2001 883 Hard starting

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Feb 17, 2012 | 05:28 PM

Route66rider

Thread Starter

Tourer

Joined: Dec 2009

Posts: 433

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From: Northern Alabama

2001 883 Hard starting

Greetings,
I generally hang out on the Touring side as my current ride is a 2005 Ultra Classic, But I need help on an older 2001 Sportster I picked up for my son. Basically, it is a fairly stock (that I can tell) carb'ed 883 with only about 7000 miles on it that was literally a 'barn find'. After getting it home I changed all fluids and put in a new battery. I can eventually get it to run, if I give it a very quick shot of starting fluid through the carb, but it is about as difficult to get started as I have seen. Once warmed up a bit it will restart easy enough, but it does pop back through the carb a bit more than I like when I rev it.

Without any type of manual (yet, I do intend to get one for him) what (or perhaps where) should I begin my next steps on getting this a bit more road worthy. At this point, I am relatively without any ideas at all of what should be my next steps on this.

Any & all advice will be appreciated!

Feb 17, 2012 | 08:12 PM

hockey8787

Outstanding HDF Member

Joined: Feb 2008

Posts: 2,415

Likes: 8

From: virginia

Run a can of Seafoam thru the tank, also spray carb cleaner into the carb while the engine is running to see if that helps, the seafoam works well!! Good luck hope this helps!!

Feb 17, 2012 | 11:00 PM

run1fsr

Outstanding HDF Member

Joined: Oct 2007

Posts: 2,114

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From: USA

Once you get your manual, just pull the carb and rebuild it. Easy enough to do and after sitting that long it certainly needs it.

Feb 17, 2012 | 11:03 PM

soft 02

Seasoned HDF Member

Joined: Mar 2007

Posts: 66,948

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From: TOAK western branch

Could be anything from an idle needle in the carb to spark plugs.

Feb 17, 2012 | 11:44 PM

Gpsjr10

Outstanding HDF Member

Joined: Jun 2007

Posts: 2,541

Likes: 11

From: Elyria, OH

+1 on the carb rebuild. May also want to check for intake leaks at the heads. Depending on what type of exhaust and air cleaner that is on it, you may need to rejet the carb. Let us know what you have and we can give you a starting point.

Feb 18, 2012 | 04:35 AM

Zimbob

Stellar HDF Member

Joined: Dec 2006

Posts: 2,906

Likes: 11

From: Grottoes Va.

More than likely the carb is gummed up. Seafoam will help, if not that, like said above, rebuild it. Check the carb gasket between the carb and the intake for leaks. Also check for exhaust leaks around the head. the popping through the carb could be an adjustment but I wouldn't do that till I was sure the entire fuel system was good and clean.

Feb 18, 2012 | 09:24 AM

tmors424

Intermediate

Joined: Jan 2011

Posts: 36

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From: Middletown, Delaware

Quote:

Originally Posted by Route66rider

Everything said so far is accurate. I am in the same boat as you. Been rideing a big twin for a long time. Just bought the the wife an 03 883 custom for christmas. I was have the same issues as you. I did a lot of research and teh biggest trend I have seen is the older carbed 883s are basicly built to run way too lean when they leave the factory. The main an low jets in the Kein CV carb are to small. Even if you dont change out the pipes or do the high flow air filter for a while the bike will run 10X better if you just pull the carb, clean it, and rejet it with just 1 size up slow and main jets. Kein makes a kit with two of each size upr for the main and slow jets with a now matched needle. I went up from a 165 to a 170 main jet and 43 to 45 slow jet. There is also a company out there called http://www.cv-performance.com/ . You can buy a kit from them that is a little more involved with other areas of the carb too. Both are good options. I would start just using the Kein kit. It will run you about $35. It worked great for me.