When I first got my bike, im guessing you are having problems with being able to pull it out, I took the cable off and used some gun oil and let it run down the inside of the tube made sure i got it all the way to the other end and pulled it out and just worked it in and out and it loosened right up, and works great now.

 

There is also a "dial".if you will, that adjusts the tension on the shaft that is below the choke knob. IF it's TOO tight, you won't be able to pull the choke knob out either.



I'm wondering how you get the bike to start, AT ALL (cold) without the choke working.

 

No, the cable works perfectly. All the mechanical items seem to be working as they should. That is what has me baffled. Before I pulled the carbs it worked fine. As for the cold starting, I've read that if you get the carbs very well cleaned (+the warmer weather I think is helping) it can start without much choking, which is what I have right now.

 

I guess I don't understand what your problem is. You say the butterflies work ok, you say the choke cable itself works ok, but, when hooked up to the carbs, it doesn't work the choke? The choke cable doesn't pull out then?...Or, the choke cable pulls out, but the choke doesn't close? I don't understand.

 

Everything appears to mechanically work when I pull the choke knob out, butterflies close properly, fast idle move itself into proper position, etc with the carbs hooked up to cables but off the bike so I can see everything, but the RPM's do not increase more than about 200 RPM when everything is put together. Almost as if the fast idle is working, but the butterflies aren't closing (which I know is not the case as I can see the shafts and components working right when all is hooked up). I know it has something to do internally to the carb, as that is the only variable I worked on.



Now you know why this is driving me nuts.

 

On my bike, when I pull out the choke I can get the RPM's up to over 4K when cold, I re-adjust as the bike warms up. Once the temp gauge moves the needle into the 'zone' markings, I push it all the way back in.



If all is working well with the carbs off the intakes then possibly you have a vacuum leak?

What happens if you partially cover the input side of the carbs (with the air box removed)?



Also RevLee, when the carbs are installed back on the bike, can you move the butterfly's and shaft with your fingers? Sounds like it is binding when assembled. Larry's book on carb rebuild is specific about getting it all aligned up to prevent binding and having it all work correctly.



This is all off the top of my head, at the moment....

 

Yeah you may be giving it too much choke....have you tried giving it less? I always give it choke when starting it up, even now that we're having temps in the 80's again, and sometimes I'll pull it all the way out as if it's still chilly and the bike will almost stall out. There's a perfect "sweet spot" I use to keep mine idling at 2k until it's a little bit warmer.

 

All of this is great stuff providing the choke is having "some" response. That is the issue. Pulling the knob acts as if the cable is broken, no effect whatsoever. Verified, re-verified, and re-re-verified that the cable is indeed pulling back the shaft and the shaft does move both butterfly valves in sync. Valves close when in full choke mode. The "only" change I get, i.e. increased RPM slightly is when the gear engages the fast idle setting causing the throttle valves to move, which would be correct. Again, it acts as if the choke valves are not closing when in fact they are.



If I had any hair left I would have pulled it out by know.

 

To get the bike to run fine I have to set both of the screws to about 1/4 - 1/2 turn out max. The bike runs great once I have it warmed up, but it is annoying to have to fiddle with the idle setting until it is warm. By the way, it starts up great and really doesn't need much extra to keep it running while cold which tells me I got the carbs in great shape as far as cleaning goes.



Any ideas here??????

You say the bike starts great,,that indicates that the choke is working.



Your problem seems to be that the fast idle is not doing its job.



The idle mixture screws should be 2 to 2.5 turns out from lightly seated. I can understand that the carb that had the broken tip may be not quite to spec but the other carb should be. If you have to have the screws turned out no more than 1/2 turns to get the bike to run properly does not sound right.

 

It is STARTING to sound like, that the cam moves well, and it doesn't raise the rpm's? That, WHAT the cam comes into contact with to make this happen is NOT making ENOUGH contact to successfully achieve this. So, perhaps a tang, or lever, or rod is not tanging, or levering, or rodding as it should. There may be someone who may chime in with the correct nonmanclature, but, That is where I'D be looking.



Hope this helps.

 

Yes, there is obviously something happening very strange, but I don't know enough to figure this one out. I am starting to thinking perhaps something is happening different when the carb is off the bike versus when it is installed. One thing I definitely see as an issue, is the idle mixture screws being set to only about 1/2 turn out for optimum setting. This is obviously way out of spec. I have compared the "new" screws to the old and they appear to be exact, with the exception that the new are original style (with the stop cap, which is not installed by the way) and the ones I removed are designed without the stop gap, just a normal screw tip.



If anybody is around my area and would like to take a look at it, let me know. I decided to let it be and have started on fixing up another basket case I got last fall.

 

When my carbs are 100% I hardly need any choke even down to around minus 5 Deg C.If I use more than a 1/4 choke it will kill the engine.

If I have left the bike for a while,say a week or more with the petcock off then yes I use a full choke but mainly to get some fuel through the carbs as they start to dry out and or a good twist or two of the throttle to pump some fuel through.

In regular use I just switch on and press the start button

I don't think you have a problem unless you cannot keep the bike running?

 

When my carbs are 100% I hardly need any choke even down to around minus 5 Deg C.If I use more than a 1/4 choke it will kill the engine.

If I have left the bike for a while,say a week or more with the petcock off then yes I use a full choke but mainly to get some fuel through the carbs as they start to dry out and or a good twist or two of the throttle to pump some fuel through.

In regular use I just switch on and press the start button

I don't think you have a problem unless you cannot keep the bike running?

Kinda what I am thinking. Might have to baby it using the throttle for a minute or two. but good to go after that.

 

I'm having this same issue and there doesn't seem to be an answer for it but in any case the bike starts, just doesn't Rev when looking to get her warmed up.

What is that flimsy spring that you have to wrap around 2 times in there called? And if this is getting weak will that effect the choke from doing its job?

If so can someone link me somewhere I can buy a replacement spring (U.S.)

When I redid my carbs this spring seemed to be kind of bent up.

 

These bikes don't have computers that keep the mixture exact for the temperature of air coming in and temp of engine they don't compensate by advancing the timing when they are cold. I live where there is a huge variation in starting temperatures but It always needs warmup time no matter the starting temp unless it has been running and is still warm to the touch then you can hardly hear the starter and need no choke. I would say that if this is the way your bike runs it is normal. I have tried to reach perfection but I am not as fast as a computer and can't advance the timing when it is cold to give the fuel more time to burn. What i'm saying is if it works fairly well you don't need to fix it. On the gasoline issue I run premium here because it has no ethanol but sometimes I can't get it so I use a stabilizer such as Seafoam. Motors that sit long periods "months" should either have stabilizer or the gas shut off until they stop running and the drains opened to make sure no gas can evaporate in the carb. A friend of mine showed me a few years ago what happens to ethanol gas and also informed me that CLR which for the most part seems to be good for nothing will dissolve the green goo and also dissolve calcium deposits but I try very hard to avoid the problem. With premium gas and stabilizer I leave the gas turned on even for long periods. If you have a vacuum valve on your bike you must not leave gas in the Carb as it is not kept fresh if there is no source and once the float level goes down the air can get in and rot the gas. I am 66 years old this year and almost all my cars have been sitting sometimes for several years I presently have three vehicles a 64 GMC school bus that sat 17 years an 81 Buick Electra 225 that sat 6 years with a piston gone but only 60 thousand miles and my cx which sat I don't know how many times. My cx was hardest the first time to get running right as it had sat for at least 5 years. I love this forum and did not find it until very lately as I just started using a computer two years ago. Every thing I did and learned since I was a kid about mechanics was the old fashioned way. Te old fashioned way is mostly think and keep at it.
.

 

Like Allen said, if the bike starts cold, the choke aspect of the system is working. Weird idle screw settings aside, it sounds like a the fast idle cam (or whatever it is) may be out of sync with the butterfly. I don't get much of a fast idle either, but I'm not concerned. I don't think it a problem unless you have to baby it to stay running until the idle stabilizes.
I'm usually down to less than half choke after about 30 seconds, and off choke altogether by the first time I hit 4th gear.