1981 GS450L cranks but wont start.`

[Guest]

Ok, been having a tough time figuring out how to diagnose this. I got the bike recently, it seemed to be in good condition for a thirty plus year old bike. It didnt have any carbs, so I got a set and cleaned them out with carb cleaner an compressed air. I replaced the petcock. I had to rewire the bike, but got the thing wired up and was getting nice blue spark on both new plugs. I go to start the thing, and the engine just turns over but never catches. Barely even got a sputter.
Dduring the whole trouble shooting process I made sure to take breaks after only a few attempts to recharge battery. Tried two different batteries, one brand new. Im getting full voltage to the coils, and am not running a bunch of bull*@%^$*@%^$*@%^$*@%^$ on the harness, just headlight and brake light, so i don't believe its the voltage problem folks recommend the coil relay mod for.

I check for gas on the plugs, and they are wet.

I got some starter fluid and sprayed directly into the carbs, and the bike still would not fire.

Please help. Im kinda unsure what direction I should be trying to tackle this from. One more thing, the motor definitely has good compression.

 

[Nessism]

You might want to check the Newbie Mistakes thread linked in my signature to see if anything applies.

 

[alke46]

+1, there's lots to be learned from post #2.
Welcome to the forum.

 

[Guest]

Ok thank you guys. I guess I will go back and start at the top again and go try to find the intake boot o rings, and work backwards from there.

I am a little bit nervous though, just because at this point I don't understand why the thing does nothing when the starter fluid gets sprayed in. This was a free motorcycle someone gave me to fix because I had just gotten out of jail and needed some kind of transportation to find work. I have been creeping on the forums, and I know how much love you guys have for these bikes, and it has really infected me. I want to do the thing right, I don't want to mess off one of these bikes that could potentially be someones love. The one newbie mistake I did NOT make is getting a bike without wanting to learn. Ive prolly spent 60-70 hours away from the bike trying to learn, which is why the current situation is so confusing to me. I feel like if it was just an airbox issue, or even an improperly cleaned carb, it would still atleast do SOMETHING when all the airbox stuff bypassed by spraying the starter fluid straight into the manifold.

Im just at the point where I am gonna have to spend the rest of the money I had gotten from my stimulus check when I got out, and now im wondering if I missed something else major and am about to spend it and still be no closer to having transportation.

 

[Guest]

and just to clarify, on the newbie mistakes list, I already cleaned and sealed the tank, replaced the petcock and all the fuel hoses. I doubt the valves need addressing as the bike is still under the mileage in the manual where that is a needed thing.