Winter Project: Getting my motorcycle operational again

[hunter399]

You gotta watch some musti1 man.
This guy has 100 hundreds of motorcycle ,small engine repair videos.
Look through his videos,he might have a bike similar to yours that he has worked on.

[Rob]

Ok-I will hold off on the mystery oil until i see if the cylinders are siezed

It is an electric start.

I will check that guy out.

I have been using this guy for the carb removal, cleaning and reinstall instructions

[Sandberm]

You gotta watch some musti1 man.
This guy has 100 hundreds of motorcycle ,small engine repair videos.
Look through his videos,he might have a bike similar to yours that he has worked on.

Oh man. I've never seen that YT channel but it looks like something I'd like. I love bringing old small engines back to life. 

[hunter399]

I'd say old musti1 is the king of small engine repair on YT.
Not only does he get old junk up and running.
In alot of older videos,he gets this stuff from old yard sales,free off the side of the road. Repairs and resales.
Also if he can't get it running, he'll tear down and figure out how it blew up.

He is pretty good at it.
His videos are a little long,about an hour or so.

[hunter399]

Ok-I will hold off on the mystery oil until i see if the cylinders are siezed

It is an electric start.

I will check that guy out.

I have been using this guy for the carb removal, cleaning and reinstall instructions

Ya ,he seems pretty good too.
Checked it out.

[CastleRocker]

My wife and I have been riding Roadstars for nearly 20 years.  They're amazing bikes, especially for the price.  Join the Roadstar forum.  That is where the true wisdom is when it comes to those bikes.  I still ride my '05, but my wife went to the dark side and bought a Harley.  She misses her Roadstar when we are in the twisties.

I'd make sure your bike is in neutral (with the neutral light lit) when you try to start it.  Also, before you pour stuff down your cylinders that doesn't belong in there, pull your plugs, put it in 3rd or so gear, and roll it forward to see if it's semi seized.  I'll bet it's not.  I've seen a Roadstar that sat for about 12 years in Alabama humidity fire up with new gas.  That engine is one of the best push-rod V-twins I've seen.  The fuel pump is my only complaint.   Why it's even there is beyond me, but as long as it's not over 100° it's fine.  If it is really hot out, well that a whole other story. 

[Rob]

Cant wait for the parts to arrive to get this first step done and see what happens.

Btw, while cleaning the chrome on the bathroom showerdoor today (prepping for guests), I noticed the waterspots were coming off pretty easy with one of the magic eraser sponges...  a dim light flickered in my brain...  where was I trying to get spots off chrome recently...  oh yeah!  The motorcycle!

I gave it a go on the chrome heads and the spotting came off pretty easy!
Amazon Basics Extra Durable Cleaning Eraser, White, 14 Count https://a.co/d/blvwygm

I really enjoyed riding this bike when it was last running so really hoping it gets going again.  I don't have buget to drop a couple grand on shop work but pice-mealing the fixes over several months and saving labor costs puts it in reach.  Not to mention the education.

Below is an updated photo after the oil change and some basic spit and shine.

Appreciate all the ideas.  Hope everyone has a fantastic Chrismas!

[Angry Perch]

I'm not sure where the stuck piston/ rings stuff is coming from. If it didn't click when you tried to start it, it wasn't trying. Most of us have been burned (embarrassed  ) by neutral safety switches, brake/ clutch safety switches, (boat lanyards ), etc. so take all of that into account. Sounds like a fun project.

It’s coming from common sense, and  the guy that built mine, with 7 built Harley's in his shop, that advises to bump (yearly) them over so the rings don’t stick/adhere/form any thing that can turn into something down the road. Having part of its life on the wet side.. it’s possible. that’s why I suggested making sure it was not the problem. Pull the clutch in roll ahead, open clutch.. either stuck rings  or not.. starter or electrical if not stuck.

Sorry, I wasn't saying it may not be stuck, but if the starter made no noise, it was not trying to turn it over. That's all.

[Rob]

Here is where I am at.
-oil and filter change done
-spark plugs replaced
-carb pulled
-Carb cleaned but not re-assembled.
-Air filter removed and awaiting replacement part.


General thoughts.
I really hope I can get the carb back on!  The throttle cables were tricky to remove and the electical lines to the carb seem to have been routed by ompa loompas with tiny hands and no slack...  other than that pulling the carb was pretty straightforward.

The carb was remarkably clean given it has been sitting over a decade with ethanol gas in it.  I expected to see sludge and varnish everywhere but it was clean.  The jets and other tiny holes/passageways could have been clogged though so no regrets.

I cleaned all the parts with carb cleaner and a brush, plus I soaked all the little jet parts in a gallon of the Berryman Chem-Dip Carburetor cleaner for an hour or so.  I blew everything out with compressed sir several times.  I bought a set of carb brushes and picks which worked great for ensuring all the little passageways were clean.

I am going to wait to re-assemble.  My carb kit from Amazon was supposed to arrive Thursday.  It made it all the way to Spokane and then some kind of damage occured and it is now on its way back to Texas...  no idea what the damage was but this is the first time I have had that happen before.  Anyway I have to re-order and it will be here next week.  The brass parts all seem clean and in great condition so I plan to re-use them.  I want the kit however so I can replace orings and the float bowl gasket.

[Rob]

Carb before cleaning

[Rob]

One question.  It looks like the bowl gasket was held in with some kind of  an amber, gummy adhesive.  Is that required/recommended?  I am planning on just putting in the new gasket when it arrives without an adhesive.

[HntnFsh]

That shouldnt need anything to help it seal.

[Westside88]

Looks like it may be varnished fuel from sitting so long.

[HntnFsh]

Looks like it may be varnished fuel from sitting so long.

That's what I was thinking.

[SeaRun1]

Hey Rob,

Was there a gasket there to begin with?  It may be just some residual RTV which is pretty commonly used on bikes.  Have you thought about purchasing (or downloading) a shop manual for the bike?

SR1