Hard starting from overnight cold 86 vf500 49 states version after carb clean

I have cleaned the carbs, all the slow and fuel jets, cleaned the needles, cleaned the float valves. Lot's of varnish embedded in all the jets which was removed.
Bike will only start with ether sprayed into air cleaner from dead cold. After 5 minute warmup it starts immediately with touch of starter. runs and idles perfectly.high revs no backfires, no stumbling and purrs like a kitten. Even cool down and warm to touch bike fires right up. Ran vacumm test on petcock and I get flow.
Adding choke makes it worse :cranking slows

Bike sound fuel starved when cold?

Bike will not stall or stumble when warm or at op temp if choke is applied.

I did NOT clean the choke valves and thinking of this to do . Do they clog up?

I am thinking of converting the petcock to free flow per Daugherty, but he does not mention 86 model, only that fuel pump can over come vacuume. So I am not sure.

Can anyone help out?

 

It sounds like you have a little more carb work to do. All the circuits should be cleaned and inspected. These include the idle, main and enrichener (choke) circuits. As a first step pick up a can of aerosol brake cleaner and taper the tip of the spray hose with some sandpaper (this will give a good seal). Use this to inspect all the circuits for blockage checking as many as you can find.

Regarding the petcock - the '86 VF500F fuel delivery is gravity flow from the factory - no fuel pump/fuel pump relay. The '86 does have a vacuum safety feature on the fuel petcock (as does the '84/'85). The rubber diaphragm sometimes fails hence the bypass modification.

 

i have the carbs out again. I cleaned the choke valves they were very clean and blew cleaner through the float valves and the sprayed the filters.

what other circuts do you suggest that i sand the nozzle for?

thanks for the response

 

also on the petcock, i knew it was vacumme fed and uses the diaphram ....but i am suspisious it is still fuel starved so i am going to convert it and see.

 

Using a can of aerosol brake cleaner - sand the business end of the spray tube so that it has a slight taper. Take this and insert it into the the different circuits - i.e. start with the choke jet, put the tube in and watch to see where it comes out. Then reverse the process.

This will give a good indication of what is clogged.

On this note - don't use carburetor cleaner for cleaning - unless - you have removed the the plastic parts (i.e. floats) as it may damage them.

 

PHOTO: cleaning choke circuit fuel pickup tube, wire diameter .012", depth about 50 mm.


If you gut the diaphram you risk flooding the crankcase with fuel if a float needle decides to leak.

 

Thanks for the pic! I think this may solve my cold start problem...I cannot get a wire down that tube in any of the carbs.

Ill let you know. Thanks again!

 

You were right. The choke tube circuits in all four were clogged solid. I used a .010 guitar string and brake cleaner and finally broke through the 12 years if sold varnish.

I will put the carbs in and let eveyone know if this solved the cold start problem.

Thanks again!

 

The choke tubes were clogged. I ran the .010 guitar wire throiughj tem , blew them out and the bike started right uP. I rode it for the first time about 2o miles.

Thanks to every one who helped.
Now i have to figure out why I have LOTS of gas in my oil. I cleaned the petcock and even with the petcock on closed the bike still runs.