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Followup To
Question -
Hey. My Virago's running on one cylinder. This happened about 3000 miles ago, but last time it was just a caked spark plug - her carbs run a little heavy. So I pulled the plug wires, found the bad cylinder, and threw in a new plug. Simple. Thing is, it didn't work. She backfired something mean, too. I'm thinking it's the wire, but the way she failed when I was riding - slow - was a lot like the bag plug last time. Thanks in advance.
Thanks for getting me back so fast, Mark. No, the bike hasn't been stored for the winter; I've been riding it throughout the season. When I first bought the bike, about eight months ago, I had similar trouble (due to the carbs) and had to replace the plugs, but that was it. I also had to get a heating coil for the other cylinder, but that was only due to stripped threads. She's a '97 Virago 750; the most mods she's got are some Jardine slashcuts. I haven't had any other problems with the bike. I haven't checked the spark plug wire yet, but the way she just kind of kicked down to one cylinder made me think...well, I don't know; you're the expert. I've ridden her about 4,000 miles in the eight months I've had her, with consistent maintanence throughout. She'll start up when I give some choke, but the rpms will only hold just above stalling. When I pull the wire on the bad cylinder, nothing happens (the engine doesn't die, no change in rpms). Like I said, I've had no trouble other than spark plugs before. Thanks again, Mark. I hope this helps.
AnswerTony,
Send me an email address. I'll return electrical test information.
Do you have a multimeter (VOM=Volt Ohm Meter)? If not, get one. Sear Hardware sells decent meters for about $25.
Do you have the service manual? If not, get one. You'll need to know test procedures and component specs.
Describe the appearance of the spark plugs.
Do you have a cylinder compression tool? If not, borrow or rent one from a friend or your local auto parts store. I'll need to know cylinder compression of both cylinders.
Work on the above and we'll resume at your convenience.
Respectfully,
Mark Shively
