Plastic on the newer Sportsters, I guess. I wonder what else used to be steel but is now plastic?

 

Mine is a 2001, and the hex nut behind the choke **** is metal. I will try to loosen it tonight and see where that gets me.

 

The nut is metal, but the threaded body isn't and will snap like a twig if tightened too much.

 

Aw hell, I have a habit of breaking plastic things, and metal things for that matter

 

Looks like I have it staying open now, will have to wait a day or two and see how it goes.
After going out and tinkering with it, I decided to actually check the service manual, and would you belive it, it does tell you how to do it. Clymer manual page 92. Had trouble finding it because they call it an "enricher" cable, instead of calling it a choke like the rest of humanity.

Thanks for all the tips.

 

Yeah, just tighten the plastic knurled friction **** with your gloves on or with a piece of rubber. Don't use any tools on that plastic ****!!!

 

So, the **** on my 91 is plastic after all, and just looks like metal. Lucky I didn't bust it, yet I have learned to force nothing with pliers anyway. Nasty tool.

I got it a little tighter by just holding the **** and tightening the steel nut in the back with - get this - an 11/16 wrench. How odd.

 

I used a 17mm on the nut. I even followed the instructions in the service manual and could not get that plastic **** to turn at all, I didn't want to try to force it.
I seem to have got it working better now just by loosening that nut the whole way and just gently snugging it back on. I am betting after about a week or so of riding I'll be back to the same problem.

 

they call it a enrichner becaiuse all it does is open a tiny jet for fuel when cold a choke is a cable that closes the throttle butterfly (old school stuff ) i,m allways corrected on this becaus i repair lawn mowers and they have chokes

 

Well, it only took 1 ride before the choke was back to its old tricks. I give up, I might as well go with the cloths pin trick . Does anybody know if you can get a fuel injection conversion kit?