71' chopper STILL not turning over

rattymatty

rattymatty

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ok brothas,

just bought my very first 1971 xs650 rigid chopper project. i have been restoring everything on her and just recently installed new points with new wires. only problem is my bike isn't turning over. i know xs650's have the worst spark problems yada yada, but i'm looking for a resolution to this problem. i have adjusted the points properly as it says so in the other threads, the coils get hot so i know its getting spark. i have a brand new battery and i just rebuilt the carbs with new floats and needles and they flow smooth like new... so what could be the issue? eventually i want to get a pamco but dont have the funds right now. i just want to cruise already :bike: could i get a little help?

thanks
 
When you try it what happens?
Pop, backfire anything?

I kicked mine for hours until I realized the wires from my points were swapped :-(
Grey and orange. Swap them and see what it does. First time I swapped them it fired.

Just for the record my grey wire is my LEFT spark.
Also make sure you are getting spark. You said coils get hot. That's fine. Pull plugs, attach to lead.
Hold with pliers against the engine somewhere. Turn kicker and you should SEE the spark. Check both sides.

Not much info to go on but if its all 'right' I suspect swapped points wires. Easy 1min to swap them and check.

Cheers,
Peter

Posted via Mobile
 
Update:

So i just went in and re-adjusted the points all over again. now i am getting a pop and backfire like you said Peter. i checked the spark plugs, and i am getting spark on both sides. points are getting spark and the alternator is magnetizing so everything checks out fine.

the motor just isn't kicking over. just pops, backfires and goes out. it sounds like it wants to run so bad just not sure what's stopping it at this point...

thanks for the reply

M
 
also its backfiring through the carb. it spit out an orange flame once and that shit caught fire on me. thankfully i was wearing an old t shirt. timing issue maybe?
 
Did you try swapping orange and grey points wires?
Swap them and try kicking it.
If you do that it will eliminate points/cool firing order. Even if timing is stuffed it should still run (badly)
Swap orange and grey wires from the points. The ends will go into the bullets for the coils.
Just swap the orange and grey there.

If that does not work then you can swap back and look at fuel.

Let me know how that goes mate.

Peter.

Posted via Mobile
 
Yes condensers are hooked up and grounded. Still haven't tried swapping the cables yet so I will give that a try after work today and keep you guys posted.

Thanks

M
 
Ok is swapped the points and didnt do anything. I was getting more response before the swap. Maybe just need to adjust points again??
 
I checked points and both are getting power. I noticed that I only get a fart hear and there put of the pipes when I add starter fuel. So could it just be a carb problem now? Trying to cancel out as much as possibly can...
 
Ok so you have electrics checked. It's got to be fuel.
But, is the battery 100% charged? These things need a full battery. Even for kickstart. If its fully charged, check carbs.
I can't help with carbs sorry. I can do my own a bit but not really trouble shoot.

Mine didn't kick and I did all of the above. Then took off carbs and cleaned according to the carb guide.

A bit of "Start-ya-bastard" and fixed the swapped coil leads and breroooom!

Posted via Mobile
 
You say you adjusted the points, when you adjust ther points are you just adjuting the gap? Every time you change the points gap it changes the points timing. Every time you adjust the points gap you need to adjust the points timing.
Also your feeler gauges have a thin coat of oil to prevent rust. Some of this oil gets transfered to the points. You need to clean the points after adjusting. A stiff white cardboard, like business cards are made of. Cut in strips about 1/4 inch wide. Dampen with electrical contact cleaner. With the points closed, open them with a finger, insert the strip in the gap, let the points close on the strip. Pull the strip out. Repeat till the strip comes out clean.
On the wiring on the points the upper set of points fire the right coil, the lower the left.
Leo
 
Hey, RattyMatty.
Saw `71 chopper and had to jump in...
You say 'just bought,? Was this a bargain non-runner?
I'm going to assume that it has never run for you.
I'm also going to assume that the previous owner, or whoever, sold it because it didn't run.
If so, read on...
The engine may have been worked, and the camshaft is mis-timed.
That backfire sounds familiar, outta see it out of a small-block chevy.
Anyway, a cheap/easy (I like easy) check is to look at the spark advance weights while at TDC.
Those weights should be horizontal.
If not, tear-down time...
Good luck.
 
Thanks for the info brothas. I ended up buying the pamco but so ill see how that does. Coming back from coachella weekend with a new pamco waiting for me could possibly be the best thing ever.
 
I kicked it and the motor turned over for the first time but quickly shut off. I'm going to adjust the points again, triple check em and see if that was the problem. You can never be too confident with these old points systems
 
You say the coils get hot? May want to check primary and secondary resistances per tech info in this forum. I had a coil go bad 4 months ago (intermittant, but found the crack in the case), and found coils reasonably priced on the web (Mikes, for one).
 
So I received the pamco and that dirty bitch started almost first kick! Now I gotta tune the carbs and ill have my knees in the breeze
 
When you put your new AWESOME pamco (awesome because I put one in my 81 and it rules) did you get the kit with the new coils and what not or did you just put in the pamco and BAM, running with no problem!?
Oh yeah I have a 71 I am working on, reason for the question. Thanks.
 
I purchased the basic pamco and dual output coil. Basically followed the install instructions on Pete's website and wam bam thank you mam! Only issue I'm having is it won't start without a little starter fluid. Ill post some pics later today when I get home from work
 
Also my throttle is EXTREMELY touchy. The lever on the carb can move a hairline and the motor revs out of control. Can't ride it yet. Any ideas?
 

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