Cyclone.. What is going on??

[Skirouled!]

I've got a 1976 Cyclone that has a Kec 440/22 with points ignition; probably from a jdx 8. I can keep it idling and ride it for short distances, but it always seems to die. It has spark right after it dies, and alot of the time there is fuel in the line running from the pump to the carb. I went throught everything thoroughly in the carb and pump and it seems to be pumping fuel better than it used to. Originally there would never be fuel in the line running from the pump to the carb, so I cleaned everything up and now it seems to pump like it should. I also put clamps on everything so there are no air leaks. I made sure of it because I sprayed everything down with starting fluid at idle and it didn't rev. It has brand new seals in it, both mag and pto. All of the reeds are in good shape. I put an inline spark tester on it while running and it seems to maintain its spark at high rpm's. Well, it only revs up to about 3000 or 3500 at most, so that's hardly high revving. It has a Rupp clutch on it right now because the comet had a hairline crack in it and was jus worn out. It has the stock Cyclone pipe and a 34mm Mikuni with what I would assume to be stock jetting. It seems like it will run at higher rpm's on the stand for an extended period of time, but once you put it on the ground it seems to die about every 15 seconds to a minute. It doesn't like to start right after it dies either. The plugs are also dry when it dies. Anybody know what's happening??

[harleysportster]

I've got a 1976 Cyclone that has a Kec 440/22 with points ignition; probably from a jdx 8. I can keep it idling and ride it for short distances, but it always seems to die. It has spark right after it dies, and alot of the time there is fuel in the line running from the pump to the carb. I went throught everything thoroughly in the carb and pump and it seems to be pumping fuel better than it used to. Originally there would never be fuel in the line running from the pump to the carb, so I cleaned everything up and now it seems to pump like it should. I also put clamps on everything so there are no air leaks. I made sure of it because I sprayed everything down with starting fluid at idle and it didn't rev. It has brand new seals in it, both mag and pto. All of the reeds are in good shape. I put an inline spark tester on it while running and it seems to maintain its spark at high rpm's. Well, it only revs up to about 3000 or 3500 at most, so that's hardly high revving. It has a Rupp clutch on it right now because the comet had a hairline crack in it and was jus worn out. It has the stock Cyclone pipe and a 34mm Mikuni with what I would assume to be stock jetting. It seems like it will run at higher rpm's on the stand for an extended period of time, but once you put it on the ground it seems to die about every 15 seconds to a minute. It doesn't like to start right after it dies either. The plugs are also dry when it dies. Anybody know what's happening??

You said " It has the stock Cyclone pipe and a 34mm Mikuni with what I would assume to be stock jetting"
You should take the carb apart and verify the jetting and compare it to the specs for 1976. Did you change the fuel filter and check the vent line of the tank?

[Skirouled!]

I didn't change the fuel filter yet, but it seems like fuel is passing through it fine. I cleaned out the tank vent a while ago when I was first having this problem.

[JDT]

If you put the rear up on a stand at idle oes the track spin?

[Skirouled!]

it didn't used to when I was having the problem, but lately it has been spinning on the stand at idle

[Skirouled!]

Alright I think I've learned my lesson to check the easy stuff first. I was going crazy trying to figure out what was wrong with this. I thought I might as well pull the fuel line out of the tank (again) and check to see if it was blocked. I forgot that when I pulled it out the first time, the check valve was basically just the brass body. The mesh screen and check ball are missing from it. It just ocurred to me that this would account for the hard starting that I have been experiencing. I pulled off what was left of the valve, and tried to blow through it. Harldy any air went through, so I cleaned it out really well and now I'm getting really good fuel flow. And I've been riding th sled a bit just to test it it. Seems to have fixed the problem. I'm gonna order a new check valve to really fix this problem

[moontree]

i keep telling my self the better you are the more it happens! kinda like the glasses on your head you've been looking for

[JDT]

If the track spins with the real lifted you are either idling too high or you have a clutch problem.

[Skirouled!]

I'm probably idling too high. Now that its running right, I've turned the idle down a bit. This sled is suprisingly fast