So i posted a thread about this a couple months ago and i was told to check my fuel pump...but i live in MN and havnt been able to ride much i was just gonna leave it till spring. I had the chance to ride the other day and i took it out and my bike did the same thing.....It started up and ran fine but when it sits at idle for a couple minutes (at a stoplight or something) it runs fine through first and second but than bogs down and struggles to even go in any gear thats third or higher, it jumps back and forth struggling to run, than i downshift to try to speed up and it just keeps slowing down until it finally stalls out. To restart it i have to usually choke it fully open and let it run for a second before i can attempt to even ride it again. It will usually run normal again after about 10 minutes of F'ed up riding with it stalling out like crazy. Would this be my carbs or fuel pump?

Its a 96 F3 with 18,000 miles, most likely carbs have never been cleaned out also the owner i bought it from did not take very good care of it....

 

Same thing was happening to me, try jumping the fuel cutoff relay. It might either be your pump or the relay. Try jumping it first and see what the outcome is. I don't think it can be your carbs, but Its worth it to check everything. But check things out first before you start buying parts. Also, check your fuel pump contacts, if the contacts are used up, they can cause the pump to stop working.

 

The bike is lacking for something, either air or fuel. I'll bet it's not gear related tho it seems that way. Safe bet if you went wot in 1st, you'll get the same results in the upper RPM range. But don't try it in 1st. Bogging in 1st is dangerous

Yes the fuel pump needs to be checked to see if its operational. But the flat spot you describe is more carb related from what I've seen. Check the fuel pump then get ready to dig into the carbs.

There's no magical fix to this. You've got too many unknowns to say for sure what it is. You'll need to find a starting point (fuel pump is easiest but prolly not it) and begin a process of elimination. And if you didn't stablize the gas, dump it cause it'll skew everything

 

alright sounds good. how do i go along testing my fuel pump to make sure it is working properly?

 

Well that's either hard or simple.

Simple way: Start the bike and put your hand on it. You should be able to feel it thumping
Hard way: Grab the manual and voltmeter. It has a diagnostic routine for testing the fuel pump, fuel cutoff relay and wiring

 

Alright ill give that a try and see what happens.

 

Couple things to add on your shopping list:

• Inline fuel filter. 18k and its a safe bet its never been changed based on what you've said. A stuffed fuel filter will affect optimal performance. Won't cause the problem you're describing. Mine was completely clogged and changing it did not affect it
• Air filter. Again prolly never been changed if the PO was as lax as you make him sound. Again will affect performance. But not as badly as you describe unless its just a sheet of plywood in there.

While you're digging round the fuel pump and air box you might as well do a little maint. If it turns out to be the fuel pump, you'll still want to do the carbs. Its due on the maint schedule

 

alright sounds good. i havnt had time to start on it yet but hopefully by the end of the weekend ill be able to get it all taken care of. thanks a lot for all the help ill let you know how it goes

 

the fuel pump was thumping so its not that....im working on getting the carbs out now but this might sound really dumb but i have everything off right above them and i cant get them off do i need to take the head off too? or how do i get them off?

 

Carburetor Cleaning & Tuning 101 by Dissevered

The differences between the F2 and the F3 are minor enough (like the ram air duct on the F3) not to make a difference