OK, I had the bike out over the weekend and was running very smooth (135mph) and then it just acted like it was out of gas. Sat on the side of the road for 3-4 minutes and then started up fine and got almost home when it did it again. This time it would not start at all. I had to trailer it home. So i pulled the carbs and put 2 cans of cleaner in them and blew them out with the air compressor. Put the carbs on and it ran great for about 4 minutes and quit. Would not start at all. Today I tried it and it only started with 1/4 throttle, not at all with the choke on or off. Now it sputters, will not stay running with out the throttle at 1/4. It is also starting to smoke just a little, is that just incomplete combustion or a bad head gasket?

I had just replaced the petcock also, the bike is a 1990 with 11,000 miles.

 

What model bike is it, does it have the electric fuel pump?
When you open the fuel cap after it stalls, does it go whosh?
was there fuel in the bowls?

 

1990, no electric pump. No noise with the cap... i don't think, yes there was fuel in the bowls.

 

Open a carb bowl drain screw and see if fuel runs out. Your bike has a vacuum shut off. There is a vacuum hose that runs from the petcock to the intake. Either crank the engine or use a break bleeding vacuum pump and put vacuum to the petcock and you should get fuel to run from the drain screw. The vacuum hose may be bad.

 

+1 Timbuctwo. The light smoke is a sign of lean mixture, ie no petrol.

 

OK, I will try that tonight, TimBucTwo. That is a releif Shadow1 I thought I was burning oil. Ill see what I can do tonight. Thank you,

 

You may have also developed a partial blockage in the tank vents, not enough to go whoosh but sufficient to starve the carbs - check those too....... Sometimes it's a small thing.....

 

On that note, I just had the tank recoated, so maybe so. Just whereare the vents? I know of one at the cap area.

 

I will say that this bike is one awsome ride. I also ride a 1982 Honda Ascot FT500 that I fully restored over the winter. Nothing compared to the 1000F!!! I just want it to run smooth before I get into making it look good.

 

Does only the early bikes have the pump.?