I just bought this as my first motorcycle and need some advice please. When I first start her up I have the choke open full and then after a few minutes I cut it back by half. I have tried closing the choke completely after a mile or two down the road but when I get to a stop light/stop sign where I have to idle the bike usually dies. Because of this I usually leave the choke open slightly as trying to kickstart this bike is not the easiest thing in the world.

Do I just need to get the idle set a little higher so I won't have to ride with the choke open or is there something else wrong here?

 

idle could be too low, not running off choke usally means a dirty idle circuit in the carb..

 

I possibly just fouled a plug by keeping the choke on too long. Based on what I've been told, if you need the choke on for that long you are either riding in a snow storm or your air/ fuel is not right. I'm sure the guys will be quick to help you with troubleshooting and finding your problem.

 

In the mean time you could read through the thread "do it yourself ironhead" lots of info relevant to your question

 

It is not a good idea to keep the choke on for an extended time as it will foul the plugs. I use it to start the bike then turn it off within a minute and ride off. I warm up the engine by riding conservatively.

It would be a good idea to do a carb clean. Here are some notes ...

Cleaning a Carb

1. Removing it from the bike should be straight forward. First thing when it is out is to check the pilot screw setting. Turn it all the way in until gently seated counting the number of 1/4 turns; then write this number down; then reset it.

2. I put mine in a vice to remove the screws, and for much of the following work. Wrap in a shop towel; close the vice gently taking extra care with the choke and throttle linkages. The vice is a needed extra pair of hands.

EDIT: A better choice than a plain vice ...


3. You must be very careful handling the float so as to not change the level. You should have the official specs for setting the level as in the FM, and check it, every time you dismantle the carb, as the last thing before putting it back together.

4. The jets are made of brass, a soft metal that is easily damaged. Use an exact correct size screwdriver. I ground a medium flat blade screwdriver down to exact size on my bench grinder to access the slow jet.

5. The general appearance of the inside of the carb is not necessarily a good indication of its condition. It can look spotless and have clogged jets, or look cruddy and have clear jets.

6. Clean each individual part. Do not allow any solvents to contact any rubber parts [tip of needle, o-ring seal for bowl]

7. Make a list of all of the jets and passages for your carb using the carb manual or the FM for the bike. Then ensure that you can blow either compressed air or carb cleaner thru each one.

8. Remove the pilot screw and clean the parts and the passage. The passage contains in this sequence: pilot screw, spring, washer, o-ring. These are very small parts, especially the washer and o-ring. Usually the spring will easily fall out. One time i thought the spring was not in there because it would not fall out; i obtained a new spring and could not get it in! The technique for removing the washer and o-ring is to use a pipe cleaner: stick it in the hole, twist it around, remove it - you should see the washer and o-ring on the end of the pipe cleaner.

EDIT: the washer and o-ring are part of the pilot screw assembly for 1979 on. They are not in the 1978 and earlier Keihin carbs.

Remember that the purpose of the washer is to protect the o-ring from the spring and you will always get them back in in the correct sequence.

9. Dismantle the accelerator pump assembly noting carefully the sequence and orientation of the parts. Clean and inspect the parts. Replace the diaphragm if it is cracked.

10. Check the float level then carefully put it back together. I personally find it very confusing trying to decide which way to bend the tang if it is not correct. If the fuel level is low is the float high or low? Do i need to bend the tang up or down? On the bench the carb is usually upside down, adding to the confusion. Sort all this out before making an adjustment.

Best to replace the original Phillips screws for the bowl with stainless steel socket head screws.

 

Thanks for the help. I felt as if something wasn't right and will get this looked at ASAP.

 

Look I like simple, on my 81 I went thru the carb, cleaned it, new gasket it, talked sweet to it, and even caress the carb while driving one time. They are bitchy
Verdict
The carb is not a sophisticated piece of machinery, after everything it would cough at about 45 MPH every once in a while, and it would idle at 1,100 for a good idle.
Don’t do as I do because it negates the whole idea of the forum, (that of maintaining this beautiful machines in original conditions) But am putting a later model CV on mine and keeping all the old pieces so in the future if I want to sell the bike I can put it back to original, I want reliable function without hiccups, I will let everyone know how it turns out with photos.
Closing note
My carb works well, but it’s not up to my standards of functioning, so don’t do as I am doing, am just offering an opinion

 

A-hhh, when you say 'you start it with the choke open full and close it halfway after a few minutes'........ Are you meaning you start the bike with the choke full on and you open it to half choke after a few minutes?
To close the choke is to apply the choke in the on position.
To open the choke is to take the choke off entirely.
pg

 

I can say that I ride in cold climate, I use choke (pull up ****) when I start "dead cold" engine. When engine starts I close choke ( push down ****) right a away, I keep bike running with throttle. Because I don't want wake up whole neighborhood I just go riding, max warm up is about 1 min. When I go there is about mile small street with houses so I keep my speed under 20 miles ( 1500-2000rpm). With warm engine 2-3 twist of throttle and it starts.

 

"Do I just need to get the idle set a little higher so I won't have to ride with the choke open or is there something else wrong here?"

If you were to set the idle screw on your throttle butterfly to keep the engine running, how high would the idle(rpms)be?
Hope I don't sound like a crackhead cause I'm not.