help getting first fire after full rebuild!?

Just finished frame up rebuild and went to kick over but sadly no start. Lots of backfiring throughout the 5-10 mins of kicking but no real attempt to catch. All help greatly appreciated!

Suck, squeeze, bang, blow.
Tell us what you've done so far...
Tell us your skillset...
It'll help put at least a modified choke on the scattergun of troubleshooting.

Been rebuilding cars since 10 bikes bikes for the last 6.... obviously have spark since the backfiring as for timing its spot on using the indicator on the primary (i know this can be out bed t doubtful out enough for it to at least not try to start). About to recheck valves but ones again doubtful they slipped out to much as i was careful when setting them yesterday.

Is obviously getting gas once again due to the backfiring... battery reading 12.8 and brand new coil wires and plugs

I think Swooshdave will attest to the fact that if it does not fire after a minute of kicking, stop and assess.
Basics are, check for wet plug (fuel) and spark, nudge the timing forward a bit and if it gets worse, nudge it the other way.

Be ready with the timing light to set it proper if it happen to catch. If you have the timing too far off, it may blue the pipe rather quickly. Getting the time right at first start ups is critical.

Again, basics, fuel, spark, timing.

Assuming all the basic stuff is there (charged battery, fuel in tank, petcocks on, etc), I would double check your ignition timing (could be 180 degrees out).

And out of left field comes this thought - Assuming you have Amals, I've made the mistake of having the choke lever in the wrong position - which depending on your bike, the phase of the moon, what you ate last night, if you believe in the tooth fairy, etc.- can make starting impossible. Now WHICH way to position the lever for any given bike/condition turns out to be a pretty deep metaphysical discussion I'm not qualified to have.

Good Luck!

-- David

Timing is on right side checked by watching valves and dont have amals

Just checked plugs, dry and no gas smell so gonna look at the fuel system... have clear lines so i know gas is getting to carb and the carbs are brand new out of the box so shouldn't be a problem but we shall see....


...bowls full adjusting screw 2 1/2 out, srill nothing. Have to take a brake and give my foot a break.

So close yet so far man this is frustrating lol

joeboomer999 said:

Just checked plugs, dry and no gas smell so gonna look at the fuel system... have clear lines so i know gas is getting to carb and the carbs are brand new out of the box so shouldn't be a problem but we shall see....


...bowls full adjusting screw 2 1/2 out, srill nothing. Have to take a brake and give my foot a break.

So close yet so far man this is frustrating lol

Click to expand...

Give it a whiff of sleeping medicine, see if it pops a few in a row. "Don't have Amals"... do tell?? Mikuni? Enricheners on them ONLY WORK with a CLOSED THROTTLE. You didn't forget the crossover tube on the manifolds?

You've observed a good spark with the plug laying on the head?

Yea i was going to squirt a little gas in the chambers once i can walk again (kicking over with soft sold shoes lol)
Running a set of those cheap pwk's ( just temporary till my rebuild kit comes in for the amals)...
Balance pipe is in place.

At the moment i am not running any filters, this wouldn't lean out my mixture yo the point of no catching would it?

joeboomer999 said:

Yea i was going to squirt a little gas in the chambers once i can walk again (kicking over with soft sold shoes lol)
Running a set of those cheap pwk's ( just temporary till my rebuild kit comes in for the amals)...
Balance pipe is in place.

At the moment i am not running any filters, this wouldn't lean out my mixture yo the point of no catching would it?

Click to expand...

Cheap PWKs are a good carbies when I put mine on, the bike started first kick, if you have the air screw out to far then you will have problems they should only be out 1/8 of a turn so that could be your problem, they aren't Amals so diffret settings, when you timed the ignition remember there are 2 marks on the rotor and with the back firing you could be out 180 degrees, are you running points or what :?:
If everything is set up right then it should fire up within a few kicks, mine started on first kick after a rebuild.

Ashley

All's good not to sure what was the issue as i decided to just bite the bicky and redue my timing (trispark), valves, drained the carbs and switched battery. Started 2nd kick after that so something was off. Thanks for everyone's help

good job! :mrgreen:

Thats often how it went with me cutting me first teeth going through my 1st Combat, pure metal focus by group of alerted strangers worked magic again and again, so did not learn as much but got to make riding memories & tales much sooner more often.

hobot said:

Thats often how it went with me cutting me first teeth going through my 1st Combat, pure metal focus by group of alerted strangers worked magic again and again, so did not learn as much but got to make riding memories & tales much sooner more often.

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Hobot i have been lurking around the background of this forum for years now but still lack the skill of deciphering your posts lol i love it

joeboomer999 said:

hobot said:

Thats often how it went with me cutting me first teeth going through my 1st Combat, pure metal focus by group of alerted strangers worked magic again and again, so did not learn as much but got to make riding memories & tales much sooner more often.

Click to expand...

Hobot i have been lurking around the background of this forum for years now but still lack the skill of deciphering your posts lol i love it

Click to expand...

Let me help you out here.
He says he trusted the forums suggestions and it got him back on the road but really didn't know why. He exemplifies the fact that it is more important to him to be out riding than to sit around trying figure out why the solution worked.

It's kinda like Shakespeare or maybe e.e.
C
u
m
m
I
n
g
s.

Ugh joe I'm half teasing and half serious about life being based on magic and miracles. I and others with Norton mysteries have gotten going again after crys for help online that did not give any new advice or insights or change what we did, repeatedly, but next day after alert went out our pensive efforts worked like magic and we still don't know why. Fused fasteners or caps that ruin wits and wrenches or pullers and sledge hammers, next day release as expected w/o hurting anything, electrical conductors or polartity behave again out of the blue. Also happens riding, close calls over so fast you could not react only witness so left hollow to elated on how to think-feel about it. Hope rest of life makes full sense to you as its over my rational head to comprehend and likely l'll need more mass mind miracles to get my Peel deal going and survive it.

I can relate to this. My 750 handn't run for 3 months and would not start last week. Plugs out. no spark. points cover of and run point file through points. no spark, pull tank off, check wiring. all in good order and current where it should be. still no spark. irdium plugs, still no spark. F..k put iridiums in, 3 kicks and away. PUt tank on and go.
WTF??????????????????.
The follow on. OIl was low in tank so drained engine and re[-added oil to tank. still low. topped oil up. Got on and rode to Kamo filled up, and F..k, pool of oil under bike at servo. Coming from air filter, and all over back wheel. Tank over full?? join 4 plastic straws in remove oil from tank into used drink bottle.

BTW on my way down to Whangarei, I did a check of the new route for the rally. got to round-about and took wrong exit. Ended up back where I stated at Hukerenui. F..k again. back down SH1 to Kamo again and fill bike up again. [ BTW after not riding for 3 months clutch was a bit too sticky so had to start bike on stand and put in gear before getting off stand ( whoooo There ). Went to start bike on stand again at Kamo and the stand broke. [ I last modified this stand 41 years ago after I bought the bike ]....[ stand now modified like 850 with a pce of 1/2 HT steel bar welded inside the lower legs. ] Retraced my steps backwards and found out where I went wrong then off to Tutukaka.
A pleasant weekend was had. Packard Museum was a treat as well.
Dereck

Dereck I silently grimaced more with each new let down till your center stand broke and busted out Howling at your diepressing bad luck. After some my old tales on other forums I was given two griminess bells which were eagerly installed but its evil shoe eves messing with me and do not yet know what they are allergic too. When pre-peels center stand broke off on THE Gravel bouncing into frame a farmer with some bailing twine stopped so got tied up and finished ride. I could just sense the 8 lb less mass skipping around on the slutty stuff so left it off. I learned not to toss old plugs too deep in the bin - just in case, again.