How do you know if your fuel pump is gone?

[Rob_OS23]

Hey all!
I got my 1982 Vision about 2 months ago.  I have only ridden it about 5 weeks.  First of all, let me say that it seems to be in AMAZING condition.  All of the problems I read about on this and other sites about Visions, seem to be non-existent(so far) on my machine.  HOWEVER....
I'm going to the beach one day, and all of a sudden, I realize I am losing power.  I get to the side of the road safely, luckily, and it stalls.  It wouldn't start for about ten minutes.  So, I get going, and I make it to the beach.  However, something happened on that day, and I don't know what.  Now, if I try to ride it, it bogs out before I get to the end of the street.  It is all it can do to keep it alive long enough to pull off the road safely.  I am unfamiliar with mechanics, but a friend says that the symptoms I described to him remind him of a bad fuel pump he had in a company truck.  One of the things that my bike did even when it ran fine was to surge while going at faster speeds, in 4th and 5th gears.  I am new, and hope that when I say surge I am describing it right.  Just kind of very slightly soundls like it is losing a wee bit of power, then it's back, then gone, and over and over again.  Very slight, the power loss was for maybe a third of a second, then back to full, then lost again for a third of a second, and so on.  You can kind of feel a chug.  I dont know if this is related to what has happened now, but it is currently unreliable, and hadly running.  I can get it started, but it dies if I try to go.   So , back to the topic question, how do I know if the fuel pump is done? The bike will idle in "ON" and "RES", but cannot be driven.  Just want to know before spending the cash.
A little more info on my bike, not at all problem related.
I picked mine up in London, Ontario.  I paid about a grand, and got a parts bike(with a rebuilt engine with 40k on it), as well as well as another engine, which I know nothing about.  Belive it or not, my vision, bought in july 2004, only had 15, 470 km on it, and no it has not rolled over.  The previous owner took the front fork off of the parts bike(forgot to mention it's an '83), and put it on the '82.  So i have the dual disc brake, which is pretty nice.  All of the electrical looks great, but I still intend to do the recommended repairs to certain connectors.  It was always stored indoors, and I was surprised to find the air and fuel filter nice and clean.  The previous owner deserves a lot of praise,  it seems that a lot of the issues with the Vision have already been taken care of for me.  I just wish I could find a fairing.  Well, if you have any advice, let me know.
Thanks, Rob

[GA_Wolf]

Try sync'ing your carbs..that can cause a surge...and you'd be surprised how many other "running" issues it resolves.

Also you may want to run a to tank fulls of fuel with a can of Berryman's B-12 injector cleaner.  Use a whole can per tank full.

[harry_angel69]

Make sure your tank is not Kreemed before running Berryman's or any fuel additive.  Berryman's will dissolve Kreem.

[QBS]

I've had similar situations with my '83 from time to time.  One of those times is right now.  Most frustrating.  Your situation sounds like fuel starvation.  Possibly due to a fuel pump problem.  However,  I've owned my since '84 and I still can't get a handle on the problem.

Don't be misled by your bikes' excellent condition.  No V excapes the starter clutch issue or the starter oil seal problem.  It's just a matter of miles before they come to pass.  10,000 for the starter and approx. 17 to 27 thousand for the starter clutch depending on how hard you want to abuse it.

[Lucky]

it's been comming up more frequently lately that the vents in the fuel caps are getting clogged causing the bikes to die out after some miles. perhaps your surging issues are due to a partially clogged cap vent...

[QBS]

Good call.  My tank issue, addressed in another post, is present even with the gas cap removed.

[Ken Williams]

If you think you might have a fuel pump problem why don't you try temporarily bypassing it.  That is, change the fuel line routing so that gas no longer flows through the pump.  Of course, remember you will no longer be able to use fuel in the lower portion of the tank.

[coyote_killer]

sounds to me like youve got a fuel filter stopping up....pull your petcock off the tank and check the condition of the "in tank" filter.....Mine plugged up not to long after it came from the showroom....I just threw it away and installed an in line filter....Let us know how it turns out....

[Lucky]

hey C Killer, if you removed the screen from the petcock, then you have no Reserve anymore....
--Lucky

[Rob_OS23]

Hey, wow, I was gone for a while, and couldn't check in. ?There are a lot of replies.
I have since then checked the fuel filter, it was spotless. ?I agree that it would be a great idea to sync the carbs, I know they are out of sync now. ?When I first bought the bike, I replaced the starter oil seal. ?The armature in the starter was replaced as well. I am going to cut out that troublesome connecter, which is slightly darkened. ?I haven't yet, because a guy at Canadian Tire told me the heatshrink I was buying(from their auto dept.) would not hold up to heat. ?What does everyone else do?
I think their might be something up with the starter clutch. ?Sometimes, while starting, Ill hear something clutch like grind for a second, and I stop, and try again, and it will work. ?However, my starter(I don't know if this is normal) does not go very quickly, sounds like it turns maybe three times in two seconds.
Something I hope someone can answer...
I am looking at a '81 Vision fairing. ?I didn't even know there was an '81 Vision. ?Anyways, will it fit onto the '82?
Thanks everyone for the suggestions.

[Lucky]

There is no 81 model year vision, but they did start production in late 81, so it's an 82.  any 82 that has a fairing was most likely retrofitted by the dealer, so yes, the fairing will fit. be sure to also get the risers as they are lower.  stock '82 risers are taller and will hit the fairing.

--Lucky

[Rob_OS23]

I'm not sure what you mean by risers.
Are they easy to come by?
Here's a couple pics of what I'm buying.  Maybe you can tell me if these will work.

[wolfman]

YES those fairing pieces will fit, BUT, I don't see the mounting frame work, stays for the lowers, wiring harness extension or MIRRORS which are REQUIRED to actually mount it to the bike.  The devil (and dollars) are in the details when it comes to mounting the factory fairing.  I have SOME of these parts, others on the board may have the rest.

[Lucky]

The risers are the aluminum pieces between the steering head(where the key goes) and the handle bars the mount with 4 hex bolts and clamp ot the handle bars. you MUST change to the shorter ones off the same bike.
--Lucky

[QBS]

Don't forget about the '83 shift linkage and foot pegs.

Cheers.

[Lucky]

If it's off an 'add-on' 82, it won't have the 83 style rearsets. that's why i didn't mention it...

[Rob_OS23]

woops. ?I bid on it already.
I hope I can get what I need from someone
I have only bid on the upper fairing.  What do I need to mount it?
I don';t know if it matters, but my '82 has an '83 fork on it...

[Walt_M.]

The only real difference between '82 and '83 forks are the air caps and the lugs for mounting dual brake calipers on the '83.