1986 interceptor 500cc... carb cleaning

I have a 1986 Honda Interceptor 500cc v4. It has 11k miles on it, and it sat for a longggg time. I tried starting it a few years ago, but it would not run. So i put some good gas in the tank, and still wouldn't run. It has spark and compression. so, 3 years later I finally decided to rip it apart.

I have the carbs off, but I am afraid I am going to screw up the sync and I would have to pay someone to do it. Is there anyway I can clean the carbs without really messing anything up? Thanks!

here is a pic of the bike for those who want it

 

Most of the time a simple cleaning will do the trick, no way to tell for sure how bad they are until you get the bowls off and inspect.

 

There are several of us on here that have done carb jobs on our bikes. Browse around and check out the posts for tips and suggestions.

http://vfrworld.com/forums/1st-2nd-generation-1983-1989/29030-my-1st-carb-rebuild-has-begun-86-vfr750.html

Mine has some pics from disassembly, others have more detailed pics during and with reassembly. Good luck!

BTW, clean looking bike!

 

p,p,p,p,please d,d,d,don't remove the airbox bottom from the assembly as it holds everything together......

 

hahaha ok simple jack

Yeah, I read my chylmer(sp?) manual on how to remove the carbs. Its straight forward. easy. im just nervous about cleaning the carbs. The threads on here have a lot of pics. so it should be a breeze!

 

yeah, Squirrels pretty serious on the plate removal... the crossovers and fuel lines that run between the 4 units are very old and depending on what condition the bike is in can be extremely brittle. You bust one of those and you might as well sell your bike for scrap!

I got lucky when I was stupid and pulled it off. My boots were so stuck on the intake that it wouldn't release the carbs so I thought that by removing the plate it would allow them to come up more individually... which they did... which could have put stress on the said crossovers and lines and really screwed me up. Luckily my girl was babied and garaged her entire life, so the plastics are in relatively good shape. Still, hindsight prevails and if I knew then what I know now I'd have left it on!

 

my bike was garage kept for life then it sat in my driveway covered for a few years... so the carbs came right off the intake boots. it was nice

 

Curious what plate you're speaking of? On top of the carbs? 1990 vfr 750. Is this the plate with the " cylindrical air guides" made of metal?

 

also, squirrellman...I got your e mail and I'm considering using your servce to clean my carbs via shipping. Are you in NY? I'm NJ

 

WHY, yes, Mike, on the shores of Lake Erie, and your carbs will have TOP PRIORITY and get EXTRA love !

 

If you've read most of the 'carb cleaning' posts on this forum you should have figured out it's a problem for 'lay people'. You gotta have the right equipment, chemicals and knowledge to do a decent job. I've PM'ed and read enough of Squirrelman's posts to know he's qualified.

 

You should consider Billy Carr in Texas. He's a well-known V4 carb cleaning expert and would certainly take good care of you. He's the best around for early V4 carb work. Shoot me a PM and I can get you his contact info.

 

JD--possibly out for jab over a personal slight-- no authority on carb work.

Unlike others doing carb repairs, as a MEMBER of this forum, i try to offer accurate, useful, helpful info here.......occasionally.

i charge less for carb service than others, have been doing VFR carbs since 1990, and i'm usually quicker in turnaround.

 

Granted I've never used him because I do my own carb work, but he's got several dozen guys on the V4HondaBBS.com who can give a testiment to his work. When he makes a mistake his admits to it and stands behind his work, that speaks a lot to his character. I would never endorse someone who is not a stand-up guy like that.

So, where does your crappy attitude toward the early VF's, rude and personally insulting comments, and gereral negative opionion fit into that? Just looking for some clarification here. I'd think if you want to gain som work from the early VF guys you might consider not slamming them every chance you get. Just a suggestion from your Ol' Uncle Jamie.

 

JD, i didn't see you stepping up to solve a carb problem yet.......but do offer 3rd hand reports about someone you've never used ??

 

Update, I cleaned the carbs up (2 were horrible... lots of gunk). put them all back on. bike fired right up. now I am trying to get it to idle... and I cant for the life of me. I guess I have to sync the carbs

I also buggered up a pilot screw trying to set them... FML