ASK THE MXPERTS: HOW TO USE KTM’S CHOKE & IDLE SCREWS

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Dear MXA,
I admit to being one of those guys who rode their 2016 KTM 450SXF for three weeks with the choke on. How as I suppose to know that you had to push it in to choke it and pull it out to release the choke? Now I have another problem. I have been trying to turn the idle up on my KTM, but when I turn the choke knob in to speed up the idle, the bike gets rich and runs bad. I tried turning it out, but that didn’t do anything. Help?

You are not the only person to ride his KTM or Husky with the choke on (which KTM calls a cold start button). It is a common happening. However, you may be the only rider trying to adjust the idle on your KTM with the choke knob. Take a close look at the KTM’s 44mm Keihin throttle body above. The yellow choke knob is underneath the throttle body. It is utilized by pushing in upward to choke the engine and pulling it down t unchoke the engine. The red idle adjuster knob is visible on top of the throttle body (on the right side of the bike). You increase the idle speed by turning the red adjusting screw clockwise and decrease the idle speed by turning the idle speed adjusting screw counterclockwise.