1983 Xj650 no start (Carb problem)

@Thord
Apologies for the goof. I accidentally merged two threads and yours got lost in the process.
New rule for me; no moderating after 9:00 PM.

Your original post follows.


Hi there guy's and gal's !

Please pardon my not soo perfect english , i speak french much more than english.

I'm new to this forum if i'm not in the right section please move this thread or let me know where to post , thanks.

I just bought a 1983 XJ650 , 63,000 kilo on the clock , with a starting issue.

I picked up the bike for 400 canadien dollars , wich is about what ? 25 cents US now a day ?

Anyway , the price was low as the bike wasn't running , but the seller showed my some video of the previous season and it was running strong.

Once the bike was at my place i removed the carbs and cleaned them there was some gunk but nothing worring for a bike that sat about 6 months , everything seems stock in them , 112 and 43 jets.

Installed them back on and , as you can guess by my presence here , the bike still doesn't even start !

Any advise on what to look at first are welcome !

Thanks , Jordan.

 

Many item could cause this . First does engine spin over with the starter? If yes have you done a compression test? If it has good compression does it have spark? If it has spark on all 4 cylinders , is the petcock set to PRI while trying to start? Is fuel enrichment(choke) does it open fully with lever? What condition is your fuse box in ? Original glass fuses or upgraded to blade fuses? How old is your battery and is it fully charged? These are all things to check.

 

I do have spark on all 4 cylinders
I tried the petcock on 'PRIME' and on the 'ON' and 'RESERVE' position.
The fuel enrichment does fonction , or at least i can heard the carbs do a different sound while cranking the engine.
As for the batterie , it is currently on charge till tomorrow morning , in my opinion the bike seems to crank too slow , i gotta say i don't know those bike a lot soo far.
I didn't look at the electrical circuit at all , except for the plugs spark.

I didn't do a compression test , altho i have all the tool on hands , i'll do that first thing tomorrow morning.

What number should i be expecting ? Those engine are 9.2:1 from what i've read , soo 153 should be the magic number ?

Thanks for the help man !

 

Read This First

 

Are you guy's in fora good laugh ?

I've put 4 new spark plugs... problem solved !

I had gaz , compression and spark... looks like the spark was really weak !

Time to sync those carbs and hit the road !

Thanks for all the help

 

You may have already checked, but don't forget the brake system as well. The rear brake pads can delamitate - http://xjbikes.com/forums/threads/safety-alert-drum-rear-brake-bike-owners-please-take-a-look.15874/

And a rebuild of the brake cylinder and pistons will give you more confidence when you need to stop in a hurry.

 

Not uncommon at all....see my recent post---

http://xjbikes.com/forums/threads/funny-harley-story.111782/

 

Estie.. tu viens de me donner une idée changer les plugs!! Le mien non plus part pas je sais pas pkoi j'ai changer les jets depuis plus rien

 

Wha...?

 

He says thanks for the idea to change the spark plugs.....I think.

 

Yes you guys can understand french ! After double checking everything I realised that I had same problem last year and putting new plugs helped starting it

 

It was either the plugs, or you were planning on stopping at the top of the pass to eat the rest of you traveling party.

I used context clues to suss it out.

 

Pardon my French......