1985 Yamaha Maxim XJ700 not starting
Ashanth
since November but was able to start it up in early May of this year
by shaking the bike as I was cranking the starter...Was able to do the
same in mid-June...But I tried again yesterday (mid-July) after
washing the bike...
The bike would not start...It also did a loud backfire as
well...Finally my battery ran out...I'm recharging the battery to give
it another shot
What are my options w/out towing the bike? Is there anything else I
should do before I try again
Thanks in advance.
¿
> What are my options w/out towing the bike? Is there anything else I
> should do before I try again
Backfiring out the airbox indicates that the engine is getting some
fuel, but not enough on each compression stroke. so it spits back out
the carburetor.
Have you tried moving the petcock selector lever to the PRI position
to prime the carbs? That will increase the fuel level in the float
bowls, making it easier for the carbs to suck up gasoline.
Another strategy that helps is to turn the master idle knob
counterclockwise several turns to get the throttle butterflies to
close, increasing the vacuum downstream of the butterflies.
Then, when you crank the engine with the electric starter, don't twist
the throttle until the engine sounds like it's going to start. Then
you can "help" the engine a little by twisting the grip.
After the engine starts and warms up completely, you can reset the
master idle knob to the correct idle RPM.
If you're still struggling with getting the engine to start, run down
to Wal*Mart (or any good auto parts store) and buy yourself an aerosol
can of carburetor cleaner like Berryman B12 Choke and Carburetor
Cleaner or GumOut or STP carb cleaner.
If you can find the float bowl drain plug screws, open them and drain
the old gasoline into a rag and close the screws again.
Remove the rubber gasoline hose from the petcock, and squirt carb
cleaner down the hose so it gets into the carbs.
Reinstall the rubber hose to the petcock and wait for at least half an
hour before trying the start the motorcycle.
That should give the carb cleaner time enough to unplug the worst of
the gum and varnish.
Then you can start the engine, using full choke and leaving the
throttle twist grip alone. The engine start and run on the carb
cleaner, but it sure will smell bad running on that stuff.
That's why you should be doing all this tinkering outdoors...
