[Donkydick]

Hi
I am wongering here , my 1997 SE is in perfect condition and runs very good , except that when I park it for a week or more , side stand or center stand it takes a for ever cranking before it starts like the fuel line and carbs are empty .

It’s parked in my garage, there is no fuel leak, no fuel odors,

it’s on batt tender batt is top shape.
It cranks fast for long time ( 4-5 X 30 seconds continu, then VROOOOOM.

If I use it every days it starts like new. Very promptly.

any ideas.........

Pull down full choke and the hit starter button On & Off very quickly. After 3 or 4 attempts it will start.

Hi
I am wongering here , my 1997 SE is in perfect condition and runs very good , except that when I park it for a week or more , side stand or center stand it takes a for ever cranking before it starts like the fuel line and carbs are empty .

It’s parked in my garage, there is no fuel leak, no fuel odors,

it’s on batt tender batt is top shape.
It cranks fast for long time ( 4-5 X 30 seconds continu, then VROOOOOM.

If I use it every days it starts like new. Very promptly.

any ideas.........

Pull choke to full on then back it off a little. Hit starter On & Off very quickly. After 3 or four times it will start.
Donkeydick

 

[redwing52]

Here is a question that I read about but never really got a rock solid answer. Assume a brand new bike that has never been run before.

All parts are in tip top shape. I think (guess) the pressure at the fuel pump is high enough to over come the spring pressure at the vacuum petcock.
I think it is possible the vacuum line to the petcock could be plugged and left off and the bike would run fine, The full pressure of the new pump (by design) is high enough to overcome the spring pressure. It still serves it's purpose in that it would still act like a check valve.

Assume I am right but now the bike is 30 years old as is the pump and petcock diaphragm. Diaphragm leaks vacuum slightly and the pump pressure has dropped from 4 PSI to 1 PSI. If you run it every day or two the fuel bowls stay full.
The engine starts right up supplying full manifold vacuum to the petcock and all is fine in spite of the pending fuel pump and petcock issue.

Different scenario. All is the same as above EXCEPT the carbs are empty because of long term storage. Either the fuel was drained for storage or it evaporated over time.

Now it is time to get her going. You turn on the key and hit the start button. The fuel pump runs but at 1 PSI it is not enough pressure to overcome the spring pressure of the petcock.

With the engine cranking the engine develops some vacuum but probably not as much as when the engine is running. Don't forget that the petcock has a slight leak and that just makes things worse.

It all sounds like a perfect storm but maybe it is more common than a person might think. Maybe just a weak fuel pump would be enough to create a hard start after storage.

Any guesses or opinions? They can be a bear to start after storage yet I know when new my bike would fore up fairly easy after storage. Now I give it a shot of ether to save the battery. Starts good then.

 

[AZgl1800]

Mike,
I edited your post to more easily separate your thoughts.

My first thought, is that regardless of the fuel pump pressure, the Vacuum Petcock valve will be OPEN immediately AS SOON AS engine vacuum is sufficient.

There will be NO BACK PRESSURE for the fuel pump to overcome.

The problem is most likely to be a pinhole in the Vacuum Petcock's diaphragm which is causing the valve to open only partially, or very slowly compared to "new condition".

When in Winter Storage, I would keep the battery on a Tender, and start the bike up every 2 or 3 weeks and allow it to run until the Fans cycle a couple of times.

I do that for my bike if the Wx is too lousy for me to get out and ride.

.

 

[redwing52]

Mike,
I edited your post to more easily separate your thoughts.

My first thought, is that regardless of the fuel pump pressure, the Vacuum Petcock valve will be OPEN immediately AS SOON AS engine vacuum is sufficient.

There will be NO BACK PRESSURE for the fuel pump to overcome.

The problem is most likely to be a pinhole in the Vacuum Petcock's diaphragm which is causing the valve to open only partially, or very slowly compared to "new condition".

When in Winter Storage, I would keep the battery on a Tender, and start the bike up every 2 or 3 weeks and allow it to run until the Fans cycle a couple of times.

I do that for my bike if the Wx is too lousy for me to get out and ride.

.

Thanks John.... 😎

 

[AZgl1800]

it is also possible that one or more Vacuum lines are leaking, that would also depress the availability of a good vacuum with just the starter motor turning over, which would prevent the Vacuum operated Fuel Petcock from working right.

 

[Bluewaterhooker0]

I've got a '97 that behaves similar to the OP. I generally set the choke / enrichment lever at about half way to start the bike whenever it is cold (ambient temperarure). Once the bike has run during any given day, 'choke' is no longer needed to restart. The 1/2 choke works any time I need to start the bike when it has been sitting for up to 2 or 2.5 weeks. At about 3 weeks, it behaves as described in the OP. Takes forever to start, and almost will not start at all. What I just discovered, after 8 years of ownership, is that setting the lever at full choke will get it to start almost immediately when having sat for 3 weeks. I have done that twice now, and it fired right up both times. I had never used full choke before, for fear of flooding the engine. I have to use full choke from the first attempt, not after a half choke attempt. And again this is only after it has sat for 3+ weeks. <3 weeks, the half choke is adequate. Just thought I'd share, as it drove me nuts for 8 years until I discovered that solution.

 

[AZgl1800]

Full "Enrichment" will not flood the engine.

I always set my 1500s at Full 'choke' er uh, enrichment when the temps were down in the low 40s or colder.....
I leave it there while I pull on my ATGATT, and watch the tach, when it reaches 2,000 RPMs, I pull it back a bit to get the RPMs down to 1500....

by the time I have my helmet on, I leave it where it is, and hit the road.
Half a mile later, at the Red light going to work, I pull it completely off.

The 'choke lever' is not a "choke", you cannot suck in more fuel that the engine can use if the temps are low enough to need to "choke it".

If, the bike has sat for 3 weeks or more, while I was TDY elsewhere, I always pushed it to FULL choke, hit the starter button, and varoom!

pull it back to about 1500 rpms and pull on my ATGATT.

 

[John Schmidt]

Been a while since I've owned a 1500 Wing but do have a 22 yr. old Valkyrie. One thing I'm confused with is twisting the throttle on the Valk does nothing but exercise the wrist because those carbs have no accelerator pump. So I'm wondering about the Wing carbs....do they have accelerator pumps? If not, then one could assume the same result by twisting the throttle...nothing more than wrist exercise. Just curious.

 

[david_root2000]

My 99 1500 has accelerator pumps

David

 

[DaveO430]

Been a while since I've owned a 1500 Wing but do have a 22 yr. old Valkyrie. One thing I'm confused with is twisting the throttle on the Valk does nothing but exercise the wrist because those carbs have no accelerator pump. So I'm wondering about the Wing carbs....do they have accelerator pumps? If not, then one could assume the same result by twisting the throttle...nothing more than wrist exercise. Just curious.

Yes 1500s do have an accelerator pump, 1000s did not, 1100s did and 1200s did not. 1800s are fuel injected.