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Once I worked out the ignition bugaboos, I went ahead and worked on getting my 1100GL actually *running*.
Hooked up a little weed-wacker gas tank, filled up the carb bowls, jumpered in a helper battery from my Honda, gave it full choke, and hit the starter. Joy of joys! It actually started! Of course, with the inconsistent fuel delivery from my poorly-gravity-fed tank, I couldn't keep it running for long, but once it warmed up, it was idling perfectly -- even with the choke off!
I noticed a couple things during this process. First off, there's obviously a stuck float, since I was soon standing in a growing puddle of gasoline. Secondly, even though it idles perfectly, it starts missing on at least once cylinder as I open the throttle. My diagnosis of this is that there's a clogged pilot or main jet in at least one of the carbs. (It seems weird that the idle jets would be clean and not the pilot or main -- isn't the idle jet opening much smaller?)
The PO, while troubleshooting the ignition, had failed to drain the bowls when he buttoned it up back in October. That tells me that whatever gunk is causing these issues is probably minimal. So here's my question:
What are the chances that I can get away with using a fuel-additive carb cleaner and actually have it work? And if there's any chance, what brand and/or type would you recommend? The only one with which I'm familiar is Gumout. Or, should I try an aerosol instead of an additive? Which one?
Finally, since I put less than a pint of gasoline through it (and, via the stuck float, *into* it), do I need to change the oil yet? I was going to hold off on that chore until the bike is otherwise mostly road-ready.
Hooked up a little weed-wacker gas tank, filled up the carb bowls, jumpered in a helper battery from my Honda, gave it full choke, and hit the starter. Joy of joys! It actually started! Of course, with the inconsistent fuel delivery from my poorly-gravity-fed tank, I couldn't keep it running for long, but once it warmed up, it was idling perfectly -- even with the choke off!
I noticed a couple things during this process. First off, there's obviously a stuck float, since I was soon standing in a growing puddle of gasoline. Secondly, even though it idles perfectly, it starts missing on at least once cylinder as I open the throttle. My diagnosis of this is that there's a clogged pilot or main jet in at least one of the carbs. (It seems weird that the idle jets would be clean and not the pilot or main -- isn't the idle jet opening much smaller?)
The PO, while troubleshooting the ignition, had failed to drain the bowls when he buttoned it up back in October. That tells me that whatever gunk is causing these issues is probably minimal. So here's my question:
What are the chances that I can get away with using a fuel-additive carb cleaner and actually have it work? And if there's any chance, what brand and/or type would you recommend? The only one with which I'm familiar is Gumout. Or, should I try an aerosol instead of an additive? Which one?
Finally, since I put less than a pint of gasoline through it (and, via the stuck float, *into* it), do I need to change the oil yet? I was going to hold off on that chore until the bike is otherwise mostly road-ready.
I've currently got a line on one in good condition. I only mentioned the undrained bowls as a source of possible gunking. The PO claims that there were no carburetion problems before he let them sit undrained for four months, so I'm hoping whatever varnish has built up is minimal.
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