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Flooding a little too easily?

  • Thread starter Thread starter MatBirch
  • Start date Start date
M

MatBirch

Guest
On my wife's '80 550L, I have done every aspect of the carbs with regards to cleaning, and new o-rings, sync'd and adjusted as best I can. The bike runs great and usually starts easily. It seems to flood easily though. After sitting for a few days, it will flood if I give it even the slightest hint of throttle with the choke on. This weekend, my wife tried to start it while hot in 1st gear with the clutch in, and gave a little too much throttle and it flooded. We were just in a big parking lot so she could get some more practice. After letting it sit for a few, I finally had to bump start it to get it going.
obviously- "adjusted as best I can" ain't good enough! Lol! What direction should I be looking to improve this? Is it just a matter of practice? I need to take every step I can to ensure that she won't get stranded while out and about by herself.
 
"....I need to take every step I can to ensure that she won't get stranded while out and about by herself."

Good plan, if you enjoy living! Anyways, I don't see how you/she are "flooding" things assuming your "choke" is not stuck on- which seems unlikely since you said bike runs well. Have you checked petcock for correct operation and do you have the dreaded lever less petcock?
 
After sitting for a few days, it will flood if I give it even the slightest hint of throttle with the choke on.
Click to expand...

You don't use the throttle with the choke on, that defeats its purpose. It's not really a choke, it's an enrichener circuit that dumps gas into the intake. Use of the throttle leans out the mixture long enough for it to stall.

If you've warmed up the bike and have the choke knob pushed in to where it's just barely engaged and the engine still dies with throttle, then either the bike isn't warm enough or the choke knob is too far in. Or something is mechanically wrong with carbs or intake system. It only takes about 30-45 seconds to warm up the engine enough to run on minimal choke and only takes about 1/2 mile of riding before you can push the knob in fully.

This weekend, my wife tried to start it while hot in 1st gear with the clutch in, and gave a little too much throttle and it flooded.
Click to expand...

If the carbs are properly adjusted, you shouldn't need any throttle at all to start a warm engine.
 
Thanks guys! The petcock is brand new and function perfectly, the floats are set to spec, and the float valves cleaned and/or replaced. All parts of the carbs are serviced per the tutorials.
Charles- thanks for the lesson on how the circuit works. I just took the bike out, and after not running for 2 days, I used the choke knob and no throttle. I get nervous letting it just crank and crank and crank, so I give it a shot and let off the button. On the 4th hit it fired right up purring perfectly. After maybe 15-20 seconds I was able to start pushing the knob in. (It's about 90F here today)
On the hot starting issue, the bike was in first gear, so it has a little bit of resistance, even with the clutch in. It sputters but doesn't always fire easily without a little coaxing and some love. (My dirt bike will NOT start in first or second, even with the clutch in...) when it didn't catch, it flooded. It may have had something to do with kind of being bogged down a bit, as she is just learning and had been putting around an empty school parking lot for a 1/2 hour or so. Mostly in 2nd. Stalled it was the reason it needed to be started in the first place
 
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