1985 Yamaha 225DRN Trouble Starting

[Mr. Giraffe]

Hello,

I'm new to the 3 wheeler world and recently acquired a 1985 YTM225DRN. I've had it running before, but it's extremely difficult to get started. I haven't rebuilt the carb yet, finding the right kit has been challenging. I've replaced the fuel hose to the carb, got a new key made, dumped all the old gas out of the carb, and charged the battery.

Any tips to get it running, even if temporarily before I attempt to rebuild the carb?

[shortline10]

I would start with the carburetor rebuild first . Most of the parts needed are still available new from Yamaha .
Parts I would replace are 13 , 15 , 20 and 24 .
https://www.partzilla.com/catalog/ya...drn/carburetor

[Mr. Giraffe]

I would start with the carburetor rebuild first . Most of the parts needed are still available new from Yamaha .
Parts I would replace are 13 , 15 , 20 and 24 .
https://www.partzilla.com/catalog/ya...drn/carburetor

Appreciate the info. I will try to give that a go then. Never rebuilt a carb before, but these at least seem not too complicated.

[Mr. Giraffe]

I was able to get the carb rebuilt using a kit I got off ebay that I had ordered a few weeks ago. It didn't seem too gummed up or anything. It's still not starting after attempting many times with the pull cord (didn't want to kill the battery trying to use the starter). I had it on choke verified fuel was flowing to the carb. If anyone has any other ideas of what to check, I would appreciate it.

[dirtwheels]

Hopefully you have a service manual for the bike. If not, look here:
https://www.threewheelermanuals.com/yamaha

These bikes have a manual decomp lever on the cylinder head for use when pull starting it. If you pull the lever up, make sure it goes back down when you pull the starter, or else the valve will be left partially open and it won't start.

Double check and make sure you still have good spark.

Check the compression. Low compression could cause hard starting.

Check the valve clearance on both the intake and exhaust valves.

Check to make sure the timing is not off.

Check the air box and make sure there is nothing blocking anything in there. Sometimes, the foam gasket on the cage gets old and filter falls off because the pressure from the cover is the only thing holding it on.

Check the exhaust to make sure that you don't have anything blocking it, like a mouse nest.

If none of that helps, it could be something electrical like the CDI or the coil acting up.