V-Star 1100 stalls when giving it throttle.

My wife's 2002 V-Star Classic sat for awhile due to both of us being busy and the weather being crappy when we weren't busy. Last time I started it (~2-3 weeks ago), it was hard to start and the bike didn't idle as high as usual when the choke was fully open and it would stall frequently whenever I revved it and let off after I closed the choke. I didn't fool with it much after that because...go figure...I got tied up with work, but I did throw some fresh gas and ~3 oz of B-12 ChemTool in, mixed it as best I could, and ran it at idle for a few minutes before I shut it off.

I started it today and now it idles really low (much lower than last time), stalls whenever I try to give it gas with the choke open or close the choke, and will only stay running with the choke fully open.

I can't believe the gas would have gone to crap already (it had Stabil in it when I transferred it from the 5-gallon can) and I'm not sure if the next step is to get into the carb (time is tight once again and I hate getting part-way in, then having to walk away from a project for any period of time).

Any ideas/suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

Dave  

I have a '99 1100 Custom and it had the stalls a year ago when I bought it. My bike shop suggested Sea Foam and said that's all they put in the bikes they sell and service. I also had problems with the jet being wrong (the guy I bought it from put Shogun Ripsaws on it and without the baffles sounds great!) but he never rejetted it. Have you changed pipes or done anything that would require rejetting?

Where do you live? In a large metro area? I live in North Texas and they have to add stuff to our petrol for air pollution reasons that service people have told me will gum up a carb after only a week of sitting. However, since you added the B-12 ChemTool, I'd think that should cover it, but maybe motorcycle innards are different. Maybe it needs more than one shot of the ChemTool.

Good luck figuring it out, Dave.

Ride safe, watch out for cagers on cell phones, and thank The Man Upstairs for every safe rideand  

I too have recently purchased a used '06 V-Star 1100 Custom. Live in N. Texas This bike had low miles garage kept and easily could tell it had not been ridden for awhile. I am running into the same issues, after starting with the choke and giving ample time to warm up, the idle is very low, and any level of throttle will result in the bike dying. This is esspecially fun at a light or uphill stop. I find myself keeping the idle up with the throttle through stop lights. I was advised to run the gas in the tank through and put the highest octane in it to see if that resolved the issue. Is there one brand of gas better than others for bikes? I stay away from anything that contains any Ethonol or Veggie gas in anyway.
My interest in the Berrymans B-12, what ratio do you mix this with the gas? The bike is all stock and no modifications. I'm trying to keep from taking to the Yamaha dealer and getting bent over. Anything you can offer will be appreciated.
Thanks and Safe Riding  

I usually add ~3 ounces of B-12 ChemTool to a tank of gas.

Pipes are Cobras and have been on the bike since we got it a few years ago and it has always run well, so I don't think there are any jetting issues. I think this issue is strictly due to sitting for awhile.

I'll have to try some of the Sea Foam stuff. I read about it somewhere else and it sounds like a winner.

Thanks for the input all.

Dave  

I had the same problem with a 2005 vstar that sat for 2 years with the gas in it. Had to have carbs cleaned 2 times but it works great now.  

Wouldn't it be great if the Sea Foam did the trick? The bike shop I use uses only Sea Foam. I mentioned some $3 a can cleaner from WalMart and the shop owner just shook his head and gave me one of those "just use the Sea Foam" looks. That's all they use and swear by it, I trust and like them, so I'll get in line with them.

Good luck figuring this out.  

I've been busy with work and life so I hadn't had much time to play with this until today.

I finally started pulling all of the interference (seat, gas tank, etc.) to get at the carbs. My next step is to remove the air intake box. I pulled the mounting bolt at the rear of the box, but the box is still connected to the air ducts that go to the carbs. Do I have to pull all of the screws from the air box and remove the top half to get at the carbs, or is there a way to get in and loosen the screws for the mounting bands that secure the ducts?

The fuel filter looks original so I plan on replacing it and the air filter (not sure if it's original or not, but it sure does look cheap!) before I finish up.

Thanks again for the input.

Dave  

Best thing you'll ever find for removing/working on these bike's carbs. Enjoy my man!

http://www.vstar1100.com/1100jetting.pdf  

Hey robv60,

I just logged on here for the first time in awhile and downloaded the instructions from the link you provided. I'm hoping to finally be able to get these carbs cleaned and the bike back together over my Christmas vacation.

Great stuff! Thanks so much for the link!

Dave