need some info

[sportsterking]

i just got a 1988 katana 600 the other day and dont know much about sport bikes i've rode harleys up till now but any way i've been trying to start this thing but not having any luck i've noticed gas pooling up around the two right side spark plugs which is why im assuming the bike wont start flooded i guess but i need to know whats causing this and how to fix any help would be awesome i'm dying to take this thing for a spin

[KatanaGSX92]

Could be a number of things but is most likely related to the carbs. It's likely that the floats are sticking open on those two carbs, flooding the cyclinders with gas. Check to see if the Petcock is set to On or PRI. If it's on PRI then move it to ON. ON is the normal operating position and, assuming it's working properly, only supplies fuel when the engine is producing a vacuum. PRI just lets gravity feed the carbs. Now if the floats in the carbs are working properly, even on PRI the gas shouldn't overflow but turning it to ON might be a temporary solution.

If those two cylinders are filled with gas, you will need to remove the spark plugs and see what condition they are in. Also, if the cylinders are filled with gas you'll have to do an oil change. The gas seeps past the rings of the pistons and contaminates the oil.

Then you'll have to remove the carbs and clean or rebuild them so that they work properly.

Now, on the other hand if the gas is just pooling outside around the plugs and not flooding the cylinders, it may be causing a short and not letting those two plugs fire... you may just be able to find the fuel leak, fix it and then clean up around the plugs.

Either way you're going to have to look around. I would start with the easiest first. Remove the tank and see if there is a gas leak somewhere. If that's not it, then remove the plugs (you have to remove the tank to get to them anyway) and take a look.

One of the things that I did when I first got my bike just to see if it would run after sitting in a garage for 15 years was to turn off the fuel and give a couple of spirts of starter fluid in the air box. When I did that (mind you the cylinders were not flooded when I did this) it started right up and then quit. I knew then that I needed to work on the carbs.

Oh, and WELCOME TO KR!

[bobthebiker]

well, start with a good carburetor cleaning. remove ALL your jets, and if you can, use an air compressor, and carb cleaner. DO NOT use a drill bit, it'll mess up those tiny orifices. you need to be able to see day light through each jet opening, and remove all the dirt/varnished fuel that may be in the carbs. including the bowls.

I've been there and done that on WAY too many bikes. any time I get a new to me bike, I automaticaly assume it hasnt been maintained, regardless of recipts, and perform all basic maintenance. carb cleaning/synch, new plugs, oil change etc.

if a bike has been sitting for any length of time, its a given you're gonna clean carbs.

[Slofuze]

Ok.....perhaps this might be a dumb suggestion...... but my 89 won't start unless the clutch lever is pulled.

[KatanaGSX92]

Ok.....perhaps this might be a dumb suggestion...... but my 89 won't start unless the clutch lever is pulled.

That's a good point and another thing to look at. That's a safety feature. There's a switch on the clutch lever that needs to be engaged before the engine will start. Of course that doesn't explain the pooling of gas around the plugs.

[KAT TOY]

welcome to KR...

[sportsterking]

thanks everybody for the good sugestions i plan on taking the plugs out tommorow and cleaning them will also look at the oil to see if theres gas in it and look around for a possible leak somewhere else and i feel like a idiot but i cranked and cranked on that starter and never pulled the clutch in wasn't aware of that saftey feature so i guess i'll let everyone know how it went tommorow and thanks for the warm welcolm and happy holidays to everyone

[Newbie2it]

The stater will only start to crank if the clutch is pulled in. If your able to crank the motor over without the clutch pulled, then someone bypassed the clutch saftey already. And if that is the case, I would also suspect they probably bypassed the kickstand saftey. If the clutch is in, kickstand down and your in neutral it will start. However of the stands down and its in gear or you start it and pop it in gear while the stands down, the motor will cut off and/or not allow you to crank the motor.

Just one more saftey that should be in place to check, since it sounds like they bypassed the clutch saftey.