I deem myself too stupid to figure this out. Or maybe I just dont have the patience anymore. Bike is going up for sale. Time for something I don't have to wrench on for hours to get a solid ride out of. Im at the point of pure frustration.

I assume a few of you been following my recent posts and understand the troubles I been going through.

I went for a ride this afternoon after adjusting the pilot screws to spec'd settings (yet again) to see if it helped.

I pull in and turn it off and just SMELL & SEE gasoline practically pouring out the carbs. I guess my air box is not on tight, for one.. gladly showing me how much excess of fuel is being wasted and drained to the nearest exit it can find. Notice in the video the drip of gas out of the airbox boots, and near the end of the video how much gasoline is on the ground..

I've called a few shops asking for quotes/advice and its as if they almost humiliate you for the bike being so old, as if its a lost cause... Not forgetting to mention the PRICEY quotes I've received. and im sorry my friends but I think I have the same thought. Atleast for me anyways.. Im far from being a true mechanic, if the book doesnt say it, I cant do it. I guess a bike of this age is out of my league, do to the fact I cant keep it running.

Expect to see a classified ad for this real soon. Im throwing in the towel!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ol8oUVe8RdY

 

You got a nice looking bike there. If I were near Modesto I'd buy it from you. Unfortunately it's a bit of a slog to get her back to the UK so I'll have to pass this time.
I think your dealers in Modesto suck anyway. It's not the first time we've heard about them here! They're either lazy, disinterested fukcs or just ignorant as far as I can see.
That doesn't look as though it would be much of a problem to sort out. Phone them and tell them you want the whole thing rebuilt, agree to any jumped up quote they give you, have the work done and then move house. That way they might improve their stupid, narrow minded, greedy attitudes when they're faced with the reality of having to sell of a real classic bike to get their money back. Or it might just get you a collar fondling by the local sheriff. Sounds fun either way.
Sorry you're selling up. In another town you could be telling a different story.
Hope you find what you're looking for.

 

I know you're at your wits end. I tend to find some of the shops here have the same attitude as there & unfortunately so do many of the other riders until I blow them away. It's a pity there are no other hurricane riders or at least trustworthy mechanically minded riders nearby that could take a look. The problem really doesn't look to be exceptionally bad but just in need of a discerning eye. I hope someone pops up just in time as your bike really is a nice specimen & they are great to ride. Once going properly there is very little maintenance required to keep them going.
If you do sell we'd all be sorry to see you go. Best of luck.

 

Sorry to hear about your predicament mate. If you were this side of the pond then i could maybe help as i'm not bad with a spanner myself and i have a couple of motorcycle mechanic friends that would either fix it cheap, or tell me what to do so i could do it myself. Have you tried your local papers etc for maybe a mobile bike mechanic? Not sure if you have them over there but we have a couple in our local towns and they tend to be a lot more sympathetic and cheaper than dealers.
I wouldn't have thought it was much to be honest. I'm not a carb expert but i bet it's only something silly like a sticky float. Sometimes tapping the carb where the float bowl is can unstick them but it's pretty easy to take the float bowls off and clean them and put them back together. Only usually 4 screws in the bottom of each float bowl and a pin of clip of some sort holding the float in. Have a look online for some diagrams and have a go before you throw the towel in.
Hope this helps.
Cheer up matey.

Gaz

P.S. Anything else i can do just PM me

 

Yep, my guess is you have a float sticking or a needle valve leaking.

Sorry to hear you're having more problems, though.

 

That's a bummer mate. It has to be the float valves, sticking float (s) or something simple that is teasing you. I went into my shed once not long after getting mine and there was petrol all over the floor. Got really p!ssed off trying to find out why but sorted it in the end.

I'm no mechanic either but if I could I'd be over there like a shot to try and help you...I'm sure any of us would!

Good luck and, if you do sell, show us a pick of your new ride...unless it's a Harley..but then that's unlikely since you're after something reliable.

 

Bad luck there Ebinsqueezer. Has to be something to do with the fuel delivery, probably what has already been mentioned. Could it be the rubber o-rings on the main fuel delivery shaft....? I've heard of that being a problem on the older models. I had a similar problem on my Z1300 - filled the airbox with fuel - I gave the float bowls a whack with a hammer (after having them off 5 times, and each time having a different problem.) I think mine was due to microparticles which got through my fuel filter, somehow, and maybe old fuel as a side effect. The jets kept blocking..................
FWIW
Sorry I can't be more specific.

 

Dont give up! You can do it!

 

I had problems with my carbs doing similar things. It didn't get completely sorted out until I took the carbs completely apart and cleaned them up. I think it was the floats sticking. Everything was pretty gummed up in there.

 

Carb issues can be frustrating and expensive. I know...been there, done it. When I bought my bike, guy let me test ride it first. Rolling the throttle back did nothing...bike went nowhere. I asked him about it, he said he never noticed, all seemed good after he changed the needle and seats.

I bought the bike, and brought it to the local Honda dealership, who had an older mechanic who worked on these when they were new. He told me he found the previous owner had rebuilt the carbs and left the old o-rings in and just added the new ones over top. He also suggested new sliders. So basically he rebuilt all 4, parts were about $450, labor $400, synced them up, and what a difference. (when you rebuild them right. )

I was lucky to find a mechanic willing to work on it, and the parts. I had to wait 2 months for them to find the last gasket kit. This guy was even willing to replace the ACG chain on my '87, which I would up selling before I got involved.

It's a tough call to make, but in end you have to be happy, and I guess if you're not ridin' you aint I hope it all works out for ya.