[FLHTbiker]

Maybe you should just step up and get a Harley and start riding.

I had a LTD1000 years ago, 82 I think and always had to carry a wooden handle screw driver with me. One to adjust it all the time and secondly to rap the carbs with the wooden handle as they would leak gas .

Get rid of all of the old gas, replace the fuel lines and totally clean any others out. New plugs and wires really help. Check the whole ignition system out. If its cutting out that bad it could be a weak spark or not enough fuel? Could also be sucking air causing a vacuum leak someplace.

[triggerbilly]

Originally Posted by FLHTbiker

Maybe you should just step up and get a Harley and start riding.

If somebody wanted to swap my kz for a early 80's 883 i would happily
'STEP SIDEWAYS' and do the deal

I'll check out those wires

thanks

[Lucifer]

Originally Posted by triggerbilly

If somebody wanted to swap my kz for a early 80's 883 i would happily
'STEP SIDEWAYS' and do the deal

I'll check out those wires

thanks

Not gonna happen TBilly. No one in their right mind would do it, they might sell you one tho. You'd need a truckload of KZ's to trade for some old iron .
If you had an early '80's Sporty,or 70's or 60's, you'd be ridin instead of wrenchin now.

[triggerbilly]

Yeah,yeah
Maybe you're right !!!

when in rome (do as the romans do)
when in america (ride a harley)

I'll carry on tryin to burn rice for now
(but secretly i would like an old sporty)

[Lucifer]

Originally Posted by triggerbilly

Yeah,yeah
Maybe you're right !!!

when in rome (do as the romans do)
when in america (ride a harley)

I'll carry on tryin to burn rice for now
(but secretly i would like an old sporty)

You must mean North America, eh,

I'll see if I can dig up some info on your problem and will be back in a few hrs hopefully with a solution for you, don't mess with the plugged air screws just yet,one of the guys I'm seeing this morning has 31 yrs as a wrench and I haven't run across an Internal Combustion Engine he couldn't make run yet, ricers included.

[Hdtractor1]

If its been sitting for awhile....pull tank line off and pull tank off...empty old fuel.Put a can of gum out carb cleaner in the tank and add about 2 gallons of fuel.Start the bike up and let run until is in carbs.Let the bike set for a day or two.....Then unscew big screw on bottom of each carb bowl to let the gunk out of the carb bowls. Fill the tank all the way up with good fuel and the bike may run ok and not spent a bunch of time messing with the carbs..

A friend of mine done this as normal protocal on all jap bikes that had set for awhile at the shop when he got them in.He was wrench man there for 20 years and rode his Harley to work at the rice shop every day!!!...lol...

[Lucifer]

Originally Posted by Hdtractor1

If its been sitting for awhile....pull tank line off and pull tank off...empty old fuel.Put a can of gum out carb cleaner in the tank and add about 2 gallons of fuel.Start the bike up and let run until is in carbs.Let the bike set for a day or two.....Then unscew big screw on bottom of each carb bowl to let the gunk out of the carb bowls. Fill the tank all the way up with good fuel and the bike may run ok and not spent a bunch of time messing with the carbs..

A friend of mine done this as normal protocal on all jap bikes that had set for awhile at the shop when he got them in.He was wrench man there for 20 years and rode his Harley to work at the rice shop every day!!!...lol...

You still got varnish in 2 and 3,#3 still has a jet plugged causing a lean condition and #2 is flooding out or has weak spark. try what hdtractor said or guys here say Seafoam works pretty good,It's gonna take some time to get them cleaned,it took a month or so to clean the carbs on that old yamahaha after sitting in a barn for 20 years , just stick with it, soak and spray and brush, all the time thinking " Sporty's only have 1 carb .Don't mess with the air screws, once you do get all 4 cleaned and running half decent find a shop that can sync them and get them to check it out. Good Luck

[triggerbilly]

I agree with ya lucifer
i've just been out to it to give it a try
(first time in 2 days)
started up first time (no choke)
set the idle, it idled perfect for 10 mins

so i think best bet is to get it on the road asap and blow the cobwebs off and out of it. I chucked some seafoam in with the gas too (which probably helped)

now cylinder #2 and #3 are Hot and
#1 and #4 are just warm (water drippin down them when i do a squirt test)

I guess uncle sam came and did some work on it while i was partying yesterday

[Lucifer]

Yeah ,Seafoam does seem to work at disolving crap.Go easy if its 20 year old rubber on it, keep putting some Seafoam in it for a few tanks, and you may be good to go.

[triggerbilly]

I might just go find a new front tire.
(all the rubber seems good on it though) wires,intake boots,hoses
tires have plenty of tread
I thinks it had been stored good for the past 20 years !!

I just wanna get some air in the flat front to take it round the block a few times
(see my other post, which went down hill pretty quick !!)

i'll keep ya posted

thanks

[chucktx]

once ya get some air in the tires, please be carefull.....even tho they have good looking tread, they are dryrotted, no matter how well they were stored. i would not try to be a speed demon with old tires, slow leasuly ride, maybe........just stay safe!!!.................

[triggerbilly]

thanks for the warnings guys

I ain't a speed demon even with good tires though !!!!!!

I don't know if i even will get any air in the oldies

thanks

[triggerbilly]

OK more news on this weird acting bike !!


cylinder #2 wasn't firing (it is now) it just started firing
then #1 & #4 stopped firing
Now just #1 won't fire

should i just keep running seafoam though it or has anyone else have any ideas


thanks

[Lucifer]

Yeah, Seafoam ain't gonna hurt it any so keep adding some, those carbs would be well varnished.Did you check for spark? Make sure you have a sharp blue spark,orange or even light blue isn't hot enuf.I would also think it wouldn't hurt for new plugs and wires.I don't know the firing order on them but I would start looking at the ignition coils too, I think there are 2 coils, so you can switch them and see if the problem switches with it,then you'll know its a coil, if you have a shop manual(you really should have one esp with old bikes) do an ohm's test on the coils. The manual will give the specs on what the resistance should be.
Good Luck, keep us posted

[Lucifer]

I was thinking later today that it could be the vacuum pistons are sticking then moving,then sticking again,giving you the symptoms you're describing. It's a lot of cleaning to do to get 20 years of crap out oif the carbs.
Stick with it, you'll get it.

[triggerbilly]

That could well be it lucifer
I had a sticking vac piston on one of the other carbs when i first took them off too clean.
I just gave it a very light sanding with fine grit paper (is that right for 20 years worth of crapola !!!!)

if it is the right way i'll get sanding the other 3 a bit better than i did !!!!!

[Lucifer]

That way could work I suppose,be careful sanding, when we got that old Yami going we had the carbs just soaking in cleaner for a few weeks before we could even get them apart,then we soaked ,sprayed and brushed the pistons and jets ,blew air thru all the ports for what seemed like forever until they were like new and could see light thru the jets and air went thru the ports,we put em back together, made sure the pistons slid freely, no sticking or binding at all. Put em in bike tried it, took em out,apart again ,rinse and repeat.
The lenght of time it took us to get that bike running right, I'm sure the guy coulda bought another bike cheaper, but it is his bike he bought new in '81 and wanted it going.
It can get frustrating man, but once you get it you'll feel pretty good about it.

[chucktx]

steel wool may be a better way to go instead of sandpaper..............just clean it good............

[Lucifer]

Yeah, steel wool would be better than sandpaper,better chance of leaving the piston material alone than with sandpaper,no quick fix tho,if you can come up with a 1 into 4 manifold for them old ricers,you'll turn some coin

[triggerbilly]

Well all the jets and everything else is clean, so i can just take the tops off them and clean the sliders (quick fix, just to see if thats the prob)



I might get down to Home Depot and buy some tubing and super glue at the weekend then !!!!!!