I have been running so rich that the bike will barely run....I am in the process of taking the carb apart what should I look for/adjust since I am running rich.....Thanks in advance

What are the main & pilot jet sizes?
Are there any washers under the needle (or clip position)?
How many turns on the air screws?
What kind of exhaust?
What kind of air filter?

the pilots and mains are stock, everything is stock.  I am taking off the carbs so that I can drill out the brass plugs covering the screws.  I was going to try to turn in the screws a little to see if that helps.  The air filter could use a change while im at it too.

Check float levels using the u-tube method before removing carbs or anything. Look to see if the choke cable is hung up after you get the tank off. Check and adjust float level. Check for loose jets, blocked air passages.

I got it apart,  before i did the float levels looked good....my air box was filled with about a 1/2 gallon of gas due to blockage in the drain in the bottom of the box  (maybe this is why the engine was bogging out..hmmm).  I getting ready to drill out the brass plugs now...

Also when I took the airbox off I noticed that there is a barb on the back og the  lower fuel petcock (on the frame) with nothing attached to it..is there something that should go on this???

I noticed a hose coming from the left carb that does not go anywhere....could this be the hose that goes on the back of the petcock???

YES!

If that tube is not attached, no fuel should flow in the ON or RES positions.

Ok, I got it all back together...I cranked it and it fired right up to 1,200 rpms....I let it sit a min and then decided to take a quick spin...I put it in gear and it died before I even touched the throttle.  I tried starting it and it just cranks (choke if off)  I pulled the plugs and they were dry...hmm not sure what is going on here... :dunno:

Make sure the sidestand is ALL THE WAY up before you put it in gear, or it WILL shut down.

Unless it's a pretty warm day, my bike will not start without the choke.  I automatically pull it all the way on and adjust from there.

I'll give it a try....could my adjustments to the idle air screw be causing this problem???

I think we need to back up and start at the beginning.

Your very first post started out like this:

Quote from: frankman20Ok, I put the bike away last night and this morning I went to fire it up and noticed the smell of gas. I look down and the switch was on prime. I leaked about a gallon onto the floor.

Did you just barely get the bike, or has it run OK for years, or what?  Is it new or used, high or low miles?

If the bike used to run just great, then I would NOT mess around with jetting, air/fuel mixture screws, or any such changes until we get it back to running the way it used to.  You said the carbs were all stock.  LEAVE 'em stock for now.  (Put the screws back where they were.)

Have you drained that half gallon of fuel from the airbox?  I would think that an air filter swimming in fuel would tend to richen up the mixture quite a bit!  How does the bike run without ANY air filter?  (It should be worse than usual, but better than nothing.)

Maybe it's just me, but I have a rather disjointed mental picture of the starting point, the symptoms, the changes you've made, and what you've checked.

If I had to make a snap diagnosis from your very first post, I would say that your carbs needed to be cleaned, particularly the float needle valve tips and seats.  But the gas in the oil, the 3 quarts of extra oil, and the gas in the airbox make for extra things to fix and track.

Let's take it a step at a time, and we'll get this thing figured out.

I just got the bike a few days ago, it was stored in the winter and probably not drained of the fluids.  I realized that I had forgot to open the tank petcock earlier, so I did and it fired right up.  what im having problems with right now is that im still running too rich my plugs are black and dry.  I turned in the mixture screw about 1 turn.  the bike needs not be held higher than 3k rpm or else it will just die.  Also I have been experimenting with the idle knob....if its too low it just dies but when I turn it higher it will hover around 3k and sometimes jump up to 5k.  I thinking maybe another turn on the screws may help a little but I'm thinking that the carb is going to need to be rebuilt....

How fresh is the gas?

OK frankman, that helps.

I don't know whether your carbs will need to be rebuilt. I kinda doubt it, but I still don't know how old the bike is.  Either way, I would definitely recommend a thorough cleaning.

And I stand by my "leave it stock for now" statement.

Quote from: frankman20what im having problems with right now is that im still running too rich my plugs are black and dry.

Here is what my Haynes manual says about that plug condition (so you're on the right track)


Have you tried running without the air filter yet?

Also, is there any chance that the carbon built up on the plugs while the system was flooded, but that in general you actually have a lean condition because of (possibly) gummed up carbs?  You'll pretty much need to clean those carbs to find out....

Ok I think I got it all figured out now...when I took the carb assembly out I noticed gas dripping out of the right carb...stuck or leaking float needle...the left carb appears to be fine.  After dumping the gas out of the air filter, I got it fired up with idle set at 4k (I know thats high but it will start petering out if it gets any lower)  I took it for a spin and it pulled the whole way to redline.  I then parked it for awhile and noticed gas dripping from the air box drain...hmm...that darn leaking right carb.  I checked the plugs and they seem to be a tan to white color.  I am going to buy a carb rebuild kit and fix that right carb and then maybe I can get the idle down without the bike bogging out.....sound like im on the right track??

Yeah, but I still think you could fix the problem NOW by cleaning out that right carb.  It's possible that the valve needle is damaged like this:



but I'll bet that it's not.

I'll bet that if you cleaned the needle tip and the area around the hole in the valve seat, you'd be good to go.

Ill check it out when I get a chance to rip it apart...Thanks again