Wont start, carb issue? Im a newbie.

[JoshNeff]

Ok, so the bike where its at now, I have a soda bottle as a temp gas tank, there's two hoses on the petcock, one is fuel, one is vaccume if my guess is right, the small (vaccume?) sits in the air away from the fuel right, adn the larger one is in the fuel?  (if you're making a gas tank and bypassing the petcock.  So I do this, and i get the ra-ra-ra-ra-ra...

I mess with the choke, throttle, fiddle fiddle fiddle, until all of the suddel I get a ra-ra-raaaawwwrrrr, raawwwrrrrr. then nothing.  Keep trying to start it, after a dead battery and 5 minutes into a new one, i get the bike to sound ALMOST like its started, basically its started sounding, but when i let my thumb off the button, it dies instantly.

First of all, am I right with the small hoes being in the air, and the large in fuel?   and if so, then I'm guessing the carb's are gummed up because its not starting because its not getting enough fuel.

So, clean the carbs out well and then they should get fuel, and it should start.

Are my ideas on track?  or way off?  again, this is my first bike adn I'm just using it as a big toy to try and learn as much as I can.

Thank you in advance,
josh

[Lucky]

the small one is vaccume and should be plugged if your using a soda bottle for a tank. that right there will keep it from starting.

spray a little carb cleaner in the carbs and see if it will start.  if so you'll probably have to adjust the pilot screws.  if the bike has sat more than one season you'll need to dip the carbs

see my site, Vision Resources at: http://www.xz550.com for more info, and read as many of the old posts here as you can.

--Lucky

[JoshNeff]

plug it into the petcock and then the fuel line NOT into the petcock but up into the sodabottle right?

another thing, the plastic piece that goes into the gas tank... ihow does gas get through that?  Its all closed ended, and the "windows" have plastic film through them... water or air wont... and gas will?   (confused)

[h2olawyer]

That plastic piece is the factory fuel filter and 'on / reserve' fuel intakes (note different heights of "windows").  Fuel will flow through it as will small particles of rust - believe it or not.  Thus the need for an additional inline fuel filter.

Just cap off the vacuum line or put a plug in it.  The vacuum opens the petcock in the "on" & "res" settings.  The "prime" setting allows fuel to flow from the tank under gravity.  It is not necessary to get fuel from your soda bottle if you keep the bottle above the level of the carbs.  Gravity will do the trick.

Hope this clears up these minor details.  Good Luck!

H2o