Bonehead mechanic question...

Duh...

Okay, I made two stupid mistakes. First of all, I decided to check my sparkplugs (looks like my fuel/air mix is a bit too rich), but when I put things back together, like an idiot I didn't seat the cable on the far left plug all the way. I rode the bike around the block, and of course it was "a little rough". I found my problem and seated the cable, but didn't ride anymore that day.

The next day, I'm practicing my "centerstand lowering maneuver" and I drop the bike. Okay, I didn't drop it, I managed a controlled put down on it's left side so nothing broke. But then I notice gas coming out of something on the left side (a spill valve for tank overflow perhaps? I dunno!)

Now, I can't start the bike. It tries and tries, then backfire like a son of a gun. But the engine won't catch. What the heck have I done, and how do I fix it?

Any suggestions are welcome; snide comments about my moronic behavior are optional but will be taken in stride...

 

Well buddy , we aren't too far apart. I was in Pineville for a wedding just a month or two back. So since we are close together and I don't know how big a guy you are , I'll suspend the snide moronic behaviour comments and get straight to the help.
Most likely you just flooded the carbs. When this happened one or more floats may have stuck. I would first "tap" the float bowls with a rubber mallet or screwdriver handle. This may unstick the float. Remove, clean and replace the plugs and try to start the bike. Once the excessive fuel flow is stopped the bike will stop backfiring and run.
The backfire you heard was excess gas in the collector igniting.
The fuel spilled not out of an overflow vent but out of the carbs into the air box and finally on the floor.
I would also remove the main fuel line from the petcock and after making sure the petcock is set to "on" see if it leaks any fuel. Then if it does rebuild the petcock. A leaking petcock can cause the rich reading you saw on the plugs. Leaking float valves can do the same thing. Of course the mixture screws could just need colortuning.
Let me know if you have any questons.

 

lucky u caught it on the way down. their not light bikes are they :lol:
cheers brenton

 

nope yesterday shook my friends hand and she started to fall!

lucky he helped me stop it!

but i still have scrapes on my elbow and knee!! :roll:

 

Definately a flooded carb issue - take the plugs out and clean them with a rag... replace them and it should start up properly.

IF NOT

Then there is too much gas in the cylanders... check the oil level, take the plugs back out and clean them. Set them to the side. Put the bike on the center stand, bump it into 2nd or 3rd gear. [TO BE CRYSTAL CLEAR - THE BIKE IS TURNED OFF AND YOU AREN'T TOUCHING THE STARTER]. Spin the rear tire by hand - higher gears make this easier - this will help dry out the cylanders. Leave it for a 10-15 minutes. Assess the spark plugs, if they aren't clean enough or they're old take the time to replace them. Honestly I don't think you'll need to. Put the plugs back into the bike, take it off the center stand, ensure that you are in neutral and try again.

If it doesn't start then - ensure the battery is charged - and open the throttle as you hit the starter.

Woot

 

Okay now I have a question.... What is a centerstand lowering maneuver?

 

Sorry had to do it.

Your suppose to stop and shake hands :wink:

Stuff happens!

 

Did I mention before that this is rapidly becoming my favorite website? Thanks, guys!! This morning was the first chance I had to work on it. Checked it out and she still wouldn't start. Cleaned the plugs, gave the carbs a rap, and did the in-gear wheel turning, put the plugs back in and she started up! Guess what I'm gonna do this afternoon?

 

Well....you see, being brand new to bikes in general, and of course, this bike in particular, I was really struggling with getting the centerstand to work until my friend pointed out that the way it works is to push down on the centerstand rather than trying to lift the back of the bike like I was doing...

 

Centerstand technique:

Stand next to bike - put right toe on the lever, left hand on the left bar and right hand on the rear bar.

Stomp on the centerstand lever AND pull up on the rear bar. It'll pop up very easily...

The hard way? Don't try this unless you're tall and can definately hold the bike upright.

Sit on the bike - push it backwards hard with both feet and then stomp on the lever as you stand on the right foot... easiest way to drop a bike ever. Plus there aren't many style points for doing it the hard way anyhow.

Woot.

 

Well, I hope you decided against practicing the centerstand lowering maneuver... at least until you have a spotter!!! Sorry I, just couldn't resist. As far as bonehead maneuvers, I decide I'm going to ride my bike to work early one morning. We happened to have a considerably heavy dew that morning and of course the bike was on my back porch, so I start out across the yard on the bike and all was going well until I tried to ride it on an angle across some pressure treated 6x6 boards the previous owner of my house had put at the edge of my back yard where it meets the alley behind my house... Well, you guessed it, the front tire shoots right out from under me and down I go!!!! Luckily I landed in the nice soft pile of mulch I had just had delivered a few days before... I always thought my bike was pretty light until that morning trying to stand it back up before anyone saw me in the neighborhood. Hard lesson learned but luckily no injuries or damage to the bike.

 

ye its tricky to fo it just pulling back!

specially mine that doesnt have the grab bars!!

funny u landed ina mound of c**p 'er i mean mulch! lol