Motorcycle Repair: 2005 Honda Sabre will not idle, 2005 honda sabre, air fuel mixture

Question
Hello, I have an 05 Sabre with 9k miles. The bike will only start if I use the choke but will only run for about 3 seconds. If I do not use the choke it will just turn over and over and never start. It will idle if I work the throttle but it sounds horrible. It has new plugs and air filter. It is getting fuel because I removed the carbs and cleaned and there was fuel in the bowls. The air-fuel mixture screws are set to what the manual stated. I pulled the plugs and I could see a spark on the plugs plus they were a little damp. I can blow throught the fuel filter and it has fresh gas. It had been acting funny by backfiring on decel. It had been running good up until then. Aslo during all of my trouble shooting the battery got very week (it is still the original batterty). Would a week batterty cause the bike not to idle? If I charged it a bit it will turn over and do what I had said earlier. Not sure what to do now.

Answer
Hi Anthony...

Can't accurately troubleshoot a modern bike with out a good battery. I usually tell my customers that a motorcycle battery can have an expected life span of 2 years under constant use. Less if the bike is stored seasonally. So regardless if the battery is the problem, you need a new one. If your bike has been sitting (not used) for an extended period of time (a few months or more) than the problem is sure to be found in the carbs. You need to take them off and clean all the jets and the small pathways. Sounds like your slow jet(s) are buggered up, hence the reason the choke will get it started. But put a new battery in it before ripping your carbs apart. It actually could be the problem. The battery runs all the electrics including the ignition. The alternators primary purpose is to charge and maintain the battery. Although the alernator is capable of running the bike, it often has trouble doing that when the battery is demanding so much of it. So install a new battery first, if the problem persists, I would suspect the carbs are gummed, especially if the bike has sat dormant for a few months. Good luck Anthony!!

Jack