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Thread: Laid up bike won't start

  1. #1
    Join Date
    13th April 2022 - 20:21
    Bike
    1986 Honda Shadow
    Location
    Auckland
    Posts
    2

    Laid up bike won't start

    Hi all, I'm new to the forum, thought it would be a good place to come for some advice.
    I've got a 1986 Honda Shadow 750 which has been laid up in the garage for years. I will be moving soon so it has to go. I used to ride it and the ole girl always started, but after fitting a new battery, it refuses to start. I took the carbs out thinking maybe they'd got gummed up, and thought I'd buy a new service kit. I ordered one from a local dealer but that was over a year ago. Haven't seen it yet.
    My question is why would the bike not go after being laid up for a few years?
    And where do I go for several spare parts that I think I need to get the bike back on the road and ready to sell to someone who's going to ride her?
    The parts required are a twin carb service kit, a fuel on/off/reserve tap, and a fork seal kit.
    Failing this, does anyone know of a good mobile m/c mechanic covering the North Auckland area?

  2. #2
    Join Date
    6th June 2008 - 17:24
    Bike
    The Vixen - K8 GSXR600
    Location
    Behind keybd in The Tron
    Posts
    6,519
    1986 might mean point ignition. Make sure you clean the points. If it has any.

    I had a similar problem with a long idle bike once and that was the trouble. Points...
    . “No pleasure is worth giving up for two more years in a rest home.” Kingsley Amis

  3. #3
    Join Date
    19th January 2013 - 16:56
    Bike
    a 400 and a 650 :-)
    Location
    The Isthmus
    Posts
    1,590
    If you need parts, try David Silver in the UK.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    9th January 2005 - 22:12
    Bike
    Street Triple R
    Location
    christchurch
    Posts
    8,198
    Quote Originally Posted by Peter R L View Post
    Hi all, I'm new to the forum, thought it would be a good place to come for some advice.
    I've got a 1986 Honda Shadow 750 which has been laid up in the garage for years. I will be moving soon so it has to go. I used to ride it and the ole girl always started, but after fitting a new battery, it refuses to start. I took the carbs out thinking maybe they'd got gummed up, and thought I'd buy a new service kit. I ordered one from a local dealer but that was over a year ago. Haven't seen it yet.
    My question is why would the bike not go after being laid up for a few years?
    And where do I go for several spare parts that I think I need to get the bike back on the road and ready to sell to someone who's going to ride her?
    The parts required are a twin carb service kit, a fuel on/off/reserve tap, and a fork seal kit.
    Failing this, does anyone know of a good mobile m/c mechanic covering the North Auckland area?
    Local dealers (particularly Honda) dont have parts for anything over 10 years old. Ebay is your friend but so are the specialist online vintage honda parts dealers: also: there is one based in New Zealand.

    For parts my three go-to's were:

    https://www.anacondaltd.co.nz/
    https://www.davidsilverspares.co.uk/
    https://www.cmsnl.com/

    usually in that order. David Silver out of the UK will also post to you using Her Majesty's Royal Mail service. Quick, efficent and very cheap. I have had parts in five working days using that method.

    In terms of getting the thing running you will have to start with the basics: does it turn over? Does it have compression? Can you do a leak-down test on it? Assuming that's all good then does it have spark? If all that is going then does it have fuel.

    Most likely that is your problem. The best thing you can do is take the carbs off, completely strip them down to the castings, and ultrasonic clean the bejesus out of them then reassemble using a carb kit new gaskets and so forth. Don't ignore stuff like "What now lives in the fuel tank?" does fuel come out of it when you turn the tap on (also - it likely has a vacuum line that pulls a diaphram that allows fuel to flow. if that vacuum line is perished or holed, no fuel will flow). Look for shitty old fuel filters that are blocked. I would probably prophylactically change the fuel lines as well. Have fun getting the carbs on and off and on and off the rubber boots are old and hard as fuck by now. Dont forget to change the air filter and check for mouse nests.

    I would also change the tyres. Look for the date codes but they could be 30 years old...... the date codes are on the sidewall and they are a four digit number the first two digits being the week they were made and the last two being the year. So 2693 means sometime in June 1993.

    Have fun.
    I thought elections were decided by angry posts on social media. - F5 Dave

  5. #5
    Join Date
    3rd March 2008 - 11:55
    Bike
    86.249 93.398 00.944
    Location
    The evil flatlands
    Posts
    2,281
    If you just want it to run to make sure it still can, keep it really basic.

    Pull one of the spark plugs, or find a spare one, stick the lead on and see if it sparks sitting against the engine. Also probably worth giving the spark plugs a clean, or give it new ones, they corrode over time just sitting.

    Fuel tanks, taps and filters can get crudded up just sitting. If you can come up with an arrangement to supply fuel straight to the carbs, remove the float bowl drain screws and see if anything comes out, will also flush them with fresh fuel. If there's fuel getting through, and you have spark, see if it will run with temporary setup.

    If the above gets it to go, work your way back through the fuel system. As previously posted fuel taps can be troublesome little creatures, if it's just mechanical pull it from the tank and check the filter. Vacuum taps need engine vacuum to let fuel through, this can take a while with just the vacuum from turning the engine over, you can end up with a flat battery before enough fuel has got through for it to run.

    Have a look at the inside of the tank, if it's full of rust that will block up everything in the fuel system pretty quick.

    After that it's just seeing which seals have dried out, and where the fuel and oil oozes out from.
    Riding cheap crappy old bikes badly since 1987

    Tagorama maps: Transalpers map first 100 tags..................Map of tags 101-200......................Latest map, tag # 201-->

  6. #6
    Join Date
    13th April 2022 - 20:21
    Bike
    1986 Honda Shadow
    Location
    Auckland
    Posts
    2
    Thanks everyone for your useful suggestions. For your information, I did have a spark, and the engine occasionally did fire up, but it ran really rough for a short time and then cut out. This is why I decided that it sounded like a fuel issue, and remember reading somewhere that the carbs could do with an overhaul, so I removed them (with difficulty) and stripped them down with the intention of obtaining a service kit for them, which is where I'm at now, with the carbs in pieces on the workbench.
    I will check the points as suggested. The fuel tap has been bodged by a previous owner and doesn't turn off, making it difficult to shut off the fuel. I will try the suppliers suggested.

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