Hi Guys, Long time lurker, first time poster (I think, I don't actually remember creating this account...)

Firstly My name is Tim, I have a 96 model 1000F in Sydney. I won't post any pics as I bought the bike from a insurance disposal place a few years ago as a write-off and not many here will like what I've done to it since (and I might need all of you on my side so I will play my cards close...)

The story goes I bought this bike for the princly sum of $1500 almost 4 years ago, intending to replace my venerable FJ1100. But then i went and lost my licence... So I rode it anyway, but couldn't register it, and put around 20,000 K's on it, then suddenly grew up and decided get it all legal. well in the meantime I moved a few houses and gave up riding for a bit (crazy, I know) but a month ago I pulled her out of the shed so an try to make it all nice and legal.

It started up no problems once I replaced the battery, even on the old fuel, idle was a bit rough (I don't think I have ever owned a bike with a nice idle) but throttle response at no load seemed fine, and it warmed up and ran off choke.

When riding it though, any power at all and it just dies, I'm not great at playing mechanic, bu it feels like as soon as it comes off the pilot jets the party is over. It's rideable if you have the choke on but doesn't really run 'well'.

I pulled the carbs and stripped them down, spammed them with carb cleaner, checked all the jets and passageways spun clockwise 3 times whilst touching my nose for luck and then put it all back together and it started up perfect but still the problem under load.

I have had the carbs off 3 times now trying to re-clean, so I am wondering if there could be something else I'm missing? I don't think it would be an ignition issue, the engine still runs when you open the throttle, it just has no power (I couldn't even get it up my steep driveway without the choke assisting)

Searching through old posts I have seen similar issues all resolved by multiple carb cleans till it finally goes right.

Anyway, I'm sorry for yet another post about a carb issue, I don;t really think there's much you can tell me i haven't already read, I guess this post is more about reaching out for moral support before I bite the bullet and pull the carbs apart again.

Thanks for listening!

Tim

PS I made an account with a less-dorky username but it's waiting for confirmation and I'm impatient...

 

G'day cooltim, I would run some fuel conditioner thru it as well,the stuff u just add to the fuel tank if u haven't already.

 

What do the plugs look like Tim? Can you ride it for long enough for them to indicate?

My first thought is that the diaphragm rubbers have hardened or perished. You have given her new fuel now, right??. When you put the bike away, did it run with good power up to then?

Keep us posted and somebody might have a brain wave. For what it's worth, you have my moral support mate.

BTW...now we know, it will be a bit hard to shake the name. bunch of smart ***** here..not me of course

 

Welcome aboard Tim, here's some moral support for you and a bit of sympathy for good measure.

A carb clean and balance is a job I've been putting off as well, along with change the cam chain tensioner, check valve clearances ect ect........goes on and on, maybe I'll just ride instead

 

Yeah I dropped the fuel and replaced it with some new stuff, and about 5X the suggested dose of 'carb and injector cleaner'.

I haven;t had the plugs out yet, I bought a new set on the way to work today and will pul them tomorrow. To be honest though I doubt they will tell me much, I'm trying to be a good little boy and not ride it on the street till it's legal. I could go down the street and back up I guess and plug chop then try to roll it back down into my garage....

the diaphrams all look perfect, pliable and no holes, to be honest even after sitting so long the carbs looked great inside.

It had great power before I put it away, last thing I did with it is drop it whilst doing a rolling burnout, and cracked the left hand crankcase (I actually got an email form a cop who say the long black rubber line telling me he knows that it was me and knows my licence was suspended... so, totally worth it...)

When you warm it up and try to ride it, it will get to about 2K rpm fine and then it's just flat and the exhaust note changes to that horrible 'bbuuurrrr' noise an engine makes when **** isn't going well...

I was doing this without any air filter attached cause I refused to use it again after how much a ***** it was to get out, I have some pod filters here at work that were just delivered that I will put on it in the morning with the new plugs.

Unless someone 'fesses up about the the tiny 'on/off' switch I know are on these bastards somewhere (currently in the 'off' position of course) then tomorrow I'll do the plugs, give it a test hoon and if still no joy, dismantle the carbs and leave the important bits to soak in something overnight.

Tim.

 

Are you still running the standard airbox? If so I'd try it with the air filter back in just to rule that out. I think folks that have 'streetfightered' their bikes have had issues with this before. It's not that difficult to take it out/put in and it would rule out one more possibility in the process of elimination you're going to have to go through.

 

Re-reading Hawkwind's first (in a disapproving manner... for shame!) reminds me, I haven't done a carb synch yet, I bought the wrong sized rubber pipe to do the ghetto 'oil in a clear pipe' method. I thought there wasn't much point doing a carb sync till it was running half-decently, and they shouldn;t be that far our cause all the balance screws have done since that glorious burnout and now is sit in a corner, but could this be part of the issue?

I was thinking about the effect the restrictions of the air intake would have on the carb slides, and thought that might be the case until I found a video on yourube of an XS1100 carbs doing their thang with no air filter.

Tomorrow I will test with the pods and then with the giant stock airbox before I disasemble...

 

It may be fuel delivery, ie not reaching the carbs in sufficient quantity.....could it be a problem with the petcock, or vacuum unit.....?

 

Ok i put the pod filters in and it was better... so i bit the bullet and repaired the stock airbox and put it in and it was fine again!

I think i'll test to see if it was a mixture issue later and try the pods again. You can tell its running rich now so maybe the pods pushed the mixture too lean?

Thanks heaps for the suggestion guys! I may have been too stubborn to try the airbox otherwise!

Tim.

 

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