just bought a 550 seca....wont start

So I bought the bike off craigslist, It runs, however, to get it started the seller squirted mass airflow cleaner into the carbs. Bike started, idled, and revved fine, he had some pod filters he was going to put on so he threw out the airbox. The bike wont start without using the spray and I was hoping someone could tell me what is causing that. I bought the bike knowing it needed work, but the day i bought the bike my pos VW broke down, and i have to waif for the part before i can drive it, so i need the bike running smoothly a lot faster than i anticipated. Any help will be much appreciated, i'll try to answer any questions i can.

 

More than likely the enrichment circuits in the carbs are plugged. Pull the carbs and give them a good cleaning and wet set the floats.

MN

 

Without the airbox the fuel/air mixture is far to lean to start the bike. Without the air filtration system. The carbs a gulping huge amounts of air.

You have two options.
First, and probably best. Get another airbox, and get it installed.
Second, and a bit more work. If the PO let you have the pods. Get them installed, and work through the process of rejetting the carbs to work wth the pods.

If you chosse to go the pods route. I suggest you look at streetbrawlers recomendation about velocity pods (using the factory airbox to carb boots with the pods).

Ghost

 

Yeah, and unless the guy was an enthusiast, and fully rebuilt the brakes, set the valve clearances, etc., it's not going to be viable for you to use as transportation right away anyway.

Does it still have the stock exhaust system? If so, then I'd go with replacing the stock airbox as the most effective fix. It's NOT going to run very well if at all with wide-open carbs; but there's more to your problem.

If you plan to actually USE the bike, you've got a few things that will have to be attended to beforehand:

-valve clearances http://xjbikes.com/Forums/viewtopic/t=14827.html and http://xjbikes.com/Forums/viewtopic/t=29209.html
-carb cleaning and adjustment, here's a Mikuni breakdown: http://xjbikes.com/Forums/viewtopic/t=31061.html
-BRAKES READ THIS: http://xjbikes.com/Forums/viewtopic/t=15874.html
-tires: check your date codes. Tubeless tires over 6 years old are dangerous.

Get a service manual and start working your way through the "maintenance" section, and don't skip anything. Anything you fail to attend to will simply crop up as a "problem" as soon as you try to put the bike in service.

Here's an example, and this one's not in any of the books: http://xjbikes.com/Forums/viewtopic/t=19538.html

You CAN use a 30-year old bike as daily transportation; a lot of us do. But you can't just throw one back on the road overnight and expect it to do anything but give you headache after headache.

 

He had the bike taken to a local shop and had new brakes, and tires put on the front and back, so i know those are good. I opened up one of the float bowls last night, and it looks like whoever worked on them last used that liquid gasket crap on them, there is red rubbery shit everywhere! Im gonna go grab some carb cleaner today and completely take them apart, clean them, and reassemble them. Hopefully that helps and i can at least get the bike started!

 

Don't assume the shop did anything to the brakes other than replace the pads and shoes. CHECK the brake lines-- they have the date codes embossed in them or stamped into the metal ferrule. If original, they have to be replaced; they were only to have lasted for 4 years.

If the PO by any chance kept the carb-to-airbox rubber boots, at least re-fit those. It might fire up; however things like carb float level adjustments are critical. If not set properly, you can end up filling the crankcase with gas.