Sputtering in lower gears..?

[AnonRider]

my 2001 500e is sputtering in lower gears. From a stop I can barely get it to move without it throwing me off. After I've applied a ton of throttle and flip it to 2nd gear it still sputters a bit and in third gear not so much.

it's intermittent at speed but always happens from a start. Had the bike now 3 years, nothing like this has ever happened...2 years ago I redid the fuel lines and changed out the exhaust- no issues the entire time.

Is this something I can fix? (novice without a garage) or should I bring it to a mechanic?... or is it doomed. Bought the bike for 1200 put about 400 dollars into it to get it nice.

[emanuel_v19]

Check for a vacuum leak. If none found, it could be your jets being way off. Also, start with specs on all settings. Im pretty sure its a dirty carb or jets. Most likely wrong jets.

[AnonRider]

I was going to try the sea foam to see if that fixed anything. I'm not sure if I can adjust the jets myself. I'll youtube it and try it though, can't hurt any worse than it is now.

[beRto]

What do you mean by "sputtering"? I took it to mean the bike wants to stall, but then you go on to say the bike throws you off (which sounds like the opposite of a stall).

If you've had it 3 years and never had this problem, then wrong sized jets can't be the cause. Assuming it wants to stall, it's quite possible an internal passage is clogged. Probably just need a cleaning.

I think an air leak is more likely to cause a high idle, not a sputtering / stalling condition.

[emanuel_v19]

When i had my intake boot leak, it hesitated and sputtered at a low speed. Clean the carbs first and checking leaks is pretty easy.

[AnonRider]

sweet, just waiting on the seafoam. i'll post back if it works or doesn't.