Harley-Davidson Sportster 883 will not start!!!!!!!!!!!?

I am working on a Harley-Davidson Sportster 883 which sat in my parents garage for 7 yrs with gas in the tank...I removed the stock tank and installed a brand new one....The fuel filter looked good so I just cleaned it....put everything back together...Brand new battery and put new gas in the bike...Turned it on and all the lights came on then tried to start it.....3 times trying to start and it ran for 5 seconds then next try ran for 5 seconds...now nothing so I replace the spark plugs and still wont start....The I pulled the pulgs out to see if I a was getting a spark...seemed to have a spark cause i got a little shock thru the wire covering...Bike will still not start...So I tried some carb cleaner because it sat for more than 7 yrs....So I went to the Harley shop here in Raleigh, NC and picked up a new fuel filter to repalce, also I am going to take the fuel line off which feeds the carb....(Might be blocked) I did get the bike to fire but only on the carb cleaner so I think there is no fuel getting to the carb from the tank...Or so it seems since it fired on the carb cleaner...Jet might be blocked in the carb so i might have to take it apart as well...Hopefully it wont be to expensive....
Any advise would be most helpful....Thanks....Jim

 

take the carb off, i had the same problem with mine and then it would dump fuel through the overflow hose, something was caught in the float needle, took it all apart, jets out etc and cleaned it well with air... check the gas flow in as well. Good luck!

 

I had the same problem with an '96. Had to completely rebuild carb, it was full of green slime and some of it had hardened. The float needle was all jammed up. Once the carb was good2go, it still didn't run just right, found out the coil was breaking down a new one fixed it. You're may find several small things working together to keep it from running after sitting for so long. The 96 had only sat for about four years without running.