81 Maxim 650 will not stay running

I recently got a 81 maxim with only 2k miles on it that had been sitting for the last couple of years. I started it up and ran it for about 5 minutes. I changed the oil and added about a gallon of gas to the nearly empty tank. Now when I start it, it dies after about 10 sec and if I touch the throttle it will die. Someone told me that I needed to pull the carbs and clean them as well as the tank. Does this sound right? If so, how difficult is it?

 

Hi there! Welcome to the forum. Pulling the carbs is a good start. The gas inside the carbs ages and breaksdown - eventually firming a grit that clogs the tiny passages in the carburation system.

I don't think it is all that difficult to clean the carbs but you do need to be patient and meticulous. You can do a search of this forum and find tons of info on how to go about cleaning the carbs.

Good luck!
Rob

 

Welcome to the forum Tuquoque, it sounds like a very good idea to pull and clean the carbs. Not terribly difficult, just take your time, take lots of pictures and make lots of notes. If you run into a problem, write us and spell out your difficulty with as much detail as you can. We'll do our best to help you muddle through it. Whereabouts are you located in California? If you are local enough, I could see about passing your way and helping out.

 

Thanks for the tips gentlemen. I have an inline filter already in there (VW habits die hard) and I am hoping that I have some bad gas going on here. I am going to try to pull the carbs and clean them out tomorrow night, is there a kit or something I should buy here?

I am up near SF Fraps and it appears you are down in Ventura but I appreciate the offer.

 

You'll need bits only if something is wrong , good luck...