Help! Engine lacks any of power

I recently took off my gas tank and fairings to prep for paint. I decided just to prime everything because I want to ride before the season ends. I put everything back on and hooked up the fuel lines to the gas tank. I put new gas in it and started it up and it sounded fine. Then I too it out and once a let the clutch out in first the engine wouldn't go, once a pulled to accelerator back it just bogged down and the engine shut off.
At first I thought that it was the fuel pump, so I took the back of it off and cleaned the contacts. That seems to be pumping, and I put a new fuel filter on. I got it running great and took a little ride, but after 5 minutes it did the same thing, I walked it home and found out that there was a rip in the gas hose near the petcock so I replaced that. At first I thought that it wasn't geeting any gas but I checked all the lines and it seems to be.
I dont know much about motorcycles, as I have only had one for as couple months, but I do have knowledge about car engines. This problem seems to come and go, as last night I rode for about 15 minutes but today I cant even get it to run for more than 1 minute. Also today I heard a hollow knocking sound coming from the engine which my dad says is the timing?

Thanks for the help in advance,
Andrew

 

How do I go about draining the carbs?

 

At or near the bottom of the float bowl on each carb is a screw. Also, you should see a piece of tubing connected to the bowl in this area. Unscrew a couple of turns to drain the bowl.

As for the whole of your problem, it would be my guess that you stirred something in the tank. (ie; rust flake, dirt) Sounds like its starving for fuel. Undo the gas line from the tank and check the flow coming out of the tank. Work the fuel shut off between all 3 positions too.

After that, start working your way to the carbs. (ie; fuel pump flow rate, fuel line filter, fuel lines, float and float valves)

 

I'm willing to bet something is in the fuel tank...It runs for 5 minutes or so and them boom nothing? Drain the tank let it dry overnight strat shaking it up and I bet you will hear that pesky rust flake...

 

This probably sounds obvious but when you primered the bike did you mask off inside the filler cap where the tank breather goes and then spray over it, it's possibly blocked and causing a vacuum in the tank, the hose to the breather could also be trapped /kinked, leave the cap undone and see if the bike revs freely, if so the tank is vacuuming causing the stop in fuel flow.
I did exactly the same when i painted my fh and it took me and 2 Honda technicians ages to figure it.Good luck

 

Good job guys, yes was thinking the same thing as in you've blocked off a breather and or bent a fuel line. Do as all have said, and you'll find it..

 

Update!
Today I took off the carb assembly and disassembled and cleaned the entire thing out. When I put it back on, after a couple tries, I got it started and it was running really well. My dad took it up and down the street a few times and then I got on it and it started doing the same thing as before. I put it into first and got about halfway onto the throttle and then the engine wouldnt rev any higher and it would start to stall, so I pulle the clutch back in, shifter into second, and gave gas and this I got about a quarter on the throttle when it started to stall. I can get it started now pretty well and it idles fine. As for the fuel lines, I inspected them all and replaced the half before the fuel pump, the rest semmed to be fine and gas was going through the lines. If it wasnt getting gas, I dont think that it would run for that short period of time because I drained the carbs, I dont know though. Could it be some sort of electrical problem?
Thanks for everyones suggestions so far, they have really helped
Andrew

 

It sounds like a fuel/air problem. Could you have a clogged vent line? My buddy had a similar problem on his dirt bike. Bike would idle, but if you gave any gas it would stall. We popped the gas cap off (so air could get into the tank) and it would run fine. Good luck.

 

I found something on here today abour the voltage regulator/rectifier, so i decided to read up about it and this might be the problem... the symptoms that everyone else listed where somewhat related to mine. Could anyone give more some more insight onto this and where it is located on the bike

 

Not sure on where it is on your bike, sc, but mine is behind the right rear cowl, above the passenger peg. I presume that that is whre they usually are. I am not really sure that a failing r/r would cause you to have a loss of power like you describe. The r/r is more fro charging the battery in conjunction with the stator. To see if it is doing its job, pull the seat off, get out your trusty multimeter, start the bike, place the leads on the appropriate battery terminals, positive to positive and negative to negative, rev the bike to about 5000 rpm and you should have a reading of around 14.5 volts. Also make sure the battery is fully charged. I am with the others that it sounds more like a fuel problem, something is clogged or the carbs are starving for fuel somewhere.

 

when my r/r went out that is exactly how it happened .it would miss for about 12 seconds then die out.those r/r do crazy things on avfr .

 

make sure you use a real honda r/r noy parts unlimited or something else .i tried 3 before i bought one from honda

 

I've been thinking since my last post, when you refitted the fueltank where did you get your fuel from. The symptoms remind me of when i collected a load of water in a bad batch of fuel, the bike would start, idle and run to about 1/4 throttle anything above this would cause the jets to pick up the water in the bottom of the float bowls and make it run like a sack of unpleasantness.

 

The fuel that was in the tank when I put it on was new but I guess there could have been some traces of water the didnt come out all the way left over from wet sanding. Since I put the tank on I have drained the gas and cleaned the carbs. How did you solve the water problem?