So, after 20 years of motorcycle dreams, I finally took the plunge and bought one last April despite not knowing anyone with a bike to learn from.
The fellow I bought it from told me he had trouble starting it after winter, and had drained the gas and got it running after some coaxing on fresh gas.
Good to know, but it fired right up for me the first couple months. I was actually impressed for a 35yo bike that had clearly been neglected recent years. Choke full open always, but these bikes are known for that.
Anyway, after a few months it got harder to start - more cranks, and eventually more and more throttle too.
Eventually I had to push start it to ride, and that involved keeping the revs over 3k until it had warmed up or it would stall out.
New to all this, I thought it was the battery and had it tested at a shop, but they said it was ok.
Also pulled outside plugs and checked spark - weak but there. New plug wasn't any better.
Front brake seized and I was done for the season - August or so.
Heartbroken.
I bring her in for the winter. Hit youTube and the Clymer manual.
Pilot jets - gotta be.
After many videos, think I've got this, and spend a Saturday ripping out the carbs.
Cleaning them, I didn't want to do any un-needed disassembly so I didn't take off the top cover or vacuum cylinder. The screws to the float bowl were hard enough to get off and expensive to replace ($13!) I also didn't remove the float or check the float needle, as the bowls were all filled with gas when I drained them prior to removal, so I assumed they were letting fuel in fine.
I was actually surprised how clean they were inside after some of the videos I had seen, but sure enough, the slow jets and even main jets were all quite gummed up.
Soaked all those in carb cleaner, and cleaned the outsides and linkages etc being careful not to get any plastic or rubber parts wet, especially the diaphram on the vacuum cylinder as I knew it would distort them.
Blew everything out with compressed air.
Something I'm still not clear on is the jets - obviously the main jet interacts with the needle on the vacuum cylinder to modulate that fuel draw, and the smaller one provides a small constant source, like a pilot light on a water heater. So is the small one that can't be removed for starting, or interacts with the choke, or what? Why can't it be removed? I blew air in this one, but no carb cleaner for fear of getting it in somewhere it shouldn't, and didn't check it for blockage.
Because even when I got it all back together, it still won't start.
While I had the carbs off, I also lined up all the butterfly valves to be level - before the first was low, second high, last two level. By eye, but way closer than they were.
Was that a bad idea?
Also, the mixture screws were similarly off - so like an idiot I reset them to manual specs without writing down were they were, although I did at least take a picture which gives me some clue.
I assumed these had been adjusted to compensate for the clogged jets or out of whack butterfly valves, or it was all related and best set back to "factory" now that I had cleaned it all out.
Also I didn't actually pull the mixture screws and clean out that passage - could this be the blockage that's preventing adequate fuel mixture?
I suppose I should have known what I was doing more, but felt quite confident after it all going so well until it didn't work.
Now I don't know what to do - I was considering pulling the carbs again and fulling disassembling and cleaning them better. Am I on the wrong trail? I assume compression and spark are adequate considering it could be push started, although the head gaskets are leaking slightly and are one my list assuming I can get her running again.
The battery still feels flaky to me - it coughs promisingly right after it's been on to charge - but I think the shop would be keen to sell me one if that was it.
Or have I just thrown it all out to the point a professional needs to look at it?
Thanks so much in advance, and sorry for the length.
The fellow I bought it from told me he had trouble starting it after winter, and had drained the gas and got it running after some coaxing on fresh gas.
Good to know, but it fired right up for me the first couple months. I was actually impressed for a 35yo bike that had clearly been neglected recent years. Choke full open always, but these bikes are known for that.
Anyway, after a few months it got harder to start - more cranks, and eventually more and more throttle too.
Eventually I had to push start it to ride, and that involved keeping the revs over 3k until it had warmed up or it would stall out.
New to all this, I thought it was the battery and had it tested at a shop, but they said it was ok.
Also pulled outside plugs and checked spark - weak but there. New plug wasn't any better.
Front brake seized and I was done for the season - August or so.
Heartbroken.
I bring her in for the winter. Hit youTube and the Clymer manual.
Pilot jets - gotta be.
After many videos, think I've got this, and spend a Saturday ripping out the carbs.
Cleaning them, I didn't want to do any un-needed disassembly so I didn't take off the top cover or vacuum cylinder. The screws to the float bowl were hard enough to get off and expensive to replace ($13!) I also didn't remove the float or check the float needle, as the bowls were all filled with gas when I drained them prior to removal, so I assumed they were letting fuel in fine.
I was actually surprised how clean they were inside after some of the videos I had seen, but sure enough, the slow jets and even main jets were all quite gummed up.
Soaked all those in carb cleaner, and cleaned the outsides and linkages etc being careful not to get any plastic or rubber parts wet, especially the diaphram on the vacuum cylinder as I knew it would distort them.
Blew everything out with compressed air.
Something I'm still not clear on is the jets - obviously the main jet interacts with the needle on the vacuum cylinder to modulate that fuel draw, and the smaller one provides a small constant source, like a pilot light on a water heater. So is the small one that can't be removed for starting, or interacts with the choke, or what? Why can't it be removed? I blew air in this one, but no carb cleaner for fear of getting it in somewhere it shouldn't, and didn't check it for blockage.
Because even when I got it all back together, it still won't start.
While I had the carbs off, I also lined up all the butterfly valves to be level - before the first was low, second high, last two level. By eye, but way closer than they were.
Was that a bad idea?
Also, the mixture screws were similarly off - so like an idiot I reset them to manual specs without writing down were they were, although I did at least take a picture which gives me some clue.
I assumed these had been adjusted to compensate for the clogged jets or out of whack butterfly valves, or it was all related and best set back to "factory" now that I had cleaned it all out.
Also I didn't actually pull the mixture screws and clean out that passage - could this be the blockage that's preventing adequate fuel mixture?
I suppose I should have known what I was doing more, but felt quite confident after it all going so well until it didn't work.
Now I don't know what to do - I was considering pulling the carbs again and fulling disassembling and cleaning them better. Am I on the wrong trail? I assume compression and spark are adequate considering it could be push started, although the head gaskets are leaking slightly and are one my list assuming I can get her running again.
The battery still feels flaky to me - it coughs promisingly right after it's been on to charge - but I think the shop would be keen to sell me one if that was it.
Or have I just thrown it all out to the point a professional needs to look at it?
Thanks so much in advance, and sorry for the length.
