Hi speed problem

[Grizzlypeg]

It seemed to me that my 84 200x was not revving like it used to. So I took it to a stretch of road and took it for a speed run. When I hit 66 km/h (by gps) in 4th, that was all it would do. At full throttle, it actually slowed down, lost some power, and picked up revs when I backed off to around 9/10th wide open throttle. I didn't bother with 5th. Previously, it has pulled strong all the way up in 4th, and was around 100 km/h in 5th.

I pulled the plug after the run, and it looked pretty inconclusive. Maybe even a tad rich looking.

I pulled the fuel line off the carb and let fuel run into a cup. It ran very steady. When I switch the petcock to reserve, it slows a little.

I removed the plug from the bottom of the carburetor and looked for dirt or sediment. Just a tiny amount of black residue in the bottom of the plug. Put the plug back in the bottom of the carb and opened the drain screw and petcock. Fuel flows freely.

Air filter is some sort of foam clamp on job that is inside the stock airbox. Didn't look dirty.

Exhaust system is what looks like a DG RPM system.

I'm thinking:

1) Check float level

Any other ideas?

[haggard 2hundie]

as you know im new and not exactly inclined mechanicaly but what is the condition of your throttle cable ? the gremlins somehow got to mine and after a little readjusting mine ran more like it should , still got pesky jetting issues but im studying up and learning alot. by the way did you ever decide on a tool box idea i liked the pvc idea.

[Grizzlypeg]

I have a new throttle cable.

Haven't done anything with the pvc toolbox idea yet. Have to see what the cost is for the caps and pipe next time I'm at Home Depot.

I'm starting with draining the fuel tank and removing the petcock. I'll see if there is any debris in the bottom of the tank and or clogging the petcock filter. I know sometimes junk in the bottom of the fuel tank can cause problems when it gets stirred up. If the tank is clean, then I'll pull the carb and have a look at the float bowl and float assembly.

Whatever it is, it wasn't doing this last time I was out, so it isn't a carb setting. Its some gremlin that's crept into the system. Dirt is my first guess.

[mike1979]

I have a new throttle cable.

Haven't done anything with the pvc toolbox idea yet. Have to see what the cost is for the caps and pipe next time I'm at Home Depot.

I'm starting with draining the fuel tank and removing the petcock. I'll see if there is any debris in the bottom of the tank and or clogging the petcock filter. I know sometimes junk in the bottom of the fuel tank can cause problems when it gets stirred up. If the tank is clean, then I'll pull the carb and have a look at the float bowl and float assembly.

Whatever it is, it wasn't doing this last time I was out, so it isn't a carb setting. Its some gremlin that's crept into the system. Dirt is my first guess.


I would have to say to start with the carb, check the jets, and make sure you have an inline filter.

[Grizzlypeg]

Drained the fuel tank and then removed the petcock. Found out there is no strainer or tubes inside the petcock. Petcock had black particles in it. Reserve setting was half plugged. There is an external inline filter installed, but I'm replacing the petcock with one with a strainer and the tube inside that makes the "reserve" function operate. Not sure if this was the cause of the problem, but I'm going to clean the tank some more and have a properly functioning petcock strainer. I don't like the idea of not having that function as intended. Its better not to draw fuel straight off the bottom of the tank, unstrained.

I will also replace the inline filter. It would have taken in all the dirt.

Carb still will be checked and cleaned.

[haggard 2hundie]

mine is missing the fuel strainer screen that goes into the tank also . i have an inline filter between the tank and petcock but havent really rode enough to to really tell if its working or not seems to though so far.

[Grizzlypeg]

I found new petcocks with strainer for $15 on ebay. That's cheaper than I can get the strainer for. Without the strainer, some debris could easily plug the passage in the petcock.

I'm drying out the tank, and I'm going to blast it with compressed air to hopefully get any chips of rust or other large particles out. Hopefully I get the new petcock before the long weekend. I'm mulling over the convenience vs risk of buying a new carb off ebay. The high probability of "knock off" from china worries me a little. That's why I was asking about that Mikuni I see selling for $100 on ebay. If its a real mikuni, that's a quality carb for 100 bones.

[haggard 2hundie]

will any yr petcock fit my 86 ?

[Grizzlypeg]

will any yr petcock fit my 86 ?

Not sure. Is it a threaded pipe that hangs down off the bottom of the gas tank, and the petcock has a nut?

Try looking at part numbers at parts pit stop and compare years, see if its the same.

[84honda200s]

sounds like carb issues to me .. take the main jet out and see if its clean .. if the jet is fine maybe the carb got knocked out of adjustment but when mine did that it turned out to be some carb issues and the fact my clutch plates were worn beyond adjustment lol.. id start with looking and adjusting the carb and go from there .. also the timming could have jumped ..

[Grizzlypeg]

I have cleaned the carb very thoroughly and will fire it back up as soon as I get a fuel strainer for my fuel tank. I have ordered a complete petcock and strainer on ebay. There was none on my tank I have discovered. There was an inline fuel filter though, the kind with a sintered brass filter unit.

Timing jumped, as in timing chain? Mine does sound noisey. That's one of the next jobs to do.

[200XMichigan]

I would say well its all apart you really want to clean your tank, and line it. There's a recent thread on it. Doesn't sound like there is any reason to replace your carb. It just got particles from rust in the gas tank, the carb itself is fine. The new E-bay carb wouldn't be any better than a good stock carb, both would plug with rust. Get a clear inline filter, then you can always tell what is going on in the fuel system. Also rust in the gas tank creates a film on the spark plug, like the microscopic particles that pass through the filter. I was running something with a rusty tank and it went through a set of plugs in a day. Wouldn't fire the next, replaced the points and condenser, still nothing, told the guy at the motorcycle junk yard about it, he told me about rust doing that to plugs, put in new plugs and it fired right up. Lined the tank and never had a problem with it again.

[Grizzlypeg]

Someone should make a plastic tank that takes the wings, so we can ditch these old metal tanks and still have the original look.

[200XMichigan]

Once lined the metal will last a long time, pretty much forever if you take care of it, and the plastic tanks always fade out after a while in use. And really if all the previous owners had given a crap about their trikes so many gas tanks wouldn't be rusty.

[84honda200s]

Once lined the metal will last a long time, pretty much forever if you take care of it, and the plastic tanks always fade out after a while in use. And really if all the previous owners had given a crap about their trikes so many gas tanks wouldn't be rusty.

its wrong to say that .. i love and take care of my trike and tank and it still gets rust in the tank .. im not bashing or nothing like that but just because someone has rust in a tank doesnt mean they dont take care of it .. the gas stations around my area are known to have water in their gas .. if you get enough bad gas im sure it will cause a steel tank to rust . . plus ive also got rust out of a pump before in my new plastic gas can . .