83 Yamaha XS650 won’t idle

[jpdevol]

If ya got a cheap electrical tester we (you) can do this..

 

[Jim]

Quick and dirty test to see if you're looking at an ignition or carburation problem....

Pull the air filters. Squirt some gas into the carbs (Gas, starting fluid... hell, even penetrating oil. Anything that says Extremely Flammable in the caution statement.... not paint ).

Spin the motor over (try to start it) and see if it fires, pops, farts.... anything that tells you what you squirted in there caught fire. If it does any of that, the ignition is most likely OK.... enough to make it run anyway.

If there's no signs of life whatsoever, then yeah... might be the ignition.

 

[drgonzo]

I like that logic.

 

[Jim]

I like that logic.

That's "stuck on the side of the road" troubleshooting101... gas or spark... which is it?
I once tore off a strip of my shirt, dangled it in the gas tank, then wadded it up and stuck it in the carb inlet. Whatever it takes to isolate down to a direction to follow.... gas or spark.

 

[650Skull]

Appears to be stock 1983 Edit: non-US model?

FFR, Canadian XS650s mirrored the us when it came to ignitions and when they changed in 1980 from points to TCI

 

[650Skull]

Well the points have been removed

Ya not sure

 

[jpdevol]

FFR, Canadian XS650s mirrored the us when it came to ignitions and when they changed in 1980 from points to TCI

This will be interesting; was trying to make sense of K with PAMCO, saw Quebec, ....thanks for the reference. Join in later