new to the xs, need a little help

[Eire Taylor]

Hey, name is Colm and im a new guy from Ireland!

I just picked up my new 81 xs yesterday.

It had been sitting for a few years so i went about getting it running first!

I got a brand new battery and a new set of plugs, i will change the oil tomoro!

Now heres my problem, i cannot get the bike to start on the kicker!!

It will make an attempt and a pop and fart every now and again but wont run!

The only way i could get it to start was to actually tow it with a rope!

When i do that, it will fire up and run reasonably well (a few pops and bangs) i went for a spin up the road and it goes pretty well but is not revving out to well!

The tank was full of crap so i swapped it and made sure it had clean fuel, i cleand out the carbs the best i could, has new battery and new plugs as i said.

I went to set the points, only to find that they had no wires going to them so im not sure what its running on or if it has to do with why i cant kick start it!

There is a box under the battery which says "ignition box" or something similar and a finned box on the side!

i have searched but cant find much, any help will be much appreciated and sorry for the long post

 

[crashcourse]

The '81 doesn't have points. I remember looking for them on mine too. I'm no expert, and others here might give you more specific advice, but start with the basics: spark, fuel, air, compression. If you can't get spark when you kick it over go through the electrical system. If this was your first time taking apart carbs, I wouldn't be surprised if you missed something or put them back together wrong (it took me three times to get it right). Check the air filters too - when I got my bike a mouse had eaten through one of them, and the bike didn't appreciate that. Good luck! You can find any problem if you stick to it long enough.

 

[Eire Taylor]

Thanks for the reply!

Im a qualified car mechanic, i know its not bikes but it gives me good knowledge of engines in general.

The engine definately has a set of points on it, they are just not being used by the looks of it!

I have good spark when kicking over and i have fuel delivery too!

I think the left cylinder could be low on compression but would that make it next to impossible to kick start?

it feels like theres still good resistance against the kicker!

 

[wurkenman]

I would start with the carbs. Give them a good cleaning. The small passages will become clogged if left for any time sitting. Get some good grade carb cleaner with a dipping basket and let them soak. you can download an illustrated guide online. Take all the jets out and make sure all of the little holes are clear. They are not that difficult to figure out. Good luck.

 

[XSLeo]

For carbs read this .
Leo

 

[Eire Taylor]

ok thanks for the help, i will tackle the carbs tomoro too!

From looking at pictures it looks like i have the Mikuni VM 34 carbs which are not mentioned in the link leo?

Im sure id i search i will find info on them too!

Would the fact that i have these carbs be causing problems?

 

[XSLeo]

Then try this one
Leo