1984 GL1200 stalls out when throttled

[Gunner56]

Well, I finally broke down and bought me a 1984 Honda Goldwing GL1200 Interstate. It has 31,000 original miles. The owner said it was stored in a garage the last 21/2 years and that it would fire up with starting fluid but was not getting gas. I confirmed it would fire up with starting fluid before I hauled it home. Got it home and cleaned the tank with a mixture of gas, sea foam, and brake cleaner. Let it set about 5 hours and drained it using air pressure to get all the mixture out. Put new gas and more sea foam in it. After several attempts to get it started using starting fluid, it started to run on its own. However, it stalls when you throttle it higher and can only reach a maximum of about 4000 rpm then it really stalls out. Sounds like it backfires at times also. I suspect the carbs are filthy but I'm not sure. Any thoughts on what my next step should be will be appreciated. Thanks in advance!

[lcdrjoe]

Probably stating the obvious answer, but I would take the carb assembly off the bike and one at a time remove the float bowl cover and clean up everything. There's probably clogged jets.

[joecoolsuncle]

totally clean carbs. dont forget set float height after cleaning float valves.question not usually asked.......why was the bike put in storage to begin with? be prepared to do a frame up restoration , it will be worth it in the end.

[Gunner56]

Thanks for the two replies. The previous owner took ill and had both legs amputated. That is why it was in storage for 2 1/2 years. I removed the carb assembly today and opened one carb to look at jets and float. There was a slight green film inside and the jets looked black in color instead of shiny brass. Not sure if they are plastic. Any suggestions on where to buy a good carburetor rebuild kit? Part number(s) would be helpful too. Thanks in advance. One more thing, what is meant by checking the float height?

[Rambozo]

Jets are brass, not plastic.
Randakks Cycle Shakk or Honda.
They should be ultrasonically cleaned as many passages are super small, especially compared to automotive carbs.
Setting the float height or fuel level is something that is done on most carbs. It is very critical on these carbs and not as easy to do properly as on most carbs.
These carbs are not the greatest project for those without experience. Or just plan to get that experience doing them. You can read many posts here about people having the carbs off 4 or more times to get it right. A shop manual and or Randakk's guide will be invaluable for this task.

[Gunner56]

Anyone know of a shop that I could maybe mail the carb assembly to and have the carbs rebuilt and returned?

[Gunner56]

Ok. So I cleaned the carbs, replaced both jets, checked the floats and levels, and re-assembled. Started right-up and ran great for about two weeks. Yesterday, I tried to start it and began doing the same thing as before. Any thoughts?

[Bike...and Dennis]

I once saw an '84 with those symptoms and the was the pulse generator.