3G Runs rough!

[Damn Yankee]

Hello all...

Didn't abandon you, just waiting for an opportunity to pass along an update.

Mechanic was able to pick it up this week, spent the past couple of days going through it and has not yet been able to pinpoint the source of the trouble.

(btw, this is a certified mechanic on all things with wheels, works out of his own garage. Is not associated with Honda or any stealership. Honda CBX's are his specialty)

Everything else checks out: ignition, timing, idles great, found some water in the gas, but has been running "on an IV." But when he tries to crack the throttle, it dies. And he cleaned the carbs for me earlier this month. So now he's going through every crevice of the carbs to see if something is amiss. He's running this by a guy he calls "the carb guru" in California, Dave Nixon...and a neighbor who runs racing cycles and is a GM tech...They're BOTH scratching their heads over this one!

One one hand, I'm glad this is something beyond my mechanical incomprehension. But it's like an episode of "House" (minus the crabby doctor), as they try to troubleshoot an unusual ailment. Stay tuned.

Oh, almost forgot: The motor on my deck mower blew up. And I pulled a hamstring. Anything else want to pile on?

[lragan]

Oh, almost forgot: The motor on my deck mower blew up. And I pulled a hamstring. Anything else want to pile on?

The theory is called IPIO  Inherent Perverisity of Inanimate Objects

Theorem:  If anything can break, it will!

Corollary 1: And at the least opportune moment!

Corollary 2: Objects too simple to break will get lost!

Stated in simpler terms:  "Things hate people!"

[Damn Yankee]

I've certainly incurred the wrath of something/someone, that's for sure.
The good kharma of motorcycles seems to have turned around and bit me on the backside.

However, those entities seem to allow a degree of mercy.

That's because Maggie is now doing much, much better...test ride pending.

The Finding: vacuum issue involving the carb bank's rubber boots.

After tinkering with every possiblity over the weekend, my mechanic focused on the boots that attach the carb bank to the engine. The clamps have limiters that only allow you to tighten them so far. So he removed the pins acting as limiters for each of the clamps, tightened them down some more, and *snap*...it runs perfectly.

He told me that is what usually ails the CBX's: The boots become so brittle and hard they loose their pliability. Solution:  new boots. But in this case, he said the boots were still quite pliable, so he altered the clamps.

Again, I will caution: test ride pending tomorrow. Rain today. But a big load off my mind.

[Chad in Michigan]

if that fixes it, i'd be suprised, based on your problem. those wouldnt cause it to suddenly loose power, and not restart. i say its either fuel delivery or lack of spark. did you ever check that 3 pin connector i told you about under the gas tank? a corroded connection could heat up and cause problems. also, i had a problem with my regulator/rectifier this year and it caused a lack of power, supddering and stalling. could be somehting of that nature also. i had good voltage at idle, but voltage went down with increased throttle.

[Chad in Michigan]

tell you what-you're in michigan, right? i can come over and help you get it going if you want i have all kinds of test equipment, if need be to eliminate the carbs or ignition module, i can swap mine on your bike to eliminate those. i also have spare parts, like an entire wiring harness and two extra sets of coils. pm me if you want any help

[Charles S Otwell]

If your still having trouble after this I would seriously start looking for an electrical bug, I just recently went thru a similar problem with a friends Goldwing run like a top one minute, think you got it fixed and next minute it's acting up again. To make a long story short after changing everything I could think of, without any luck, I finally started pulling connectors apart and checking them, found one pin in one connector that was green and corroded, cleaned it, plugged it back together and it's not missed a lick since. So don't give up, it'll probably be something small when you find it.

[Damn Yankee]

Did the test run after putting some Heet in the gas tank, and Maggie is SCREAMING down I-94 once again! Starts fine, revs up great...no more hesitation or anything like that. Seems like I need to pay a little extra attention to condensation in the gas tank as the bike gets older. did check the connectors, squirted some electric connection cleaner as a double check...So far, so good.


btw, mechanic did not cash my check until he was sure everything was working.
Class act.