What is wrong???

[Guest]

Ok so I picked this bike up a few weeks ago. It was only running on 2 cylinders and carbs were pouring gas. I removed and cleaned the carbs and found a bowl gasket missing so I cut another which fixed the gas problem... Checked And filed the points which fixed the firing problem... Now had it running good and could get it to rev smoother up on the stand and in gear but not on the road... Had no power and couldn't get it over 55mph no Matter where the throttle or choke was... So next I ordered new intake Orings, carburetor ORings, soaked(1 hour in new chem dip) and cleaned the carbs again with air compressor and carb spray, and put it all back together... I'm running stock everything on it (as far as I know) but the exhaust baffles are toast... After I put it all back together I got alot of smoke but it ran better... I went inside to throw on a helmet and my jacket(few minutes tops) and come back out and see pipe #1 glowing dark red #2 nothing, #3 bright red. And #4 just starting to show a little red... On top of that there was alot of smoke... What is happening to the bike and what do I need to check next... I shut it down immediately when I seen the pipes and took a few pictures

[Brendan W]

Hi Efordman and Welcome.
You have a few things to look at.
Carbs running too lean. What colour are your plugs?
Ignition timing way off, late.
Valve timing off.

[Steve]

One hour in the carb dip? I know you think you were going overboard, because the directions say "15-30 minutes", but those directions were written back when the chemicals in the can could actually do the job in that amount of time. With today's formula, the directions should really say "15-30 HOURS".

Nice picture of red pipes, but I see you had to have the lights off to see them. "Been there, done that" on a previous bike.
Visible in daylight, CLEAN carbs fixed the problem.



.

[hannibal]

First time I dipped the carbs, I left them in for 24 hours. Assumes the carbs were clean but still couldn't fix my issue on 2 cylinders. Redipped all four for 48 hours and bike began running great.

Lesson learned: I'll never dip for less than 48 hours.

[cowboyup3371]

One other note, you should not let the bike idle for more than a few minutes without a fan on it. Your best bet would have been to shut it down while you grabbed your gear.

[Efordman]

So strip the carbs back down again and do it all over again??? I can only dip 2 at a time in the chem dip. All passageways seemed clear with good air flowing through them and into the carb throat. Could I have them way out of adjustment due to not starting from seated because of the new ORings??? I'll first go back and check my settings and see if they are all the same... The bottom screws would be the culprit correct???

Edit: also my screws are set at 1 for the bottom and 1.5 for the side I know one of the carbs is missing the spring fir the bottom screws will that make a huge difference??? I'm trying to keep from buying carb kits

[smilinbrad]

When your carbs aren't clean you can screw with the adjusters all day long and it won't make any difference.
Don't be a lazy putz. Pull the carbs and dip them at least overnight, one at a time, find some very fine wire and poke out all the passages, check the float heights, replace all O-rings and do it right. Otherwise you are wasting a lot of people's time

[cowboyup3371]

You don't need to buy any carb kits, just the o-rings from www.cycleorings.com

[Efordman]

Cowboyup that's what I did but I am missing a spring for one of the jets... Is there a way to get just a spring for it without a kit??? I appreciate the help but I don't really have 4 days to soak carbs due to my work schedule and planned on driving it to work... I'm very limited on budget so I'm trying to get it go the cheapest I can and fine tune later

[Big T]

You can use the spring from a ball point pen,cut it to length

While you're pulling out the fuel screws, do 2 things

1. Compare all 4 for length
2. Look down the hole they go it and make sure they're not plugged. Shine a light in the carb throat and compare the size of the holes where the tip of the fuel screws go, they should all be the same diameter

It's common for the fuel screws to be tightened down too much, reaming out the hole and breaking off the tip of the screw in the carb body

[cowboyup3371]

but I don't really have 4 days to soak carbs due to my work schedule and planned on driving it to work... I'm very limited on budget so I'm trying to get it go the cheapest I can and fine tune later

I understand the desire to ride and it's something that's hard to wait on but if you want it running properly than it's best to do it right from the start. It will keep you riding longer and with less problems.

[Rob Rorick]

Having little experience with carbs I did the same quick dip. Then commenced to beat my head bloody trying to figure out why the bike didn't run right. Pulled everything apart and did a close to 24 hr soak and started over. Bike now runs and needs some fine tuning. Don't rush it. I lost the best fall days due to rushing

[Efordman]

Ok so sometime this week I will be pulling the carbs off again and letting them soak for 24 or so hours. Then go after them with carb cleaner and the air compressor. Can anyone point me the direction of a gasket for the air box side cover??? I am missing the big rubber gasket for the left side I believe. If it's cheaper to go with pods and order new jets I'll go the route since it will all be apart anyway. What jets should I go ahead and order or is it something a dealer would keep in stock??

[2BRacing]

Use thin foam weatherstripping to seal up the left side of the airbox. It will be kinder to your limited budget than going the route of pods and new jets. It will also be kinder to the hair on your head, which you will surely pull out, because it is much more difficult getting the bike to run properly with pods/other jets, compared to a well-sealed standard airbox.

[Efordman]

Ok so the carb is cleaned and benchsynced it has new fuel bowl gaskets and ORings and is running so much better. So at this point the points are set to the best of my ability considering I have never messed with points. New points and condensers are ordered and gonna change them out anyway but still wanna do what I can till then. The carbs sat in chem dip for 36 hours and thoroughly sprayed out with air and carb spray. New intake Orings are on and tightened down and the intake vacuum ports are sealed up tight also. Now it runs better with only a little popping with the choke on and warming up and no smoke or anything with it off and warmed up. When riding it I have good idle and up to 1/4 throttle acceleration. Over that it doesn't have much power until I get over 5000rpm which is around 1/2 or more throttle. Would my needles be the problem at this point??? The needles are in the middle notch with a thin spacer on bottom and a thick spacer on top.