Don't hate me!

[Guest]

Okay fellas-

Don't hate me for being up-front about this! But, I have yet to take the carbs apart and clean them thoroughly! I bought this bike in August, and I'm just trying to get a good month or two of good riding weather in before I have to winterize her for the Michigan winters. It will be my winter project, I promise!

Anyways, here's my problem. I thought I was having a petcock issue, as the bike would only run in Prime position. If ran in "Run", the engine would die of fuel starvation. So, instead of going on ebay and buying another petcock, I threw one on the bike from my Yammie, which ironically had the same mounting holes and is a vacuum-feed petcock.

I have a fuel filter on the bike, so, I can see the fuel go through it. I ran the bike in the "run" position on the new petcock, and about a mile down the road, she died. I checked the fuel filter, and it was bone dry. I put it in "prime", started the bike, and she ran fine. So, this has led me to believe it may be a carb issue (blast it all!).

What could be causing this issue besides the unknown? I do not want to take the carbs off this bike until I am ready to store her. It's too much of a pain to remove the airbox, etc. Plus, I have no idea what I may find as soon as I take apart those carbs, i.e. (torn diaphragm, etc.). She runs decent now, and I want to rely on that!

The only reason I switched the petcocks, was because the other day I was on the highway, and she died on me like she starved of fuel. I had to choke the bike to restart it (60 degrees out, weird!). And as soon as I warmed it back up, no problems!

Any ideas besides cleaning the carbs out, lol?

[hjfisk]

then just run it on prime but remember to turnto on position when not running because if your needle seats are not sealing it will flood you engine with gas

[fishfarm]

Is the vacuum hose in good condition? I found mine to be split at the carb end and replaced it.

[gbw]

I agree with hjfisk. If it runs on Prime, and you don't want to pull everything apart to troubleshoot it, just run it on Prime. Sounds like some kind of vacuum issue either with the carbs or the vacuum line.

[JEEPRUSTY]

Nay laddie the overbearing lairds of laxity and lordliness would demand nothing but what they understand.

[FiremanBob]

It's easy to test the vacuum line. Disconnect it from the petcock, start the engine, and put your finger over the end. If it doesn't suck, you have a leak.

Another reason for dying like that could be a plugged vent in your gas tank cap. If air can't get into the tank as the gas goes down, a vacuum forms and the flow stops.

Leaving it on Prime could be risky if you forget to turn it off. The cylinders could fill with gas, causing hydro-lock that breaks things the next time you try to start, or leak down and ruin your oil.

[Nessism]

Run it on prime. If the thing hydro-locks or the crankcase fills with gas it doesn't matter right? F it. Flog that biotch until it cries.

[JEEPRUSTY]

Hydro locking is a myth.

My connecting rods bent from poor moral fibre!

[IanDMacDonald]

Funniest reply ever!

Nessisism's reply was funny as heck! I get it, I know! But, like I said, it runs for now. The cold will be here soon, and in the garage she goes. Cut me a little slack.

[JEEPRUSTY]

What is to be done? Will FOX or CNN do a piece on rightly enraged bike lovers?
I really think folks bugger old bikes out of pure ignorance.

NO chopper or bobber is nice. We are oft kind and say "if it is tasteful" but that is like saying to your thespian daughter "show em yer ****"

Nope they need to be culled and the bikes saved ate least given to us for parts.

[IanDMacDonald]

Kind of confused.

Reading Jeeprusty's comments, I assume it was sarcasm on his part, in-reference to my negligence of cleaning the carbs. My apologies for offending the die-hard bikers who feel it's necessary to tear a bike apart as soon as purchasing the bike. However, I do not have that luxury.

The bike runs decent now, and things can go wrong when getting into something as deep as cleaning carbs. Like I said, wintertime project.

Thanks for the advice fellas.

[JEEPRUSTY]

OMG
I am sorry.

This was meant for another post.

I had it i my buffer and wanted to drop it in a bobber oriented post.

Good god man sorry.

[IanDMacDonald]

Lmfao!

My sincerest apologies to Jeeprusty! I thought that was kind of confusing with the chopper/bobber comment!

[JEEPRUSTY]

It is my place to apologise not yours.
I am too fot the thorny wild child trying to irk dullards and others into a headache but in this instance it was a pure accident.

Serves me right for having a buffer full of tripe.

[Nessism]

Serves me right for having a buffer full of tripe.

Nice quote here!