Trouble with a 2004 Sportsman 90

[castmaster]

My daughters Polaris Sportsman 90 hasn't been running right. It wont run without hte choke at least half way open, close it any further and it kills. It also seems to smoke more than it used to and then yesterday when she went to ride it it backfired a couple times.

Does this mean its running to rich? Or is there something else I should be looking at?

[Dave S]

Pull the plug to see if it's wet. It might be starting to foul.

You might also need to pull the carb and clean it out. The machine is 6 years old now and could have build-up that finally made it to the carb. Running with the choke on will take you from running right to running rich, explaining the extra smoke. Once you're done here, I would install an inline fuel filter.

The backfiring is a sign of running lean, which also explains the needs to run with the choke on. That being said, pull out the air filter and give that a good once over. While you're at it, check the tube that runs from the air box to the carb for any signs of foreign debris.