ive just about got them off again, quick question before i mess something up, with the clip off does the needle piston twist out or should it just move freely out of the inside of the needle?

pulled the carbs again, cleaned everything, again. needle pistons seemed to be working correctly. checked the gap on the plugs. put everything back togther, bike fired right up, reved fine, took it up and down the street 2ce and it started bogging again, pulled into the driveway and it choked and died didn't even make it up the hill. pulled the plugs and i found this on the left side...



what in the world is going on with this thing? im starting to wonder if im better off kicking it over and burning it :*( its performing worse now then before, bogging at anything more then 5k and just dieing....

What plug are you running?

Those springs just pop out with the little clip missing, but you probably know that now.


Valve adjustment been done?

Carb sync?

I cant recall.

carbs are synced but no valve adjustment yet... im worrying it is a valve, the bike has been idling really high once it warms up (which ive heard is caused by an air leak around the intake boots?) the bike also when warming up will make a decently loud pssshht noise like a blowoff valve and drop in rpms for a split second every minute or so. sounds like its coming from the top end above the exhaust, i always figured it was a worn out exhaust gasket, but i replaced both when i wrapped the heads and it still occasionally does the noise.

the plugs are NGK's i believe? they came with the bike when i bought it.

well get 2 correct plugs and.gap.correctly. i changed the plugs on my wifes car.today and one literally came out of the package like that.

you have no idea what the prior owner did, so start over on plugs.

Get some new plugs, check the gaps before you install them.

I can think of a few things possibly going on here.

1. Problem in the bottom end causing the piston to travel too far and contact the spark plug.  Bad news.
2. Detonation caused by poor fuel, timing set incorrectly, bad spark plug, or other issues - Replace the plugs with the correct ones (cheap test), do a compression test, check the timing rotor and timing chain to make sure they are configured properly, drain and replace the fuel.

Thanks guys glad someone else is helping here. I am not the pro, but I am willing to admit it.

Know a few things, but then depend on the forum after that!

Let us know OP!

I'm not an expert either, but I'm mechanically inclined, have some experience with GS, and I'm decent at googling.

righton thanks a bunch for the help guys, i thought i had it after the first carb rebuild but its being a pester, im picking up new plugs around noon tomorrow i will pull the tank and drain it completely, refill and retry. if its still not working i will check the valve gaps, and replace shims... if its still giving me problems im going to post it on craigslist or shove it off a cliff

don't forget to check timing chain.. you can do that when you check the valves I believe.

so its pouring today but i got new plugs got them in. bike refuses to start with the choke on, remove the choke bike fires up, idling extremely low the moment i touch the throttle at all it dies, let the bike warm up for a few minutes, touched the throttle and it hesitated a bit, reved to just under 4k then dies again. restarted the bike let it warm up a bit but it refuses to rev passed 4k... i did drain the fuel and put new fuel in but with the rain i wasnt going to open the top end up and start checking valves and timing chains. hopefully on Thursday ill get some nice weather in the morning so i can pull it and check it out. what small things am i looking for timing chain and sprocket wise?

Man sounds like a fuel issue there, really does.

Positive you have the fuel lines on correct from petcock to carbs?

No missing orings carbs re assembled correctly? Inspected and cleaned all portions of the carbs? Those ar passages can get some gunk in them and that will throw the whole thing off.

Sounds to me like the bike is running rich, and maybe only firing on one cylinder.

Quote from: RossLH on July 02, 2013, 06:07:43 PM
Sounds to me like the bike is running rich, and maybe only firing on one cylinder.

this is exactly what it sounds and feels like... but cant figure why. starting to lean twards a stuck valve or something along those lines...

when i had the carbs apart the first time i followed the quick clean video on youtube, the second time i had them apart i pulled the diaphragms and emulsion tubes and needles and literally cleaned EVERYTHING. checked all the orings and seals everything seemed good. (one thing i did notice was the floats where noticeably a lighter color... dont know if that means anything)  I guess when i have them apart tomorrow i will double check everything and then get a quick sound clip for you guys.  IM positive the fuel lines from tank to petcock and from petcock to carbs are right, i double and tripple checked with the diagram in front of me lol.

Check the float heights with a clear tube. Make sure they absolutely no higher than the float bowl gaskets.

weather and work have been killing me (i work 60hr weeks i get 1 sometimes 2 days a week off and the last 4 have been complete washes with rain) doppler says only 40% chance after 12 tomorrow so hopefully i have a chance to tear this thing back apart again... im going to check valves, timing chain and gears as well as total float height a pray its somthing carb related and not top end wise

Why don't you start with the simple stuff first? Check the floats with the tube, takes minutes and no disassembly required. If one of the floats is stuck open or not sealing, that side will run way too rich, possibly even too rich for that cylinder to fire.

Don't get too ahead of yourself. Rule out the simplest fixes first. One step at a time.

what is the tube ID for the float checks? i will do that tomorrow first thing, most of the advice was based on the fact that pre original cleaning the bike was flooding which was obviously passed a float issue, but since cleaning it seems like ive removed that one issue but now have 3 more, its just a narrowing down now but without riding the last 3 weeks ive been going crazy. im more irritable at work and i miss it like nothing else, getting on my bike was my way of getting away and i feel like im stuck without it tomorrow is supposed to be nice so wish me luck

Quote from: JollyRojer on July 12, 2013, 09:11:05 PMmost of the advice was based on the fact that pre original cleaning the bike was flooding which was obviously passed a float issue

Flooding is very much a float problem. That said, I want to say the ID is 3mm, I use a 1/8" tube.