I just wanted to share what I learned over the past few days

I've got two 85 maxim x's, one is being restored, the other is being fixed and probably sold. I was working on the one that is to be sold over the past few weekends. I couldn't get the bike to come down from a 6500 rpms after cleaning the carbs. Couldn't really figure out why.

so, ffwd to today. I'm out there and the bike won't fire on more than no. one and two. got spark. Found a fused rectifier connection. Thought maybe the stator had gone south on me, but I couldn't test it because the bike wouldn't take any throttle. so, I swapped them out along with the cdi and rectifier. No joy.

So, I pulled the no three and four plugs and they were drenched. I cleaned them blew the fuel out of cylinders and tried again, nothing. I swapped the plugs out and still nothing. I turned the petcock to prime and it very slowly trickled down. Thought, hmmm, maybe I'm low on gas.

So, I put gas in her, fired her over and she putted, spitted and spurted for a min or two and then fired right up to the beloved 6500 rpm idle. Couldn't get it to come down and I figured at least I had all four firing.

So, last ditch effort for the day was to see if the idle would come down. I got ahold of the idle adjustment screw and lo and behold, it came right down to a purring of 1000+- rpm. Couldn't believe it. I even took it up the driveway real quick. It didn't respond too well to throttle, but that is because the airbox boots were not on and she was running lean.

That is my story, couldn't believe it was really that simple. Basically, it was the fact that I didn't have any gas combined with what I believe was a stuck idle adjustment screw. Couldn't believe it. The bike did get me back though, I absolutely smashed the heck out of my left middle fingernail. That's gonna leave a mark. You can track my path in the garage for all the blood.

 

As my wife always tells me, "If you ain't bleeding on it, you ain't fixing it right!" You've got to make those blood sacrifices to the automotive gods for success.

 

Dude. *Anything* mechanical requires the occasional blood sacrifice. My pinsetters certainly do.

Hell, even computers want their share -- I've sliced my fingers open countless times on case edges and didn't notice until I saw my fingerprints in blood.

 

Yeah mechanics and computers for sure. When I started working in a computer shop several years ago I used to come home with band-aids all over my hands. After a while you learn how to handle them very carefully, but when a new guy gets hired you get the band-aids out again.

 

I've been doing computer service / sales for 10 years, and i can tell you, some of the crappier cases will slice your finger off!

I finally own my own shop now, and have since then learned to wear gloves or handle very carefully.

off topic to the thread, i'm sorry.