Poor seca needs some attention, xj650r

Hey everyone, looking for a little advice here if anyone can help..thanks in advance

Recently got my bike running after a year, took it for a ride up to the gas station and back and when i shut it off it didn't want to start back up..it was grinding when attempting to start and when it finally decided to turn over it took a little throttle to actually fire up..now it's running somewhat hard and sounds deeper like it's lost some power. I was running it on the same gas put in a year before, stupid I know, but mice shredded my battery cables and it took over a year to get around to re-wiring them so i was excited when it finally started..I've been advised to clean the air filter and drop some seafoam in the tank to encourage gas flow but I figured someone on here probably knows without a doubt what's really going on. Thanks for taking the time to read and hopefully point me in the right direction

 

Fresh oil. JASO rated for m/c
Valve adjustment .
Carbs to the church of clean.
Then after it runs nice...
Brakes, tires etc before you ride it

 

Sea foam is the devil!
Do not sea foam!
There is no miracle cure for cleaning dirty carbs with a toothbrush and tip cleaners for 3 hours!
True story!

 

Buy new carb kits before you pull em apart too, don't be a Scrooge or your bike will break down

 

Really disappointed I lost my valve adjustment tool then but I don't know too much about cleaning out carbs either so I'm in for the long haul, YouTube here i come

 

I believe you 100% I've had enough mishaps to know not to ignore important steps, mostly with cars, my bike will not suffer the same fate

 

There are plenty of how to pics and videos right here

 

SeaFoam is wonderful when used appropriately.
Cleans sludge out of the oil sump.
Prevents blockages in carbs (does not eliminate existing blockage).
Brakes up carbon deposits in the combustion chamber.
Makes for a fine cologne.

@AustinDean, read the links in my signature to get started on getting your baby back into shape.

 

Yeah I'm already thinking about starting with seafoam, drain the tank, drop some in, let it into the carbs and sit for a day, then drain it out and refill with new gas..I know I'm taking the easy route by doing so but I'll take the night to go over your suggestions and I'll check those links out before i start my journey

 

I've already watched several videos and cleaning a carb doesn't seem too bad..adding three more and syncing them up afterwards though, that might take some practice or at least a lot of patience..last thing i want to do is get her back together just to find out it doesn't even start anymore lol..i think my plan here is to do a quick fix with seafoam and stay on the lookout for someone that can at least supervise if not help me do it right..not that i don't like talking to you guys but I'd hate to update this thread with, "well it got worse" or "my leg is full of shrapnel, any advice?" lol, thanks again guys

 

There are, to my knowledge, no really good videos about cleaning XJ carbs that cover every detail.
Seafoam isn't going to do the trick, particularly since there are rubber components that will more than likely need to be replaced, and several 90º turns in the fuel/air passages.
If you took the carbs to church before she sat for a year, then Seafoam might work.
If it doesn't then...

Inside your Carbs

IN THE CHURCH OF CLEAN

Replacing your Hitachi throttle shaft seals

Setting the fuel levels

 

Read This First
Choosing Oil for a Wet Clutch Motorcycle
Why You NEED TO REPLACE Original brake lines w/pics

 

Sea foam is great in moderation and for the right reasons... but people overdo it... I've seen it blow up engines.... One thing where more is not better. People are bad at reading instructions. Regardless my original statement, if your stuff don't run right, there's no replacement for hard labour cleaning a 4 green carburetors by hand for 3+ hours.... Lol!

 

Only 3?!?! Takes me a LOT longer than that