We have had a 700, 1100 Spirit, and now 1100 Sabre Shadows and they are all cold blooded.
The Spirit was a little better, the Sabre seems the worst. It will start about half the time without the choke but if you don't have about 1/4 choke for 1st 1 - 1 1/2 miles it will stutter. It needs a little bit of choke starting out if it is 50 degrees or 80. It doesn't help I start out at the bottom of a hill.
The Spirit was also the newest and lowest mileage.
Does it have stock exhaust and jets?
Run a couple of tanks of 87 octane from a good gas station and with a full tank run your bike on reserve so it will run from the bottom feed and help clean the fuel line and get rid of junk in the bottom of your gas tank.
I use carb/fuel injection cleaner when I buy a used bike or if it has been sitting long term.
You don't have to ride it like a crotch rocket, but take it out on a back road and open up on it a little bit. You don't have to hit the governor in each gear but try to shift well past 3000 rpms. Try full throttle or close to it and get up to 85-90 a couple times.
I have ridden a couple of bikes that ran like crap from lack of use (stuttered, no power, top speed way lower than normal, loading up etc.) and after putting in fresh fuel, fuel cleaner, revving them up a little and not being scared to twist the throttle they started running normal again. They just needed the carbon blown out.
The Spirit was a little better, the Sabre seems the worst. It will start about half the time without the choke but if you don't have about 1/4 choke for 1st 1 - 1 1/2 miles it will stutter. It needs a little bit of choke starting out if it is 50 degrees or 80. It doesn't help I start out at the bottom of a hill.
The Spirit was also the newest and lowest mileage.
Does it have stock exhaust and jets?
Run a couple of tanks of 87 octane from a good gas station and with a full tank run your bike on reserve so it will run from the bottom feed and help clean the fuel line and get rid of junk in the bottom of your gas tank.
I use carb/fuel injection cleaner when I buy a used bike or if it has been sitting long term.
You don't have to ride it like a crotch rocket, but take it out on a back road and open up on it a little bit. You don't have to hit the governor in each gear but try to shift well past 3000 rpms. Try full throttle or close to it and get up to 85-90 a couple times.
I have ridden a couple of bikes that ran like crap from lack of use (stuttered, no power, top speed way lower than normal, loading up etc.) and after putting in fresh fuel, fuel cleaner, revving them up a little and not being scared to twist the throttle they started running normal again. They just needed the carbon blown out.
