Hitchcocks Forum

Hello,got a bit of a problem, my Bullet has been laid up for the winter, started up fairly regular. Went to start her up the other day and as usual one kick and away she went, but within seconds stopped. I thought i had put the choke in to soon or somethink and tried to restart. Couple of backfires but no life. Gave up and went back to it next day and still no life. Got serious and renewed all appropiate electrical connections, previous owner was a bit iffy i think, they were squeezed type so i changed them to soldered,and new cabling.Had another go and she fired, ran and died again. Removed plug and checked for a spark and this might be the problem because to my mind it didn`t look very strong. It has Boyer ignition, a new sealed battery and a frustrated owner who is unsure what to do next. Any and all comments welcome, good or bad i can take the stick, i just want my wheels back on the road .............................
After thought - 2002, 500, kickstart

Dennis,you say " weak spark, started and stopped"? .... .my thoughts, a. is the battery fully charged, b. is there fuel coming from carb, blockage or stuck float, c. stale fuel?

Hello Dennis. I would say it is almost certainly on the fuel side. Modern fuel tends to gum everything up especially as you have repeatedly started it up in your garage over the Winter? Start by removing the fuel pipe from the carb connection and make sure you have fuel reaching it after quickly turning the fuel tap on and off. This will check that the tap has not become bloacked. If OK, remove the carb completely and strip the jets from the carb washing them in a solvent such as Iso-propyl Alcohol. Make sure the float chamber and valve is completely clean and blow through all the drillings and air ways. The pilot jet is especially bad at becoming blocked due to the tiny size of the hole and fuel drillings. Fit the carb back turn on the fuel and try again.

Hello DENNIS ---------------What else has previous owner done?? ie what is the present set-up of your bike re}--carb/ignition/exhaust ?? Spark plug gap should be 25 thou.approx.-----plug must be earthed properly against the engine (away from the carb. or fuel tank-----obviously !!! ) and you are looking for a bright, blue spark with a distinctive "crack" sound. BUT--it did start and run, albeit for a short while ?? So-- As Hemant said} Stale fuel? After a winter lay-up some OR all of the fuel could well have evaporated leaving deposits that have now been dragged into the primary fuel drillings. Did you drain the carb during lay-up ?? Have you an in-line filter between the fuel tap & carb inlet ?? To be absolutely sure it's going to have to be a carb-off and proper clean. You say--" Started up fairly regular" but do you mean it was ok before lay-up OR that, during the winter you started it up on a fairly regular basis ? Incidentally, well done on those soldered joints !! I bet the old ones were those god-awfull "LUCAR" crimp types with the blue or yellow plastic ends, so beloved of the home mechanic for that "Temp" repair--UGHhhhhh !!!

I agree with Les H. Clean out the carburettor. If it has been laid up for a long time without draining the carb, it may well be that some small jets or passages are blocked. Either gummed up or "full of dirt" if nobody has cleaned them out or drained the carb at all for years.........................................................

I have a friend (acquaintance is probably more correct) who's approach to motorcycles has always been to fix or repair or adjust as little as possible, just "fix the problem" and nothing more. As he himself is a complete ignorant when it comes to all the tecnical stuff, this means "get a friend to fix the problem". (Some of his friends are rather tired of this!) For some strange reason, his bikes never run well.... Anyway, too long intro, but the point is:.........................................................

He bought a pair of second hand carbs for a 70's japanese twin of some sort, and fitted them straigt out of "the box" reasoning that "they came off a similar bike that according to the seller went well (probably years ago.... and why did he sell those carbs?), so they must be OK". They were not! Starting problems etc. etc, so he asked me for help. I took them off and dismatled them, and found both float bowls were full of gummed up dirt. Also, one of the membranes (these were CV carbs) were fitted incorrectly, the needles were in different positions and every other adjustment were wa-a-ay out..........................................................

I did a major cleaning job and put all the adjustments back to a reasonable startingpoint, and the bike fired up much better and ran reasonably well for a few minutes until one throttle wire, which were too short because he had fitted a higher handlebar, snapped..........................................................

On the other hand: If you make it a habit draining the carb completely before winter storage and not starting it up again until spring, and running it dry every time you are not going to use the bike within a few days, problems like this should be avoided. I dismatled my Concentric Mk. I two weeks ago to replace the float and needle. I haven't opened it since 2003 as I can remember, but always done what I just described. The carb was clean as new inside..........................................................

Regards, Anders F. R.

Thanks to all for replies. Being of advanced years i should know better, yes, before layup ran like a dream, started regularly but just for a short while, yes stale fuel, no i havn`t stripped the carb, concentric, not making excuses just lazy, fuel is getting thru, battery new and kept on a charger,i suspected it would be lack of attention but just wanted to see if there was a common fault. Been running Japs and (sorry) Hd`s for a while but wanted to end as i started so bought this Bullet in the style of a Continental/Cafe racer and eventually move to a Triton or similar. Anyhow i have all the time i need so i`ll finish what i started with the wiring and strip the carb, drain the tank etc. and hang my head in shame for neglecting her. Thanks again for the tips,

DENNIS ----------- Think you've got troubles mate ?? My GL1000 has been laid-up since last October and I didn't drain the carbs either !! Hoisted by my own petard. The good news is I can have them off the bike in under 15 mins. Naughty us, eh ??

LOL, don`t do as we do, do as we say. I better order a fuel filter and whatever else i might need, i spend more time playing with it than riding it !!!!!!!!!!

At least you don't have a CBX 1000. Six carbs neatly tucked in underneath the tank.........................................

A friend of mine with a CBX 1000 had the cam timing chain breaking. Result: 18 bent valves etc. etc.!.............................................

Regards, Anders F. R.

Anders, always wanted one of the sixes, never got one, dont they sound nice, another bike i wanted was a Rune ...................it`s good to dream and not always getting what you want, you`re never to old and who knows, one day ...........................