If the starter would turn the engine over it always started right up. OK - I'll add in a couple hydrolocks from overflowing carb, and even from cylinder full of coolant from head gasket. But even in those cases after I unscrewed the plugs, turned it over, then screwed them back in it always started.
I had it out on the road back in January, as usual it started right up, idled fine, I warmed it up some and drove around the neighborhood a good half hour, temp gauge up to normal range and everything before I parked it in the garage again. It was running as well as it did all last summer.
Well, a few weeks ago like early March I went to take it out on the road again. Un co-operative. Cranking just fine, firing some, but not hitting on enough cylinders to actually start. Fuel isn't horribly old, it is fuel from last fall.
So I refused to be defeated by a Goldwing, added the 2/10/50 amp charger on the 50 amp "boost" setting to the battery and proceeded to crank, fiddle the choke and throttle until it was running on its own, feathering the throttle to keep it running. It was clear that only cyl 2&4 (left bank) were hitting on idle, I could rev the engine, but it totally refused to settle into an idle unless I cracked the throttle enough to keep it running on the left cyl's only. Kinda sounded like a Hardley with the Vee-Twin lope. I even unscrewed the right side sparkplugs to take a look-see. Not fuel-fouled. They aren't exactly new, but were perfectly OK in January, should have been fine in March, too....
I ran it like that in the garage (yes, overhead door open) for a good long time, rev'ing the engine and getting things all nicely warmed up for a good half hour hoping cyl 1 & 3 would kick in and let it idle on four cylinders. No Joy. Pretty sure 1 & 3 were hitting when I grabbed some throttle, but no idle joy at all. Temp gauge was well into the normal range when I gave up on this effort.
When I put this bike on the road in 2005 I paid a local mechanic $300 to rebuild the carbs. He did a nice job, the carbs have been fine up 'til now. I'll qualify that by saying in the past couple years if I really got on the throttle sounded like a couple cylinders cutting out at high revs and WOT. I had been thinking weak ignition since it otherwise ran and idled fine on 4 cylinders. But now thinking this was the start of carb issues.
I'm not scared of opening a carburetor, rebuilt many for automobiles, but looks like I hafta pull the carburetor rack off the 1100 to get it to run correctly again. Pulled the rack several times for stators, leaky coolant tubes, head gaskets etc, but never to open up a failed carburetor. Before I do that, I may try to start it again and if it has enough power to drive around the neighborhood on missing cylinders I'll drive it hard and warm it up real good to see what it does.
However, expectations are low.
Hoping I can pull carb bowls and find passages or jets or something else I can easily clean out and make it run good again without full disassembly. But even if full disassembly is needed, I can likely save most of the o-rings etc as the 42 year old carburetor rack was rebuilt "only" 17 yrs ago.
Not 'scared of the job, just wanted to rant.
Was hoping the 1100 would be running OK so I could ride it while doing some work on the 1500 this spring before good riding season is in full-force. 1500 is running and ready for the season except I want to take the dashboard apart to fix some broken plastic, and maybe disassemble a couple handlebar switches for a good cleaning. I don't like working in a cold unheated garage. 1100 has always been reliable-running in the spring until now.I'll make a point of taking pictures to share with the team....
