Does this sound off to you?

[Fix]

I'm trying to get the bike running after rejetting. I'm certainly no expert, but this sounds way off.

http://s180.photobucket.com/albums/x...t=IMG_0122.mp4

I'm going out and picking up new spark plugs once the wife gets home to hopefully eliminate that variable. I haven't touched the electrical but I don't rule it out. I imagine I'm going to have to pull the carbs and reclean them again. The diaphragms were in what looked like great condition. With my luck all 4 carbs have dog hair or something in 'em.

[DGXSER]

Di you have the choke pulled all the way out? if yes then....
First thing is to pull the plugs and see what they look like. Are they soaked? If no then......

Did you mess with any wiring recently, get the coils switched?

[natemoen]

That's kinda what it sounded like when my pickup wire were switched 180.

[Fix]

Di you have the choke pulled all the way out? if yes then....
First thing is to pull the plugs and see what they look like. Are they soaked? If no then......

Did you mess with any wiring recently, get the coils switched?

Yep, tried it fully out and halfway, the video is full. I checked 1 and 4 plugs and they are wet. They looked dodgy enough that I figure I'd best change them, but I did get spark grounding on the block away from the plug hole. It wasn't a fat blue spark tho. I'll run back out and check 2 &3 since I just realized they're on the same coil. I haven't INTENTIONALLY messed with any wiring, but that's not to say I haven't messed something up inadvertently.

Thanks for responding.

[DGXSER]

If the plugs are wet with fuel, and you did not disconnect and reconnet the coil connections, and it ran before you rejetted it.....

Then I would make sure your mix screws are in to about 1-1/2 turns out from bottom. Pull all four plugs and let it dry out in there for about 1/2 an hour or so. Then put them back in and try it with no choke to start with.

If no go or same result, check plugs. If they are still wet, then you overjetted most likely, or you messed up the float heights or something.

[g15usmc]

sounds like its not getting gas...how do the flanges from the carbs to the engine look? I had that issue with one of the bikes i used to have, if its not getting fuel its not gonna work...do you have the filter/filters off? what color smoke you getting if any?

[Fix]

I'll pull the carbs back off and check the floats and go back to stock jets. I must have jacked something up. The plugs are wet, I'm getting spark, the carb boots are perfect, and I didn't touch the coils. I took the pod filters off and just have the velocity stacks on, in case I was somehow blocking that one small port in the throat of the carbs. It did start up for about 5 seconds but then died again.

It ran fine before I put on pod filters and the new exhaust. It did pop on deceleration, which I took to mean I was a little lean.

It idled before I rejetted, but died as soon as I touched the throttle or turned off the enricher. I figured that meant I had leaned it out too much with the exhaust and pods.

I work 2 jobs and go to school, the small amount of time I get with the bike is supposed to be fun. This is the opposite of fun for me. And it's not like I can afford to send it to a mechanic who may or may not have ever seen a carbureted bike before.

Thanks for all your help guys, I'm near the end of my tether.

[DGXSER]

It is frustrating for sure, we have all been there one time or another. And then, when you get it figured out, you feel like you just kicked the crap out of Mikey Tyson!!! And a month or two later you start looking for your next XS11 to tinker with and get running JUST so.

When it gets that frustrating, best thing to do is walk away, drink a few cold adult beverages instead. And give the bike a time out to think about what it did and why it should behave next time.

[jwhughes3]

i dont know why is not running

but you sure did a good looking job polishing that tank. looks very unique. or is that paint?

i like your seat too. did you design that?

john

[Fix]

The tank is just polished. The seat I actually bought off a member here. I believe it's a solo seat from a dyna.

[James England]

It ran fine before I put on pod filters and the new exhaust.

Many/most 4 into 1 exhausts don't need re-jetting of the carbs. You're saying the bike ran absolutely fine until you started working on it? If so, then the fualt will be something that you've done. If you didn't touch the electrical side of things, then I doubt it will be that.

What exactly did you do to the carbs? Clean them thoroughly? Just put new jets in and put back together? Completely strip them?

[James England]

It ran fine before I put on pod filters and the new exhaust.

Don't you mean it ran fine until you stripped the carbs? Or did you strip the carbs etc, put it together and it ran fine until you changed the exhaust and put pods on?

IMO, there's no way your bike would be like in the video just because of an exhaust and pod filters. I briefly ran my engine with no filters and no exhaust whatsoever. It should at least fire up and not be like in the video.

Looking at the video, I think you mean that the bike ran fine until you worked on the carbs. Logically, then, it will be something you've done/not done correctly on that part of the job, hence my asking exactly what you did to them other than swap jets.

[petejw]

u havent screwed in the mixture screws to heavily
and possibly broken the tips off?

[SLKid]

What about those finiky pick up coil wires?? That was my idle issue on my XS. Would start and idle sometimes and then would cut off, or wouldnt start at all and foul 2 or 3 of my plugs.
But I do like your idea of tryin the stock jets again. Wouldnt hurt.

[Fix]

Don't you mean it ran fine until you stripped the carbs? Or did you strip the carbs etc, put it together and it ran fine until you changed the exhaust and put pods on?

IMO, there's no way your bike would be like in the video just because of an exhaust and pod filters. I briefly ran my engine with no filters and no exhaust whatsoever. It should at least fire up and not be like in the video.

Looking at the video, I think you mean that the bike ran fine until you worked on the carbs. Logically, then, it will be something you've done/not done correctly on that part of the job, hence my asking exactly what you did to them other than swap jets.

It ran fine last summer. Last fall, I put the pods and shorter Midnight Special exhaust on it. It then would idle with full enricher, but die if I touched the throttle. I thought that was a jetting issue, so I took the carbs off, removed the jets, cleaned the carbs, and put in new jets (Going from stock 78e jets to 2 sizes up on pilots and 1 size up on mains).

After putting the bike back together it did what you see here.

Now, I'm not ruling out the possibility that there are a combo of issues, as I could just be lucky enough that my coils are failing while my pickup wires are fraying while my carbs are out of whack due to me getting the floats stuck (for example).

I guess I just had my hopes up that for once I'd do something and it'd work the first time and I'd get to ride my bike without the extensive detective work.

Again, thanks for the input guys, it really does help a ton. Helps my sanity if nothing else.