mcgyverit

installed my freshly rebuilt carbs this past weekend only to discover that the choke mechanism on the carbs doesn't move. I was really looking forward to starting it again and listen to it idle, but... so last night I removed the carbs again and see what is wrong with the choke as it worked prior to the first removal, so something got boogered up at the shop.

used POR-15 gas tank seal kit. works really well, amazed that it came out clean on the inside with all of that rust I saw in there. since the rear frame was off, cleaned the rear end of the bike off in order to get ready for the assembly of the tank and such. putting new seals where I can on the tank to hopefully prevent any issues down the road. got a replacement fuel sending unit and fuel filter.

apparently wasn't sorting correctly through the drop downs on ebay. early morning and all, thanks again.

any hints on where to find a fuel sending unit? looked at the popular online parts places with no luck, saw a used one on Ebay, but that is really about it.

While the carbs are being worked on it was suggested to me to check out the fuel tank as well. no sense in cleaning the carbs only to put dirt/rust back in there. so I began the process of tearing down the rear frame. that sounds way more difficult than it actually was, and thanks to the poster on here somewhere that suggested to another member to go ahead and try it. some various bolts and a couple electrical connections is all it takes and in less than an hour the rear frame was off: http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e48/mcgyverit/IMG_1034_zps280ed588.jpg rear fender and frame: http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e48/mcgyverit/IMG_1037_zpsdd142c8b.jpg the black plastic front shield sort of just fell out, is there supposed to be screws holding it in place? drained most of the gas out of the tank before removing the fuel sending unit. that part was ugly! rusted and rust particles on the float. it wasn't working and now I know why. http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e48/mcgyverit/IMG_1039_zps25cc6d73.jpg got the tank off and looked inside and what a mess this is, but the tank is structurally sound so it is time for a cleaning and sealing. http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e48/mcgyverit/IMG_1043_zps10f2d4e5.jpg while it is down to this point, I am going to take some time and do a little cleaning and deal with the rear brake master cylinder since it is a lot easier to get to now. http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e48/mcgyverit/IMG_1042_zpsac09145c.jpg

Never could get it to run / idle. only way it would run was with the choke on and maintain about 2k rpm. so I have resolved to pulling the carbs and giving them a good cleaning. thanks to the many posts on here for information related to removing them from the bike. the throttle cables were a lot of fun I am sure putting them back on should be interesting. next step is breaking them down and get them in the ultrasonic cleaner with a solution of Pine sol and see how they fair.

well, the bike is running/starting better after many sessions with Seafoam. still wont idle, but now at least it seems to respond to the throttle more and more. but I started getting some backfiring through the carb which I think means it is running a little lean. did another session with the Seafoam spray and noticed that there was a leak coming from the left/rear carb as I was spraying it in the small tubes. I took off the air filter housing and noticed that that tube had the clamp in the upper position while the other 3 were in the lower position. I don't think it was able to clamp on the carb very well. while I was there I reached in with my finger and moved the black diaphragm piece down inside the carb back and forth in each one. only the left/front would not move. finally got it to break free and moved it back and forth several times, now it seems to be moving freely. next step is to put it all back together and fire it up and see if it runs/idles any better.

quant55 - thanks for that, didn't think they would still be available. everyone else, thanks as well for some cool options. Steve

thanks for the information, at least this shows there are options.

anyone replace the fairing mirrors with aftermarket handlebar mounted mirrors? the rh mirror has been broken off and seems to be difficult to locate one used or new (not that I tried real hard) and thought that maybe it would be a benefit to have some a/f mirrors instead.

Yes I did get the trunk but thanks for the offer.

thanks for the info. as it turns out the cap was just loose. this afternoon I started it again after tightening the cap and ran it enough to check to see if the fan came on and when exactly and you are right, just about at the end of the green scale it came on. so that is good news. I put it in gear while it was running and went up to 2nd gear but the speedo never moved so that may be a mild issue to resolve at some point. next is getting educated on carbs and get it to idle. after that I need to bleed the clutch m/c and get some fresh fluid in it and then tackle the brakes. reading all the other post sounds a little daunting, but has to be done. probably rebuild right off the bat just because it is totally dry. anyone do away with the fairing mirrors and replace them with aftermarkets that mount on the handle bars?

that looks great compared to the oem method

After soaking the carbs in sea foam for 2 weeks while in china, then spraying 1/2 a can of Berryman carb cleaner into each carb I cranked it and it finally started! Still have to have the choke on but it is running! I let it get warm and started smelling antifreeze and notice it coming out of the cap. Not sure what that is all about, but will save that for another day

Congrats on getting it running. since you have it running, I would put a heavy dose of SeaFoam in the tank and run that through for the whole tank of gas, it will help clean up your carbs and fuel system. there are a couple of other tricks out there on the site to go about cleaning carbs without having to take them apart.

got back from my business trip to China to find my previously lost title in the mail. so now trip to the DMV and get that switch to my name.

working on draining the carbs. BIG thank you to the website for instructions and the manual on how this gets done!

yammer dan that was my thought as well.

carbs need a going through for sure before any kind of progress in the running department goes. but it was nice to hear it purr even for a few seconds. work is going to halt for a little while, business trip overseas for the next 2 weeks but I am leaving on a good note for sure

today was the first chance in a while to mess with the bike. pulled all the sp out and oiled the cylinders. cranked it for about 60 seconds a couple of times off the car battery. check for spark at all 4 wires and got a decent spark. definitely need a new set of plugs at some point. couldn't get my compression tester hose on the heads to check compression, but felt air going in and out at each cylinder. put all the plugs in after cleaning them up and cranked it a few more times. put a few drops of fuel down the carbs and cranked but didn't start, not a big deal yet anyway, was just trying something easy first.. decided to put a little more fuel in there and see what would happen. cranked it and a half a second later it was running for about 2/3 seconds! one thing I did notice is that I don't get brake light when applying the front brake, but I do with the foot brake. now there is no brake fluid in the system, not sure if that matters or not, but will have to investigate that later. got that ugly windscreen off , that is really bad, I am not sure I can bring it back to life, but will give it a try, not out much other than elbow grease. got the information back from the DMV and getting ready to order the new title here in a couple of days.

The last 4 digits are 1663 so if I understand it right it should be good on the tranny

KBB's autocheck does come back as a 1984, so that is good to know, thanks for getting me to check!

Bongobob - windshield is pretty much toast as you called it. is this typical of that year/vintage bike? if I put a new one in I would hope that this wouldn't happen again. Pete - the seat cover is toast already, so a recover is in order. mostly a belt and suspenders kind of thing. I have heard firsthand how bikes ended up on their sides during transport due to improperly securing them and wasn't wanting that to happen. Rick - the color is faded, but maroon or burgundy. anyone know if there is a VIN check list somewhere that could tell me for certain what year it is? at least before I get the title sorted out. good news today with a temp of 0, I did get it to crank very slowly, part of which was due to the temp I think and partly because the battery is probably toast. but this means I need to keep going and will begin the steps to get it running. then going and stopping.

here are a couple pics the day I picked it up PO had a BOS from the PPO but that was it. as far as the title goes, not really a big deal, there is a form to fill out and you have to get it notarized and then they will send you a new title with the current owner of record, then pay all the taxes and fees and 2=3 weeks later you have a title in your name. although I am not sure what I put down for the purchase price since I traded a rifle for it..... worry about that when the time comes

thanks for the heads up Pete!