atomsplitter
Living Legend
- Joined
- Nov 29, 2007
- Messages
- 2,767
- Location
- Keller, TX
- Ride
- 17 T-120 Black, 20 Bobber Black, 98 Trophy 1200
As most of you are aware I have an RD 350 I'm trying to sell. I finally got a buyer lined up but told him I would not require any payment until he can start the bike. When I parked it last it only took one kick and it would fire up (it had what I assumed was an air leak because it would start but in a few seconds would then climb in RPMs and then it would die). He kicked the crap out of it and it just 'chuffed.' So now I'm doing a search and destroy mission with the buyer trying to find out why it won't fire, First thing, we test the battery and oops, it's dead. Problem solved! Nope, new battery and it won't start. Crappy Doodles. OK pull a spark plug and give it a kick. Bright blue spark! OK it has ignition. Pull the outlet line from the petcock and turn it to ON. Nada. Must be low in the tank. Turn it to RES. Nada. Crap and double crap!!! Drain the gas out of the tank and pull the petcock. Intake tubes are blocked. Well that's not good. Clean and blow the lines clear. Awesome, put it back together, reinstall on tank, add gas and it leaks like a sieve from the selector faceplate. Well that convinces me that there is something about me that just chaps God's ass. Take a bath in gasoline getting the petcock apart again and everything I tried ended in the same leaks. Finally pulled the crinkle washer/spring out (having reshaped it twice) and fitted an O-ring in place of the spring retainer. That sealed it up, but fuel selector is kinda tight now. Finally got it all back together and gave it a kick, and a kick, and a kick, and a kick, and a kick, and a kick, and a kick, and a kick, and a kick, and a kick and viola I'm exhausted. Let it sit for a bit while I let my leg recover and then tried again and VROOOOOM it fires first kick. The idle was a bit high and I expected it to do what it did when I parked it, i.e. start to rev high and then die, but no, it just sat there idling a little fast and making terrific volumes of smoke. Pretty soon my gagrage is filled to capacity with a blueish haze and I'm having difficulty swallowing air. I shut the bike off and my garage fan blew the smoke out in a couple minutes. Well how about that, mystery of my air leak was solved, it had nothing to do with air leaking, it was starving for gas from the tank.
