[gregwhiteshark]

Hello from Seattle! Summer is finally here and I want to get this 84 shadow 700 up and running before it's over! I'm new at all of this. Got my permit last year, but haven't had a bike until now.

Ok so maybe here is not the place, but I'll tell my story anyway:

When I got it, it had been sitting in a garage for a few years, undriven, with gas in it. First thing he told me was it needed a new battery, stator and rectifier.
So, I jumped in and did it. Put in a new battery, spark plugs, stator and rectifier about a month ago. Wouldn't stay running more than a few seconds. Cleaned out the old gas, put in a new fuel filter, air filter, and mixed in some seafoam with some new gas to help clean the carbs out... got it to start, but only with choke on and only for a little while. 2 weeks of tinkering with fuel-line cleaning experiments later, I gave in and just yesterday I took out the carbs and cleaned them. It's running much better now, idles without choke, revs without dying... but the engine is knocking & missing even at idle, and the throttle sometimes revs high for 10-20 seconds after I let it off. Not sure where to start looking for solution. I can also here pinging in front left cylinder. I came here looking for solutions.

 

[Custom85VT]

You didn’t write whether you did an oil & filter change but I would hope to assume you have fresh fluids in everything.

Sounds like you still have some carb issue, perhaps a sticky float or simply that something might still be out of adjustment, like air mixture. Have you looked into syncing the carbs (there are good write-ups here)?

Do you have a manual (can be D/Led here also)?

 

[gregwhiteshark]

Thx Custom 85VT.
I didn't change the oil/filter yet. Don't hate me. Just wanted her to run first. I DID check the level.
I also bleed the clutch and rebuild the clutch slave cylinder on an unrelated topic, and topped off the coolant. Will do the oil next. I do have a clymer manual and perhaps I'll pull out the carbs again. (sigh.) Sticky float? I didn't see anything wrong with the float when I cleaned the carbs. How can I tell if it's sticking?
HERE'S what it's doing now:
When idling (at about 1100 rpm), it sounds like the back right cylinder is misfiring. I'm getting a spark there but it doesn't seem to change how it runs when I pull the spark plug wire on that cylinder. Stranger still, when I apply a bit of throttle up to 2000 rpm, she IMMEDIATELY REVS UP to around 4500 rpm and I can't bring it back down without cutting off the engine. The misfire stops after it is revving up. Does that say anything to you? BTW Using 89 octane 10% ethanol gas, if that matters.

 

[Custom85VT]

Sorry it took so long to reply, my fornicating ISP has been down for 18 hours!

Dirty oil…huh???

As long as your floats are clean, not bent, no holes, and adjusted right they should be okay. You can feel for free movement after assembly by tipping them in your hands.

I posted attached carb troubleshooting guides (right out of the manual) in this post:
http://www.hondashadow.net/forum/72...ies-when-i-give-gas-new-ignition-control.html

Look them over and see if anything applies to your woes.