Hesitation/spuddering on take off (1st Post)

[Joey2]

Hello everyone,

I just bought my first bike (1982 GS 1100L 12K miles $1500.00).

On 1st ride the first 40 miles it ran like a bear, the last 10 miles it would idel rough and spudder, hesitate on take off between 2k and 4K RPM, after that it would surge.
I let it cool down that day and tried it later but the problem did not go away (nice try huh?).

I've done a search and it seems that a carb cleaning is in order (seems like a common problem).

Today I checked petcock, screen was clean. Tank had rust particles in it so I took that off and cleaned thouroughlt with fuel. Air filter clean, sprayed carb cleaner in the carbs, drained carb bowls. Problem still exists.
I took it out and drove it for about 5 miles, then pulled the plugs. Plugs #1 and #4 light colored (white) and #2 and #3 dark. A white plug means that it is lean correct?

Tomorrow I will clean and dialect grease all electrical connections.

The directions on carb cleaning seem clear, however, I'm not sure if I want to dive into that myself. At this time I do not know of a mechanic or dealer that I trust would do a thourough job (any suggestions in the Buffalo, NY area?) I may have to try it myself.

If it is the carbs, and they are to be cleaned and gaskets / O-Rings replaced what price range should I expect to pay for this?

Is there a kit (O-Rings / gaskets) I can buy for this project?

Any advise/suggestions are greatly appretiated! Thank You.

George

[chef1366]

O-rings here http://www.cycleorings.com/

I use Berrymans carb dip.

I've never just bought gaskets so I don't know where to get those. I buy the K&L carb kits off georgefix on Ebay.

Don't be afraid of rebuilding the carbs. The first time I did it I printed out the whole carb cleaning series and followed it to a T. It wasn't hard at all. Make sure you use good tight fitting screwdrivers on the jets and ecpecially the idle mixture screws. The hardest part for me was wrestling with the airbox (which I lost long ago) If your airbox boots are hard and hard to manage buy some new ones. While your at it replace the o-rings behind the intake boot between the head.

Sounds like you need to cream your fuel tank. You can get a gravity fed 5/16" fuel filter (like lawn mowers use) to protect your fresh clean carbs.

[tfb]

You should also sync. the carbs (if badly out of balance, they will produce the 'spuddering' you describe), check that the little breather vent in the fuel cap is clear, ditch any inline fuel filter that might be installed... oh, so many things... make sure you've got a clean air filter, a fresh set of spark plugs (that'll fix many a problem!), etc.

Start with the basics (plugs, air filter) and work from there. All the best!

[Joey2]

Hey guys,

Thanks for the advice!

Update, today I cleaned all electrical connections and dialec greased them. The ground from the negative battery cable to the block was corroded, as was the connections at the coils. The bike runs good again like it did when I first got it! Go figure. I still might do the carbs, but for now I want some more ride time.

I still may have to adjust the carbs # 1 and # 4. The spark plugs are white after a ride. What do I have to adjust to resolve this problem?

Thanks again,

George