Petcocks Installation: reversed vacuum and gas lines... help

[Malamore]

I rebuilt the petcocks on a 79 XS1100SF. When installing the right side I must have looked at the diagram wrong but I hooked up the air line and the gas line backwards. I switched the lines back but not until after I tried to start it. It won't start now - she just turns over and backfires.

Anyone else done this or am I the only idiot? What things should I do to correct the problem? Should I take the diaphram a part and clean it out? Any thoughts?

Thanks!

[Duster]

Malamore: I'm not sure what you mean by air line but my 79SF had the fuel petcocks switched so I was hooked up corectly by the book but was bypassing the octopus vacume system. You need to get all the air out of the fuel lines by turning to prime and may have to barely remove one fuel line to let fuel into the carbs. The vacume system alows fuel to flow only when the engine has vacume. Hooking them up backwards allows fuel to the carbs all the time when the fuel valve is on. A sticking or sunk float will fill the cyclinder and air box with fuel. Fuel is not sucked into the carbs but allowed to flow through the octopus with engine vacume. There should be no air in any fuel line. Hope this helps.
Duster

[strom]

Clean the lines, air in the gas line does not help, but it's no biggie. Clean the spark plugs, let it sit for a while and she should be OK.

LP