Background information: I purchased the bike about two months ago. I installed a Yuasa battery after the sealed Walmart died a few days after I brought it home. I rode the bike twice and put it away because I didn't have a licensed rider to bring me out. It's a '97 with 19,000 miles.


The problem is the bike constantly stalls when I release the clutch in first. At first I thought it was me simply being a noob, but after a decent amount of seat time I began to realize that wasn't the case. The bike idles well enough (3k with choke fully on, 1200 with choke off). I can get the bike moving at about 4-5 mph with the clutch still slightly depressed while keeping the rpm's at 4500, but once I begin to release, no matter how gently, the rpm's instantly drop and the bike stalls. I've tried launching ever higher but to no avail. My neighbor, with over 20 years of riding experience, tried to ride the bike but experienced the same problem. I've kept the battery full charged. I adjusted the clutch cable and I'm going to clean the carbs, drain the three month old gas and replace the air filter and spark plugs. What other areas should I focus on? My road test is in ten days and I'd like to take the bike out for a few more practice sessions before I go. Thanks in advance for any help.

it does that if your running on a single cylinder, check both plugs are firing and have a nice big bright blue spark, and dont hold on to them when you turn over the bike you'll get a nasty surprise if you do, just place the spark plug on the head, with the metal touching, use a stick to hold it there if you have to,
an air leak on one of the carb boots is another mabee, spray wd40 at them while the bike is running, if the revs change then there is a leak,
other than that, then strip down the carbs give every thing a good clean out and try again,
make sure you actually have a air filter, (stranger things have happened)
good luck

Hello and welcome to the board.
This may sound stupid, but are you trying to launch with the sidestand still down?
The bike has a safety switch that will KILL the engine if you try to shift into gear with the sidestand down.
Hey, just checking.
It's always the silliest things that make us nuts.
Otherwise, carb cleaning could be the next answer.
Yours,
Todd

You were right hmmmnz, it was running on one cylinder. One of the plug wires was corroded inside the boot. I replaced the wires and the plugs, both of which resembled Frederick Douglas. Launching at 2500 was magic. She's running a bit rich, but I'll hopefully have that sorted out soon. Thank you both for your help.

Quote from: Trwhouse on August 13, 2006, 08:57:04 PM
Hello and welcome to the board.
This may sound stupid, but are you trying to launch with the sidestand still down?
The bike has a safety switch that will KILL the engine if you try to shift into gear with the sidestand down.
Hey, just checking.
It's always the silliest things that make us nuts.
Otherwise, carb cleaning could be the next answer.
Yours,
Todd

lol no, he says that he could crawl with the clutch slightly engaged but when he went to engage it fully this is when the bike would stall


glad you figured it out, i also just learned how to ride, and now that i know how to shift and not stall correctly im glad i now know if the bike is doing something wrong and not me