1985 350x Weird problem

[dwh91102]

Hey guys, sorry for not getting pictures up in my other thread of the new 350, but i've been spending more time trying to get it running right. Heres the problem, it starts and idles just fine. I can warm it up, and rev it up just fine. When I take it out to ride it around it studders after about 1/2 throttle, if I lay into full throttle every once in awhile it will come alive for a second then start studdering again, almost like the post where I've seen guys think it has a rev limiter.....which I know it doesn't. This bike is bone stock, but it had sat for about 3 years. I'm 99.9% positive the jets are spotless. I'm just wondering where I should check next, the cdi or.........I'm really lost here, any help would be awesome, before I gotta fork out the cash for a shop to take care of it.

[ATC-Eric]

Sounds like your bowl isnt filling up fast enough. Check the petcock to make sure you have good flow.

[bigreddaddy]

You may want to read the sticky on carb jetting. A very good read. Have you actually cleaned the carb?
The carb sticky I mentioned talks about each throttle position and what jet or needle that affects it. You said your having problems after half throttle. So maybe read up on it and it can give you some idea what to check.
But it definitely could be a clogged jet or maybe the needle needs to be adjusted. Have you checked all the other things, like air filter, petcock filter, inline filters, etc.

[dwh91102]

Thanks for the quick respones guys, as I mentioned the thing sat for 3 years, so the carb cleaing was a must. I also put a inline filter in, the flow seems to be just fine. I was watching the filter yesterday when it was doing it, and the gas seemed to be flowing just fine through it. Maybe I should break down and buy the carb rebuild kit, is the one off dennis kirk ok?

[random-strike]

check the idle screw.

mine won't even start if the idle screw is a half a turn off.

[bigreddaddy]

I bought a carb kit for my 110 and 250 from dk, but just installed the kit in the 110 recently. One problem I had was the new pilot jet inner hole was a LOT smaller than the stock jet and it wouldn't idle. So I switched that jet back. The rest of the kit was ok.

[bigreddaddy]

Just a thought, have you checked to make sure your gas cap is venting?

[dwh91102]

Just a thought, have you checked to make sure your gas cap is venting?
I'll check that out, I got grease in my 84 CR480 vent tube one time....WOW nothing like riding along, and all the sudden its wot, and won't shut off. Had to jump off and pull the plug wire off, took me a minute to figure out what was wrong. I guess im gonna take the carb off on my next off day, and reclean it. I'm also gonna check and clean all the electrial parts, then go from there. Keep the suggestions coming guys.

[Erics350x]

will it rev if you put it on half choke? if so you know its fuel/carb related

[Sargon2112]

I put the DK kit in my 350X a couple months ago and so far it's been great...

Any brown / dark smoke when it acts up?

[dwh91102]

will it rev if you put it on half choke? if so you know its fuel/carb related
If I put the choke on while its doing it, it bogs down and dies.
I put the DK kit in my 350X a couple months ago and so far it's been great...

Any brown / dark smoke when it acts up?

Thanks sargon, I think for the $18 its well worth it. No smoke what so ever, I'm off tomorrow, and can't wait to tear into it (after I get out of the woods from deer hunting). The way it acts, I'm really leaning towards a electrical problem. Thanks again guys.

[Erics350x]

try spraying a mist of water on the coil wire and cranking it at night , look for blue sparks . i've also seen bad or damaged spark plugs cause similar issues

[mohawk]

another suggestion. check and make sure you didnt bend the float out of position causing the bowl not to fill .
and yap, bad or mis firing plugs will do it in some cases, but usualy a bad plug wont let it idle.

[p26575r16]

I have a '86 350x and when my friend delivered it to me in Wyoming from St. Louis it did the exact thing you were talking about. I tried everything to get it straightened out. Cleaned the carb several times. I finally tried re-jetting the bike, in St. Louis the alt is close to sea level, Wyoming was close to 7000 feet. Should have re-jetted to begin with but the bike was very lean in St. louis so I thought for shure that was not the problem. It was, after re-jetting the bike ran great.

[Erics350x]

try removing the airbox and running it. sounds like its flooding/running rich

[dwh91102]

Here is the same problem I'm having with my 350x.............
http://www.3wheelerworldforums.com/showthread.php?t=53504&highlight=350x+stator

[dwh91102]

I hate to bring this to the top, but I really need some help.

[Erics350x]

have you checked the cam timing and valve adjustment ? looked the wiring over for damaged spots?

[dwh91102]

Yeah the timing and valves are fine, its for sure an electrical problem. I've checked every connection, and wire everything looks great. I've pretty much narrowed it down to the stator or the cdi. I've read a lot of posts on the net with people having similar problems with the stator, starts losing power on top end, then usally quits working completely. I'm just looking for someone who has had this problem, if it was anything similar. I don't have the book to check the stator, plus I've read that the test can be somewhat iffy anyway. The link in the above post is the exact problem im having.

[mudbogger]

The manual I think says you can check that CDI with a ohm meter right?

[dwh91102]

Ok thanks for all the help fellas, also the guys post I posted above emailed me, and said that his was a loose jet. I did put a inline filter in, so i'll take that out, and i'm also ordering a carb rebuild kit, and the left gasket tomorrow. I pray that takes care of the problem, I don't want to miss out on the first good snow riddin. I keep you guys updated.