79 1100 special wont stay running

[Lord Grizzlon]

went 4 a short ride. rough but rideable. stopped 4 awhile, revved engine til redline, blew all fuses but the 30. replaced them all, rode home.
now once again...

she wont start again w/ o startin fluid. I disassembled and cleaned the carbs. gas goes to all 4 carbs...Whoo hoo!!! still wont start..
btw, i checked the octopus, all is good this time

[TopCatGr58]

Hey L.G.

I can't remember the entire story about how you acquired the bike, or when, but a stupid question. IS this the same gas that was in the tank when you got the bike?? How long had the bike sat for before you got it. You loose an octane point a month when gas sits, and so after 6 months, it is quite old and weak already. If longer, then the gas may be so old and low on octane that it can't fire up under it's own power!?!? The bike will start with Starting fluid, so some things are working, but you say it runs rough!

If it's the original gas that was in it when you got it, drain it all out, and refill with fresh HIGH OCTANE(don't yell at me folks!), these bikes can and usually do run well with regular, but we're trying to eliminate something as a source problem. Just another idea to try, until you can provide more info IN DETAIL as to what you have already done mechanically to remedy possible problems. Like have you checked ALL vacuum lines, are the intake boots cracked, have you checked for leaks in/around them, did you actually disassemble the carbs and work on them when you cleaned them, how thorough did you clean them?? These machines are simple yet complicated, and without detailed info, it's hard to suggest where to look when we don't know exactly what you've already done/fixed/tried!!??

T.C.

[Lord Grizzlon]

let me start off...

same tank, new lining, new gas. I use 93 octane or better in all my vehicles, cars and the bike.
But you do bring up a point though. I keep drainin the tank and stopring the gas to use again whn im done workin w/ the carbs.

As for the fluid, w/ it, she will start but wont stay runnin. When the fluids gone, its a wrap. (bklyn term for it done)

[schpiff]

are ya sure #2 aint flooding and cant fire...I have the sorta same symtoms on a cold start..use choke and it will fire on 4 cyl. but two keep running(3and4) and two cylinders (1and2) load up..#1 fires but only a bit..#2 pops off at the get go but dies after only a couple secs..after idling with choke on to get the #3-4 cyl warm enough to take throttle without the choke I can rev it up without choke and 1 and 2 start popping out the exhaust like mad....rev it and they clear up..................
I have added fuel to the dead cylinders that are flooded and they will fire with the extra fuel..(cant explain why) but I still cant figure the cause for my floodage..warm is fine..but cold starts suck! I have been thru everything and more..40X over
Hope this helps ya

[Lord Grizzlon]

this may be 1 of thoese ignant (yes, ignant) moments but i dont think i hve a choke lever on my bike

[fusionking]

Without a choke, I think my bike would truely SUCK! You have got to figure that out FOR SURE. Garry

[TopCatGr58]

All Choked Up!?

Hey there LG,

The choke lever is on the #1 carb, there usually is a rubber tip covering it large enough to fit your thumb, but sometimes they dry rot, fall off, etc., so it might be exposed metal. The lever pulls out to the left side, there is a hinge on the bottom of the lever. The lever sits towards the front of the carb body, on the top, there is a long rod that it is attached to, that pulls the choke plunger/enrichening device out on all four carbs. It usually has 2 stages, full and partial and then all the way in. Pulled all the way out is full choke. Once the bike is started and run for a little while, you can usually push the choke into the second stage, run another minute, then pushed in completely=no choke, and should keep running if it's gotten warmed up enough. If you don't want to wait, just take off and after driving it a little, remember to push it in, you don't want to drive with the choke engaged for very long.

My idle circuit isn't great, until my bike warms up a fair amount, it won't hit on all four, have to keep it revved up a bit for the first few minutes before it will accept throttle smoothly from idle! Good luck finding it.

T.C.

[schpiff]

Ok..OK...Not the choke, THE starter jet/idle enrichment/choke. Clymers uses all of these to refer to the choke. Pick one ya like and use that.

[schpiff]

Sorry LG..I was thinkin you were beein..funny..I apologize sincerely. Top G is tellin ya true...