About (Sidecar) Bob Kingsmill Expertise I HAVE NO EXPERIENCE WITH HARELYS.
ATVs ARE NOT MOTORCYCLES. DO NOT ASK ME ABOUT THEM.
DON'T ASK UNLESS YOU HAVE LOOKED IN THE SHOP MANUAL FIRST - IT ONLY ROBS SOMEONE WITH A REAL QUESTION OF THE OPPORTUNITY.
You can ask me electrical questions about 1975-85 HONDAS.
You can ask me about driving sidecars in the winter, or sidecars in general.
You can ask me general motorcycle repair questions, but my main experience is with Honda CX500, GL500, CX650, GL650, GL1000 and GL1100 models. I also know a bit about the Suzuki GS400 and 1980s Dneprs, but I haven't touched either in years. If you ask about a model I am not familiar with I will do my best to find your answer.
Experience I have been operating and maintaining Honda motorcycles since 1991 and other types since 1985.
I have access to several online usergroups that specialize in keeping these types of bikes roadworthy and am considered an expert in some areas, particularly electrical/wiring matters.
I have been using sidecars for everyday winter transportation in Southern Ontario since 1987 except for 2 winters on a trike. I have learned how to make this a relatively comfortable activity and how to prepare the machine so that it survives the road salt.
Organizations Naked Gold Wings;
Honda Transverse Twins of America
Education/Credentials Electronics & acoustics technician.
Correspondence courses in motorcycle repair & small engines.
Question Hey Bob, i have been working on a CL200 for a couple weeks now, and after cleaning out the carbs, my right cylinder has stopped firing. When i adjust the carb, nothing happens at all. A week ago it was working fine. So, i bought new plugs, but that didnt help. I checked the float levels and they seem to be set evenly on both carbs. I checked for spark, and got good results. Also, the pistons are moving on both sides, but the left side exhaust gets extremely hot immediately and the right side stays cold. to start the bike, i have to really enrich the fuel on the left side, seeing as the right does not respond to anything. Also, gas is flowing nicely to both carbs. Thats all i can say so far, do you have any ideas?
Thank you,
Mike
Answer OK, what makes the exhaust get hot is burned fuel/air mixture passing through it, so it makes sense that the pile on the side that is running would get hot fast and the other side would stay cold.
Other than the carbs, the only thing that could cause this is a bad plug wire or something very wrong with the valves.
You can eliminate the ignition system completely by reversing the plug wires. If the problem stays on the same side it is not the ignition but if it moves it is the plug wire or the plug cap.
My suspicion, since the problem showed up after you "cleaned out the carbs", is that the problem lies there.
What is your definition of "cleaning out the carbs"? To properly clean carbs they must be removed from the machine, disassembled and have, at minimum, carb cleaner sprayed through every passage, followed by high pressure air (min. 60 PSI). Any signs of dirt or other deposits should be completely removed and all jets carefuly inspected and cleaned. Your carbs are 34 years old and that's a long time for rubber parts that have been in a hot place and in contact with fuel. The rubber parts should all be carefully inspected and if any of them show signs of hardening or deterioration they should all be replaced with the best quality new parts available. Even if they all look good now, you should expect to replace them within the next year or so.
Have a look at the carb cleaning information at www.randakks.com - Randall is one of the top GoldWing restorers and carb specialists so the site shows GoldWing carbs, which will probably be a lot different from yours so you should consult your shop manual, but the same principles for cleaning should apply.
Unfortunately, he doesn't sell the parts you need. I would talk to the parts man at my local Honda dealer before I looked for the parts anywhere else - they are usualy pretty close in price to what you would pay online and if anything is wrong with them you can take them back in person instead of dealing through the mail.
At any rate, even if you cleaned them as carefully & thoroughly as humanly possible the first time, you are going to have to go through them again. While you are at it, make sure that you haven't mixed up the jets (I'm not sure about the CL200, but other models have otherwise identical jets with different size holes - the sizes should be stamped on them somewhere).
