Motorcycle Repair: 1985 honda shadow vt700c, phenix city al, fault finding guide

Question
i bought my bike from my brother-in-law and he let it sit for about a year. i drove it from phenix city al to destin fl about 4 hours and drove it back and forth to work for 3 days with no problems then on the 4th day it started chokin out and dying on me at lights and the battery would die while tryin to restart it i added distilled water to the battery drained the crankshaft breather tube cleaned out the air cleaner element cause it looked pretty new then i added some sea foam and jumped it off and let it idle for about an hour thinking maybe it would clean out any build up it idled good for about an hour then when i tried to take it for a test drive it died on me while i was taking off thinking it was me i restarted it and tried again with the same result then when i tried to restart it the battery died need help please really want my bike back

Answer
Justin, if you don't have a manual, here's a download link for you.

http://hondatech.info/downloads/Moto/VT/VT700/

use second option which is a 24MB sized file. This has step-by-step instructions on troubleshooting and repairing the charging and ignition systems.

You could have either one or two separate problems. If the battery is dying, then you have to analyze the charging system first, after you get the battery fully charged off the bike. The charging system is more maintenance than for "charging" a dead/dying battery. If the battery won't hold a load test, then replace it. Once you have a good battery in the circuit, you can start troubleshooting the charging system. Use troubleshooting charts at www.electrosport.com

http://www.electrosport.com/technical-resources/known-issues/common-tech-issue?m...
http://www.electrosport.com/technical-resources/diagnosis-center/fault-finding-g...

Letting the bike sit for a year with old gas in the system is an invitation for problems, due to varnish buildup in metering circuits.  You might be having issues with a defective air cut valve, which can cause a vacuum leak if the diaphragm fails. Also the fuel filter should be checked and/or replaced. There is a control for the fuel pump, as well. The fuel pump could be failing, too.

Start with the basics.... clean fuel supply to carbs, clean carbs, functioning charging system, then be sure you have a reliable spark to the plugs.

Bill Silver