QuestionChris,
I'm a novice, but I just adjusted the valvesand had it running
great last night and this morning. Then I stopped in a park for a
few minutes, and when I tried to get back on the road, it didn't
want to idle, like it was flooded. When I got it out on the road, it
had no power, like the choke was stuck closed. Worse than that,
really. I had to wind it out in first and second gear just to get up
to 30 mph. (And in fact the choke did try to close up when I got
into third gear. I had to hold it open with my finger. It's never
done that before, and that may be a new, unrelated problem.
Loose screw?) It rained pretty hard last night on the bike, which
was uncovered. Could water have gotten in the carbs or fuel
tank somehow? I pulled the carbs off and cleaned them out
about six months ago. They seemed to be in great shape, and
haven't ridden it much since. The gas in the tank was new. Any
thoughts? Thanks for your help.
AnswerHi Nate.
The problem could very well be water in the fuel. The way to test that is to get a clean, dry, clear glass container and (with the bike on the centerstand) disconnect the tank and drain the floats, one at a time, into the container. Then drain a bit into the container.
Remember to dump out any fuel and/or water between taking samples from each float bowl and the tank.
Fuel is lighter than water, so what you will see, if you have water intrusion, is what looks like one or more bubbles at the bottom of the container.
If you have water, then you must drain the tank of any and all water, then drain the floats completely.
A couple other things to double-check as well (in the event of no water in the system);
1) Is everything with the valves tight like it should be?
2) Are the carbs in synch?
3) Has the timing plate come loose and shifted?
4) Did the bike sit in storage with fuel in the system since you cleaned the carbs 6 months ago?
Let me know what you find.
Good luck.
FALCON
