im still having problems with carb.

[The Youngster]

Hey guys, i just got the my xs11 today. Cleaned the gas tank. ( it was actually empty and clean already) i hooked up a battery and put some gas in. Just keeps turning over and over. Even with the choke on. What could be the problem. The mototrcycle has been keptin a garage for pretty much its whole life. Its has 3,783 miles on it and all orginal parts. Its a xs1100lh midnight special gold edition.

[jwhughes3]

Is it a new battery fully charged? If not, a marginal battery at say 11.8V will crank and crank, but if during cranking the voltage in said marginal battery drops below 10.8V to the electronic ignition, no spark.

Try pulling a plug wire and grounding it during cranking to check for at least a weak spark.

Try loosening carb drain screws to see if carbs are actually full of gas.

John

[bikerphil]

Spray some ether (starting fluid) in the air intake and see if it kicks.

[The Youngster]

And where would i spary starting fluid. This is my first motorcycle

[Shacknasty]

First did you turn the petcocks on? You prolly need to set them at reserve or prime depending on how much fuel you put in. You might even need more gas.

Now disconnect the fuel line, put it into a container, turn the petcock to prime and see if fuel is flowing. Next, loosen the drain bolt underneath any of the carbs fuel bowl. Don't remove, just loosen and see if ya got fuel.

If you have fuel, pull a spark plug, put it back in the plug boot, ground the spark plug's electrode to the block and turn the motor over. Got a nice fat blue spark?

Report back...

[James England]

I would set your petcocks to 'prime' anyway, until the bike gets up and running.

Do you know when the engine was last running?

[Shacknasty]

I once spent a weekend trying to start a bike with no luck. I put in more gas and...bada bing bada boom...she started right up.

[DGXSER]

Definitely put the petcocks to PRIME position. Your LH has the Vaccum valve to stop fuel flow until the engine is running. With the petcocks in the ON position if there is no vacuum created at the intake boot, which there is not when the engine is not running, fuel can not flow to the carbs. Putting your petcocks to the PRIME position will bypass that vacuum valve. Getting fuel to empty carbs after storage or cleaning is the purpose of the PRIMing circuit.

After the bike is up and running, you can switch to ON or reserve if your fuel level is low. If you have less than 1 gallon, I would definitly go to reserve. In those two positions, your vacuum valve is in the circuit. Once the carb bowls have fuel in them, it will start and run fine in ON or Reserve position.

[natemoen]

After 20 years (IIRC) of sitting, the carbs are going to have to come off and be cleaned!

[Yard Dogg]

Congrats on the find too! That must have the lowest miles of any Midnight I've ever heard of. You should find out which number off the assembly line it was.

[DGXSER]

If the tankw as empty, and the carb bowls were emptied, it is entirely possible if not likely the carbs will be fine.

[Yard Dogg]

When you fill your tank use some Seafoam to help clear out all the gummed up stuff, might run like crap for a bit though.

[bikerphil]

And where would i spary starting fluid. This is my first motorcycle

In the air intake snorkel under the seat. might want to check the condition of the air filter first, making sure it has not disintegrated. It comes out the bottom of the air box by removing the 4 wing nuts.

[The Youngster]

Congrats on the find too! That must have the lowest miles of any Midnight I've ever heard of. You should find out which number off the assembly line it was.

It has 3,764 miles on the engine. Its a gold edition or limited edition idk witch it is.

[fredintoon]

It has 3,764 miles on the engine. Its a gold edition or limited edition idk witch it is.

Hi Pat,
most likely the carbs need to be cleaned. But first check the spark by pulling all the plugs, laying them on the head and spinning the motor with the starter as you look for sparks.
BTW, the bike is a Midnight Special. It's the rarest and most sought after of the XS11s.
If you should feel the need to chop, bob or modify it, better you should sell it as-is for top dollar, buy a different XS11 at half the price and use the profits to pay for the modifications.