hello all from trenton nj

[nabonline]

hi all,

i'm new to this site and to biking. recently bought a 82 yamaha xj550 maxim. its great fun ... when i haven't had an issue of some kind.
anyway i just posted a question/problem for feedback in the new biker forum and i think i'm going to copy and paste it below too.
besides that, dop a line! - Thanks - Nathan



i'm new to bikes and recently bought a yamaha xj550 maxim as a starter (your call on whether it was a good choice). yesterday i was riding and near the end of the ride it started dying when i would give it throttle. it would accelerate some and then nothing, accelerate again then nothing. first i thought i might be running out of gas. i switched to the reserve as i pulled over and it stalled and i could get it started again. fortunately i was only a couple blocks from home. right before this started the gear pedal seemed to not be locking in when i tried to shift - maybe i was imaging that though or it was just not accelerating at that moment when i was trying to shift. when i try and start it tuns over fine, but doesn't catch. it also seems to be turning over louder than before, almost with a vibrating or fast low rattle.
anyway i had been having trouble starting it since i had bought it until recently when it started getting warmer. a little starter fluid would usually get it going. i charged the battery and checked the plugs. soon realized the choke cable was frayed and thought that might have soemthing to do with the bad starting (no choke when cold). had that replaced and had the same problem until it started getting warmer and it would start on its own. friend thinks the carburetor might be gummed up somewhere - i forget which parts he suggested it might be. i know very little about maintenance anyway and don't know if i could tackle that.
so, any thoughts? (if you made it this far ... sorry about the rambling)

Nathan in NJ

[Wizzard]

Welcome to the forums Nathan . I would definitely clean your carbs and I think I would have someone check the coils as well .
Regards, Wizzard

[yoda731]

Hey, Nathan.

I have been on the board for about 3 weeks now, and bought an '81 Honda CX500 a week ago. Still doing some basic maintenance (changing all the fluids, adjusting the clutch) so I haven't actually ridden much. All the maintenance I do, I am doing from a manual, so I am not much help technically.

This site has been a great resource for me already. Hope you enjoy it. Welcome!

JC