I have a '96 F3. It sat in storage for two years and wouldn't start. I took the carbs completely apart, cleaned them, and re-assembled everything back together. It was the first time I've done this. I also changed the oil and spark plugs.

The bike will start with a little starter fluid in the carbs but will not turn over without it. Bike sounds ok but not 100%. I am a bit unsure if I put together the choke assembly perfectly but not sure that has much to do with it. Are there any common mistakes when it comes to doing this? Any ideas? Thanks for the help!

 

I think the most common issue is not re-setting the pilot jets. The pilot jets are set around 2 turns out from bottom. You dont just screw them in all the way. You bottom them out,(lightly, they can be damaged easily), then turn them out around 2 full turns. that is the starting point that should get the bike running. Once its running, you can fine tune them.

Another common issue is not getting the carb rack back on the bike correctly into the carb boots. make sure they are fully seated.

Also, floats can be bent easily. If you werent careful, you may have accidently bent the floats and no gas is getting in the carbs.

My first step would be to make sure the bowls are full of gas by removing the drain at the bottom of the carbs. if there is gas in there, move onto the pilot jets not being adjusted correctly.

Try those things. If its none of those, write back and maybe some other members here can give some advice. But without knowing exactly what you did, its going to be hard to suggest things to check.

Also, since the bike sat, I wouldn't rule out other possiblilties such as a bad plug or two. Starting fluid ignites far easier than gas, so a weak plug could ignite the starting fluid where the gas wouldn't ignite. Just something to consider.