QuestionHi I just bought a Honda 1974 550F Super Sport from the original owner. It has 23K miles and is immaculate condition. If the bike sits for a few days its very very hard to start. The orig. owner said its always been like that from new!? He says its prone to being flooded. He said turn on fuel cock twist the throttle a little ONCE
no choack and it will start IF its been started every other day. I had the carbs cleaned and timing checked new plugs, fresh gas BUT same problem. I read some place these must be run had and often? What do ya think? I cant believe this is normal. Thanks in advance Ken
AnswerKen,
good bike, usually.
-I suggest first doing a compression check,
as this will affect everything else.
Around 150 psi would be nice.
Rings could be stuck even with it's low mileage.
-If it floods then the float needles must be
worn. Also check the gas valve or petcock flow
as these can get faulty.
-Make sure battery is good and fully charged
for good ignition.
-normally choke use would be necessary when cold.
if it starts without it, I suspect
leaky float needle/valves, plugged air filter,
float levels too high. Is it running well when
warmed up?
-are the plugs dry or wet when you have this no-start
situation? Maybe you can narrow it down to
no-fuel or too much fuel.
Will it fire on some wd-40 or such?
-were carbs thoroughly cleaned, like physically
cleaning the idle jets with a small wire?
These can often remained plugged due
to their small size.
