By the time we got to Spokane the bike was running more and more like crap the further down we went. It kept hickupping and backfiring through the carbs at idle once and while and now it was starting to do that while at speed on the highway causing a big jerk when it did and also starting to run a bit warm on my gauge again.
Next morning at the motel with the engine cold, time to rejet! Threw in jets 2 sizes larger and good as new, lots more power too.
About an hr later though… Went to pass an RV on the highway and suddenly the bike bogged down and one cyl cut out.. &@#% ! When I found a place to get off the road it idled fine but give it gas and it turned into a thumper. That should have been a clue, but I thought it had to be the fuel filter or something as I had just filled up 10 miles down the road. Tore the whole thing down trying to figure this out, eliminating one thing after another till finally it had to be in the carbs…
Heres what I found.. A mosquito in one of the main jets! WTF? That little bastard caused all sorts of headache. I had reasoned that it couldnt possibly be the jets because I’d just put brand spanking new ones in there and knew they were clean. I guess while I had the bowls open this guy landed in the little pool of gas in the cover and I didnt notice and slapped it back together with it in there.
One thing I noticed though, no less than 40 bikes passed us on the side of the road many of them making eye contact. Not a single one stopped. Several slowed down to take a closer look and sped off after they passed. Maybe its the hair? Back in NM you cant even pull over to make a phone call without someone checking to see if you’re ok.
Of course what do I know about bike problems. NONE! All I did is waited out til he put the bike together again. I’m so glad it did pour rain on us that day. It was pretty sunny for us, we took off riding again. It was still worth the wait. Blue skies, sunny, pretty day.
I read your article with interest. I am a new V Star 1300 owner. I cam off a Suzy Boulevard 800 after 7 years and 27000 mi. Great machine by the way. What really caught my interest was your comment about the bikers who did not stop. I recently had a similar experience. I was returning from the 600 mi service at a dealer about 50 miles away (where I bought the V Star). After fueling and getting on the Interstate about 12 miles out the bike started to surge (puke in biker terms). It did this and progressively got worse in the next 2 miles before it totally quit. I was on the shoulder and doing my best phone imitation to passing bikes as well as motorists. I have this problem, I refuse to carry a cell phone (walki-talki). After about 30 minutes of holding my thumb and pinky up to my ear a good soul in a pickup stopped and allowed me to call back to the dealer who promptly came to my aid. The servicing mechanic had forgot to turn the fuel valve on under the tank after he replaced it. Point is, I never pass a stopped bike on the road to check on the rider and his ride to see if there is anything wrong unless he or she motions me on as I am about to pull over. If you break down in Idaho and I see you, we will meet.
[…] the frustrating time in Washington state that it took me over an hour to figure out that a mosquito had gotten into the carbs while I was changing jets and caused us to loose one cylinder a while […]