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ready to give up , bike very sick

5K views 48 replies 13 participants last post by  deeboSC 
#1 · (Edited)
Installed a spike air intake on my bike recently, got it running ok but not perfect. Tested it around home for about 10 miles and felt fine, slight skip at cruise but not terrible. Figured id ride to my parents house this past Sunday so i got about 5 miles from home , left a stop sign and got on it some and shortly after it just died. I pulled it over to the side of the road and called someone to bring tools. It would crank but sounded like its running on one cylinder,will barely take any gas and if so only revved up a few hundred rpms and sounds like a moped-sounds HORRIBLE. I noticed one of the adapter mounting bolts to carb (which are a little too short) fell off so im really hoping it didnt get sucked inside. I dont THINK it did but honestly dont see how it could have.

Trailered it home and started tearing into it, noticed choke cable was seized up completely so thought this might be part of my problem. Took carb off and cleaned everything, just got new choke cable today and same thing :( ...

Only other thing I know to check is plugs, Would bad plugs cause it to run this terribly? Will try replacing them later but im almost at the end of my rope with this bike. Thanks for any replies
 
#4 · (Edited)
yes but its not running like carb is off. 225 main, 58 pilot, 2 turns out AF, needle 4th clip

Ran pretty good before but im really afraid of the worst at this point. Ive never heard it sound so sick and after reading stories of other people having the same problem i think im screwed
 
#6 · (Edited)
Oh so the carb is good, missing bolt in engine problem. There isnt much room in there and pistons move really fast, it either blew out the exhaust or its part of the engine. Or didn't go in there.................... Compression test.
 
#7 · (Edited)
u can buy a camera at home depot. Ryobi inspection scope TEK4. It's on a thin cable and will fit inside the spark plug hole. It has led lights on the end so it will light up and I can see the top of piston and it will invert 180 deg so u can see valves and bottom of head. U will be able to see if anything got sucked into cylinder with it. I used it to diag the misfire on my truck. Found out the exhaust valve got stuck in the guide and kissed the piston causing it to bend, causing the misfire. It's one of the only ones I found with a small enough camera to fit inside the plug hole in my sbc 350. Don't know the diam of the 1300 plug hole but u research it and the camera diam is listed on depots site. Good luck
 
#9 ·
Pull the plugs...... If you sucked the bolt into the engine it will have done damage to them most likely.

But that being said, if it got sucked in, you definitely would have heard it in there. Would cause one heck of a racket.

Plugs alone could make it run really bad so I'd start there, But also do a compression test while you have the plugs out. That alone will tell you a lot.
 
#10 ·
99% sure it did Not get sucked in.. (I Have spike also)...

You should start with simple stuff and work toward complicated things... KISS

Check Petcock, make sure its working and holding vacuum.
In the ON position and fuel in tank... (sounds dumb, but it happens)...
Gas is flowing. small basket filter in CArb tit where fuel line enters.
CArb was off, so I assume Float isnt sticking and jets are all clear and/or functioning.
Make sure Vent line to Tank isnt kinked (rght rear of tank). Will cause Vacuum in tank and stop fuel flow.
Check Battery, 100 Amp Load test.. Volt meter may say its OK, but a bad cell will give you false readings...
Check Plug wires and the connection to plugs etc....
Clean and tighten battery cables with wrench (not screwdriver).
Check the Wires at top of battery (brain freeze, that box thingy. lol), the small wires will break inside cover and you cant see it.
Wiggle them etc and check closely....

Keep the faith, it is most likely something simple like the above....



.
 
#16 ·
Just one plug, per cylinder. I would think it hit a valve seat to cause running problems. Ive seen pistons run along time with things in the top of them.............Do check the ICM, wiring maybe even the carb diaphragm.
 
#18 ·
I thought it wouldnt make sense to pull both but wanted to be sure. Obviously im not a mechanic but inclined enough to test most of it with direction, thank you . My dad says he thinks its valve related as well. I pulled the rear plate off the front head and looked at the springs and rocker arms but dont really see anything jumping out at me. I will check all of the above ,really appreciate the reply. I ordered a compression gauge so once it gets here would you mind giving your opinion on the #'s i come up with or what to do next ?
 
#17 ·
Remove 1 per cylinder.
You will not get a very good reading since starter doesn't spin at the 500 or so rpm needed.
Leave 1 plug out on cylinder that is not being tested.
 
#19 ·
What you are looking for is consistency from front to rear cylinder....ie...90 psi front, 90 psi rear. If I had more then say 10% difference I would look at it a little more. BUT i would make SURE I had everything else checked before I would even consider getting into engine. Go through wiring, carb, stock airbox, everything before getting into engine.
 
#22 ·
I have noticed over the years the bikes with problems, are the ones that don't make people happy. So they start working on them to make them faster and such......same with the 1800s.
I have also noticed over the years the more you get out of an engine, the more you gotta put into it..........
 
#23 · (Edited)
I dont know ANYbody that leaves a bike, Jeep, boat, house,etc alone but there is truth in that statement. I lift trucks for a living and you will be replacing ball joints, tie rods, more often and putting more stress on your truck so you are right but at the same time, ill keep on modding (and cussing until i get it right lol)
 
#25 ·
Drive line wise .... all my bikes stay stock.

If they did not have enough power, I would not buy them to begin with.

I enjoy riding more than I enjoy wrenching!

The only 'mods' I did on my 1800N was Saddle Bags and Windshield.

Took it for a 600 mile ride with the stock seat, and decided there was nothing wrong with the stock seat!
 
#26 ·
Check out www.bareasschoppers.com for good info on checking out and inspecting the valves

Sent from my... wait - No free advertising here!
 
#29 ·
Check out www.bareasschoppers.com for good info on checking out and inspecting the valves

Sent from my... wait - No free advertising here!
Yeah i know Mike there, ive ordered a few things from him as well. Thanks ill run it by him for advice
 
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#28 ·
ok so i just got compression gauge in the mail, front cylinder read nothing at all. I'll try it again later but rear cylinder read 150 on a cold bike
 
#30 ·
Pull valve adjustment covers and check front clearence.
Zero means valve is stuck open or hole in piston.
Your lost screw may be holding valve open.
 
#33 · (Edited)
i watched this video and it seems pretty straightforward but confused on the markings in the inspection cover.


At 3:55 in, he shows where the markings need to be lined up but im not getting it.I see markings that say FT/F and RT/R but cant tell what they are lining up with exactly. Aside from that ,accessing the front cylinder I can do and i have some feeler gauges i think. Ive just never dealt with valves before so new to me completely
 
#37 · (Edited)
what brand of jets are you using I think your runnin way to rich and fouling the plugs I've been runnin a spike intake for yrs my main is a220 she runs a tiny bit rich even with that but she hauls ass and gets fantastic mileage to boot if that doesn't do it i'd check charlies write up on carbs one of the first things I did was to buy longer stainless steel screws I also got a small roll of gasket material and made gaskets . I made the gaskets for both my bikes ,at the time I had both a 1300c and an1800c both ran great with the spike intake now I only have the 1300 and i'm a happy man LOL
 
#38 ·
what brand of jets are you using I think your runnin way to rich and fouling the plugs I've been runnin a spike intake for yrs my main is a220 she runs a tiny bit rich even with that but she hauls ass and gets fantastic mileage to boot if that doesn't do it i'd check charlies write up on carbs
Factory Pro 225, 4th clip, 58 pilot, 2.25 turns out

Bike ran awesome all the way through at full throttle with that setup but problem i have now isnt carb related at all, im pretty sure its valve related (no compression on front cylinder) after one of the mounting plate bolts came loose and got sucked in. Im just going to have to trailer it to a shop at this point, I really dont have the money to spend on it but I want my bike back
 
#39 ·
I would go back over the test to be sure, make sure you didnt have two plugs out. I am sure if you put a carb kit in the bike you have the capability to check valve clearance. Just pull a cover, turn the motor over you will see how it works very quickly.
 
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