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I feel like I'm flooding the forum with idiocy, so a thousand apologies, but my frustration level is kicking and I want to make sure i get everything right here...I've searched the forums and I think I know the problem, but I want to know if I need adjustments as well as possible a carburator clean. The problem is at the last bullet ***.

Chronologically
*Friday, bought bike, idled fine
*Saturday, installed battery, putted it around, idled fine
*Sunday, same
*Monday, putted around, but then left petcock on pri which drained 2 gallons of gas through to the ground. Turned petcock back to "ON" when I got home, and later rode it around that night. Idled and and performed fine. Rode for over an hour.

***Tuesday - changed oil, rode to uni. On the way back, I noticed that it was struggling at idle, and died once. Got back home and saw that the left of four carb rubber intake was not securely fastened with the spring loop. Fixed that and sprayed wd40 to look for leaks, found none.
I took it out later and after 10 minutes, it would die at below 2000rpm. As the engine got warmer, the thing died more often and finally quit and was UNstartable when I got halfway into my apartment parking lot.

Sparkplugs are fine (grey but clean, gapped correctly), waited an hour and a half and it started up again quickly, and would idle at 1200 or so, just as perscribed. But after warming it up a bit the idle dropped to 800-1000 and struggled for dear life, and adjusting the idle screw could only lower idle or cause it to skyrocket past 3000. It was also smoking a bit, which stopped after a few minutes.

I tried to adjust the idle screw and it couldn't adjust to the range I wanted, unlike yesterday. In fact, if it was adjusted in a certain way, at random times without ANY input other than GOD idle would go from 900rpm to 4500rpm; staggering past 1500 but then shooting up like all hell. Ie the screw was adjusted for 4500 rpm but it was stuck faltering at 900rpm until a leprechaun jumped in it and it revved itself. It can't idle normally. It's either dying or past 3000.

Did my gas overflow cause this? Did something clog the idle jets? Is it running lean or rich (sparkplugs look on the lean side but I've only ridden this thing for 2 days and owned for 4).

THANK YOU!

===EDIT to show that it's fixed!===

Definately sounds like you're getting too much fuel in rather large bursts. Try draining the carbs using the carb drain lines on the bottem and try again, see what happens.

Sticking carb float or float needle valve, that could drain your tank whilst sitting.

Remove carbs, check needle valves and floats, make sure none of your floats have a hole, shake them and if you hear gas inside replace the float, then clean and reassemble. Sticking needle valves replace (best to get a carb rebuild kit). Count the number of turns for all the adjustments as you strip the carb down then you can rebuild to the settings you started with. Then fine tune.

I hope you've got the workshop manual for the bike!

Also probably worth checking your fuel lines are in good condition.

Yes I have the manual. I'll try draining them first and then testing, but then I have a feeling that this weekend I'l be rebuilding the carburators. The manual makes it look so simple.

Update: Drained the carbs. I've been trying to start it, and it's taking a loooong time. It's been cranking for a sum total of at least 40 seconds, and halfway through it caught a bit, and then went cold again. I had the choke between halfway and full on, and was giving it gas.

What kind of petcock do you have? Are you sure there's even fuel in the carbs now? It'll crank for a long time and not do anything if the floats are empty.

Ok, got it started, same problem. My feeling is that it's the idle jets. It idles low and dies, and all I can't keep it easily revved at anything between 1000 and 3000. Choke doesn't do anything until it kicks in and keeps it at 4000.

Wait what... the choke kicks in at 4000rpm? Why would it kick in then?

Turn the choke on full, turn the ignition to on, then hit the starter. As the rpm picks up you can back off the choke. The bike should maintain its idle.

Once you have it semi idling you can adjust the idle on the bike with the adjuster screw.

Maybe check your petcock automatic fuel cut off valve, it's vacuum activated, mightn't be working properly. Your manual should show you how. There should be a filter in it too, clean that while you are about it.

BTW. Take it easy on the starter...5 seconds and then let it cool for 10-15 seconds before cranking again....easy to cook.

Pongo wrote:Maybe check your petcock automatic fuel cut off valve, it's vacuum activated, mightn't be working properly. Your manual should show you how. There should be a filter in it too, clean that while you are about it.

BTW. Take it easy on the starter...5 seconds and then let it cool for 10-15 seconds before cranking again....easy to cook.

AHA!

Tell me how much of a problem this could be: