Well I bought a new fuel pump. Mainly because the bike had been sitting so long, the stuff in the tank had been so disgusting prior to flushing it out, and every time I ran the fuel pump it came out a bit brown instead of clear like fresh gas. Plus the fuel pumps were on ebay for $16 with free shipping. Hard to pass up a deal like that and maybe the old one just wasn't pumping properly.

Now I know the fuel pump is running because it makes a clicking noise (the new cheap fuel pump is much louder than the original) but...

the bike still doesn't really run properly. It runs differently however. It fires up, runs for a few seconds smoothly and beautifully, then it dies. Over and over. I can hear the fuel pump clicking away so I know that is going. It will not respond to throttle (dies) and will not run if I then shut off the choke.

The intake seals are all new since I started this project.

I am assuming (cringe) that the floats are set correctly because I had the carbs completely rebuilt by Wired George Carbs down in Texas. Ditto jets.

The air mixture valves are set at 2 1/4 turns out as recommended in the manual.

I do have to pull the airbox off again because I was turning the idle **** to see if I could run it up high enough to keep it going and now I have no idea where it is set. There doesn't seem to be a min or max, the thing just keeps turning so presumably I ran it past some stop and now it is just spinning.

I do feel like a step forward was made, but I also don't have a running bike. I was thinking to myself the other day how nice it would have been to have put the same amount of money and a lot less frustration into a running bike and been riding it for the last four years, but them's the breaks, I guess. This one does have family history so there's that.

Not sure why this is being such a pain. I am a Harley mechanic and I've never had this much trouble getting a Harley running, but that's probably because I have 25 years of experience with Harley's and this is the only Honda Japanese bike I've ever worked on.

 

I would be questioning the guy that rebuilt your carbs at this point, because what you describe sounds like plugged pilot circuits.

The other possibility is that whatever the dark stuff that came out of the pump got in the carbs and plugged them up. The pilot circuit is very small and plugs easily. THE PILOT CIRCUIT IS EXTREEMELY SENSITIVE! They won't run worth a crap if the pilot circuit is plugged.

The idle screw won't do much if the pilot circuit is plugged. Also, if the throttle plate screws that are on the carb banks (used for synchronizing) have been messed with you can loose idle screw control.

The cheap fuel pumps are just that CHEAP. They are junk and are dangerous as they melt down and cause fires. It is all over the web and this forum. DANGEROUS! Get an OEM pump on there.

 

That would be frustrating because he (Wired George) has a good reputation on the boards. I did find a small problem in one of the float bowls which suggested that he had hurried through something but it seemed like an issue which would have been easy to overlook so I wasn't too worried. Now maybe I am.

Is there a way to unplug the pilot circuits or is this major?


I am hoping to not spend a ton more money until I am sure that the bike will actually run and run well. I am OK with dropping $16 into it to see if that is the problem but at this point I would estimate (I am making a huge effort to never actually tally up what I have spent) that I have put a lot more into this bike than it will ever be worth and that I am approaching the point where even the emotional connection might not make up the difference. I do appreciate the head's up. If I can get the bike running properly I'll swap that out.

 

A clean pilot circuit is absolutely essential for starting, idling and transition to mains. Your description indicates there is something wrong with fueling. The engine won't make it to mains with dirty pilot circuit...rev up.

Have you tried running it with the choke on?

You should test that fuel is getting through to the carbs as well. Is it pumping out of the carb feed hose side of the fuel pump? Just hearing the pump run doesn't mean fuel is coming out. Normal pump operation is some clicking and then it should stop once it fills the carbs and pressure is built. Then it just clicks as fuel is needed...when idling it will click once every few seconds.