the entire engine and exhaust pipe on my Tecate once. Whoops. lol
Before earing apart, turn the fuel screw all the way in and count the turns it takes. Youll want to set this back to the same spot when your done. The same goes for any other adjustments/screws.
If the carb is dirty on the outside, clean it up before pulling it apart. It saves so much time when trying to clean the inside of something dirty.
Grab a can of carburetor cleaner, and pull it apart. Spray thoroughly through all the holes. Wear glasses, this stuff will find holes that always point at your eyes! lol
Dry well.
If you wash it with water and are not installing and filling with gasoline immediately, spray the inside down with wd40. The aluminum will calcify very bad internally. This makes for white crusty worthless carburetors.
I just wanna go fast. If your not first, your last!!
Reproducing the Tecate CDI. Contact me if you need one. I'm most accessible on FaceBook. You can find me on the 1984-1987 Kawasaki Tecate KXT250 Group.