Blast spark plug

[RKing]

Trying to help my girlfriend's son with his Blast. To change the plug do we need to remove the gas tank cover and tank? Does the tank have to be removed, or just raised? Any help with this is appreciated.

[roycrown]

No, go to www.badweatherbikers.com and click on the Thumper forum

[RKing]

Thanks for the reply. Great info, but I got to it too late. Last night, I did raise the tank to change the plug. Went fairly easy. Original plug was completely black. Now all the Blast will do is crank. Popped a couple of times, like it was going to fire, but never did. Battery was starting to get weak, so I charged it and tried again, with the same results. Cranks, but no fire. Seems fuel starved, but I'm not sure. Petcock was where it should be. I know it hasn't been run since last fall, but we did winterize it properly with sta-bil. Any thoughts on this?
Thanks again
RKing

[pnut]

I would check the air cleaner first, if thats ok or not blocked (had a mouse build a nest in the air cleaner one winter) then I would probally squit a little gas in the carb and see if it fires. If it does then I'd take the carb of and clean it.
Good luck, let us know what you find.

[OldMiC]

Originally Posted by RKing

Thanks for the reply. Great info, but I got to it too late. Last night, I did raise the tank to change the plug. Went fairly easy. Original plug was completely black. Now all the Blast will do is crank. Popped a couple of times, like it was going to fire, but never did. Battery was starting to get weak, so I charged it and tried again, with the same results. Cranks, but no fire. Seems fuel starved, but I'm not sure. Petcock was where it should be. I know it hasn't been run since last fall, but we did winterize it properly with sta-bil. Any thoughts on this?
Thanks again
RKing

I'd check for the obvious first. Is the kill switch in the correct position?
Enrichener set properly?
Are you getting spark? Are the plugs gapped to spec?
Getting fuel?

[RKing]

I don't think there is an enrichener on Blast. The petcock is in the on position, and I gapped the new plug. Not sure about the fuel thought. How would I check that?

[OldMiC]

Originally Posted by RKing

I don't think there is an enrichener on Blast. The petcock is in the on position, and I gapped the new plug. Not sure about the fuel thought. How would I check that?

You didn't mention that you checked the kill switch. Are you sure it's in the right position?

If so, put the petcock on reserve and try to start again. If it cranks, but doesn't start, pull the plug. Is it wet with fuel? If so, I'd check spark next.

Make sure there is no spilled fuel, ground the plug by laying it on the cylinder head and crank it. If you get a nice spark across the gap, it may well be bad fuel. Drain, replace and try again.

[Rockbiter]

I own a Blast, and if it cranks, but doesn't start, make sure the carb is attatched to the intake manifold. Sounds dumb, but the rubber boot that joins the two is prone to deteriorating and popping off due to backfires. Do not overtighten the clamps, that will cut the rubber, and it will shorten the life of the boot. BTW, a new rubber boot is about $8 from the stealership.

[RKing]

Originally Posted by pnut

I would check the air cleaner first, if thats ok or not blocked (had a mouse build a nest in the air cleaner one winter) then I would probally squit a little gas in the carb and see if it fires. If it does then I'd take the carb of and clean it.
Good luck, let us know what you find.

That worked! Air cleaner was ok, but it took three tries of squirting gas into the carb, and it finally fired and stayed running. Drove it around for about 15 minutes and turned it off. Tried again the next day, and it fired up. Not sure why I had to go thru all that, but thanks for your help.