So since we got it our Shadow has had hard starting. Basically the starter is shot and pulls too much current. It often backfires when starting, because it has to crank for a while. But it always ran fine, once running. It's a 1985 Honda Shadow VT500C, by the way.
Until today. Annoyingly enough, my MSF course is in the morning. I went to go put gas in it. At the gas station, after jump starting it, I noticed it wouldn't idle. It would idle really slow, and then die. I finally had to have the person who helped me hold the revs up while I got on and wound up the jumper cables. And then driving the mile back to the house, it had zero power. I mean, keeping it from stalling when letting out the clutch required full throttle, and it would jerk forward, like no power, and then suddenly some power. Stopping while holding the revs up so it wouldn't stall, and trying to keep it from stalling when getting moving again.
It's really bad. Stopped by a neighbors house who is a Sheriff and has a motorcycle, and he helped me for a few minutes. He thinks my timing is off, as it doesn't want to run, idle, has no power, and backfires heavily when attempting to start. This would make sense to me, if the timing chain is loose. When it's hot and idling, or revving, it has a rhythmic metallic tapping sound that is about half engine speed, and increases linearly with engine speed.
I'm wondering if the timing has been slightly off, and then slipped a few teeth, which is what is going on now, as it sits in my garage. I mean, it's 27 years old, and has 34,000 miles on it. What do you think? I mean we just had the carbs rebuilt last year, and the spark plugs replaced at the same time.
Until today. Annoyingly enough, my MSF course is in the morning. I went to go put gas in it. At the gas station, after jump starting it, I noticed it wouldn't idle. It would idle really slow, and then die. I finally had to have the person who helped me hold the revs up while I got on and wound up the jumper cables. And then driving the mile back to the house, it had zero power. I mean, keeping it from stalling when letting out the clutch required full throttle, and it would jerk forward, like no power, and then suddenly some power. Stopping while holding the revs up so it wouldn't stall, and trying to keep it from stalling when getting moving again.
It's really bad. Stopped by a neighbors house who is a Sheriff and has a motorcycle, and he helped me for a few minutes. He thinks my timing is off, as it doesn't want to run, idle, has no power, and backfires heavily when attempting to start. This would make sense to me, if the timing chain is loose. When it's hot and idling, or revving, it has a rhythmic metallic tapping sound that is about half engine speed, and increases linearly with engine speed.
I'm wondering if the timing has been slightly off, and then slipped a few teeth, which is what is going on now, as it sits in my garage. I mean, it's 27 years old, and has 34,000 miles on it. What do you think? I mean we just had the carbs rebuilt last year, and the spark plugs replaced at the same time.
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