TE/TC 2018 te250 wet plug issue

Alright guys

So I've gone from a 4t to a new 2t, brand new out the box.

The only issue I have is the way I can't start if after a ride

It feels nice when riding, on high or low settings on the switch, the only issue I have if I go riding, and say come home and go to start it, it won't start unless o put a new plug in it,. I've gone through about 10 plugs in a few months, (basically need to change it after each ride)

Was seeing if this is normal? Or is my bike too rich, there is a trail of oil down the pipe after each ride which is annoying to clean, and I don't see as much as other 2t bikes I ride with,. I can't say I ride around like a granny, just seeing if I'm not possibly turning it off correctly, maybe I need to rev it abit to clean if before I switch it off.

Or should I just take it back to the shop, I don't really feel the need for the JD kit. I'm sure a 2018 12k dollar bike should start and run fine. I've had old cheap Chinese bikes when I was young that I never had any issues with??

Kinda fustrating that's all.

get jd ketting kit for you bike and that will solve the problem , the other thing you can try is to heck the air screw turn it in all the way then back it out 1.5 turns if its set around that mark that is not the issue then remove the neddle clip and raise the clip one position higher on the needle this will make it leaner from 1/4 to 3/4 throttle ranges

Doesn’t sound like a jetting issue nor would I buy a jd kit yet. Jetting would cause issues running not sitting. Pull your fuel line off the carb and see if if drips when the tap is off. Also make sure the tank isn’t building pressure up. Pop the cap off after a ride and make sure you can’t hear an audible release of pressure. If it is a carb issue it’s with the floats more that likely.

I give it a go,. Yeah I did not want to get the JD kit, surly the bike standard should run fine, hence why I got the carby model thinking it be bullet proof.
Also fuel economy is pretty average. That would be my only reason to get the JD kit.

60:1 good synth oil, JD Jetting kit install per instructions, The bike is rich.

That's definitely not normal. As mentioned, the two most-likely causes are that it's running too rich due to jetting or the fuel level in the float bowl is too high. All carb'd bikes need to have their jetting dialed in for conditions, get on that regardless. When you work on jetting check float height and make sure that no fuel comes out the bottom of the carb when the floats are up. The o-ring that seals up the bit that the main jet screws into fails sometimes and will cause all sorts of weird issues. The KTM needle is strangely shaped and the carb they chose isn't the easiest to jet, nor the most forgiving of being off. The JD kit makes jetting easier and comes with a conventionally-shaped needle. If you want set-it and forget it, buy a lectron or smart carb. They'll ship you one that's pretty close to right and they are pretty tolerant of changing conditions. With the stock carb you really need to re-jet for swings in temp and altitude to keep it running right.

I had the same problem. Kept getting oiled plugs (oily and wet) - is still rides OK, but when you try to start it next time - it won't. Plug is stuffed.

I raised my needle 1 clip, it's good now. Nice tan spark plug, runs even better than before - and I thought it was already running good!

Regards the oil in the exhaust, try the needle adjustment. If still getting oil, try leaning out the fuel a bit (reduce oil in fuel) - ensuring to stay within your oil manufactures specs. Keep in mind, if you're riding WOT - sand dunes etc, need to richen your mixture. If you're riding slow trails and trials - lean it out.

Caveat - not a mechanic at all. Just experience.

Clip,
Yeah it was on the 4th clip etting, I moved it to the middle, no#3

Yeah I always use 60.1 ,. I was reading the manual it says to use 95Ron fuel. I was using 98Ron, it hard to find 95 around me (in Australia) we only really keep, E10, 91, 98 at our pumps.
Could the Ron rating cause any issues? I can try get some next ride,
Although plug was too wet to clean and test it out, and bike shop had no spark plugs left. Gone through another 4 over the last 2 weeks. Hopefully this clip position works!

clip 3 is richer than clip 2, 98 wont make the bike rich its the stock jetting

ktm talk have a big thread on the 18s that will get you sorted

as you are finding out a 2018 12 k bike does not start and run fine on stock jetting , if you are not good at jetting or wont read up best cheapest fix is the JD kit

if i read your post right you have gone thru another 4 plugs? so 8 plugs you have spent half the cost of a of a JD kit on plugs

Isn't clip 1 the richest, and clip 5 the leanest? As in the higher you put it the lower it sits ?
Gone through a few. I know it would cheaper to get the JD kit, but seeing my 20 year old lawn mover still runs fine, and I don't even remember the last time I changed the plug with that.

And the bike shop have changed the jetting from stock. Not sure what to, but they had the original ones on there.



But yeah, just annoying me, seeing that 2 bike shops have ran out of that plug, guess it's a common issue.

this should no longer be a thread. wet plug = too much unburned fuel...…..so you have fuel, it aint a fuel issue. Clogged or dirty airfilter can cause this, clean filter and use good foam moto filter oil in normal amounts, Bad spark, wrong spark plug can cause this, but doubtful because we hope you are using the oem plug or the iridium version of that plug. low compression can cause this, 2018 bike so doubtful of that. Bad ignition can cause this, 2018 bike, so doubtful of that.
wrong mixture can and will cause this ---OEM 60:1 with premium gas and a good quality moto 2t oil is the oem spec.
JETTING for pressure altitude, using the OEM chart it works for general use, the bike WILL run if set up using the OEM book chart , you may want to adjust to your liking but it will work.

Carb settings, this is the most probable and if we were all good tuners we would work for the oem, professional racers or tuner companies, so use the chart or use a pro like James Dean that has R&D'd his setups.
reed issues, this is possible...with these machines, but best focus on the setting of the carb.
Carb setting # 1!!! setup according to the OEM chart in the owners manual for the jet and needle spec for your pressure altitude= your temp and altitude and note chart is set to the safe side of course meaning to the rich side so maybe 1 needle clip up and adjust the mixture screw a bit. It should/will run.
set float height proper #2 or #1 (these bikes are notorious for high float heights) to quick check, turn on fuel valve and tilt the bike slowly to the side , if fuel pours out of the standpipe drain at minimal tip angle, height is too high. you should get dang near to 45 deg before fuel pours out, that is the very unscientific way to check float height.

Get a JD Jetting kit and follow James' float height setup! Mine is set at the minimal height side of the spec and I never have issues with bowl going empty, but I don't ride WFO all day, he has a pdf picture slide show to look at.
His jetting spec it plain works , his stuff is also safe side jetting, but with this latest Mikuni kit his spec has been spot on, my 17 300 is set to his chart exactly. My Keihin set ups were always perfect on M and P very close but 1 setting to the leaner side with the needle
My 17 3 hundo is spec matched to JD settings for winter which is slightly rich for summer heat, but still runs fine.
PS the bike is a racing 2T bike with a carburetor its designed to run like one it will never be a FI bike.

The most significant adjustment on my 2017 TX300 was the float height lowering to the minimum side of the spec.
All my carb mods perform however and are game makers
JD Jetting to his chart exactly for my ride zone must have, his needles are mega!
Thunder products quad flow intake splitter (don't have to have)
Moto Tassinari V force 4 reed assembly (don't have to have)

Im editing due a reread check your fuel feed system as stated above for another check be sure the fuel is shutting off with the float valve, and that the petcock is functioning properly just to check those boxes.

Yeah petcock is ok

It was on clip 4 on the needle, so I moved it to clip 3*. I had them the wrong way up,

Got a plug and had a little ride on it. Ran Ok, plug was not wet when inspected it, I'll need to take it out for a bit of a ride to see if it helped..

My 18 TE300 was kind of like that, they do come very rich. My dealership did the slide mode ....aka Graham Jarvis carb mod. This was ok in early spring but not good once warmed up. I researched the rest on the GJ mods and completed them, except for squeezing the float bowl overflow tube. What made all this work is correcting the insane stock squish band on these bikes. Mine was 2.0mm stock. I machined the head in two steps, first was -0.5mm which made a huge difference. This winter I took off a bit more and currently running 1.25mm squish......fantastic. correct squish makes it much easier to jet . BTW this is stock carb and jetting spares that came with bike.

Sorry, actually forgot to add an important carb adjustment. As stated above my float height was also set too high. I adjusted to the low side of spec.
Ran into a rider on 17 ktm 300, same carb, he installed a jd tmx jet block gasket kit. He said this cheap repair made a huge difference in the way the bike ran. This makes much more sense to me JDMK05, the gasket is poorly designed and some say ethanol is why this gasket eventually leaks. I'm just over 21hrs on bike so I ordered the kit.

clip 1 is the clip position is closest to the top of the needle, not the pointy end that goes into the carb bowl, clip 1 is the leanest position as the needle has dropped further into the needle jet, clip 5 is the richest as it raising the needle up further