jimmythemoonlight

thanks cynic, yes there is fuel getting to both plugs, and occaisionally a fire ball out the carb

thanks sorry, i forgot to mention i had swapped the plug leads round to all the configurations and tried a start to no avail , i then put the wires for the plugs in the correct format reference the manuel, i am gratefull for any suggestions as i am truly baffled...and i am far from an expert..

hi folks, this is one for you ...i have recently had my xvs 125 stripped down and powder coated etc, i had bought a 2nd hand engine which was complete apart from the shiney crank case and chrome bits the engine was from a fella down south who had the bike vandlised for whatever reason but it was a cherrished and loved bike,when i first got the bike i had a look at the plugs these where very tidy showing sign of use but no coke etc, and the oil was nice and clean which backs up the claims of its cherrished history i stuck a new clutch in new oil and all the rest of the basic maintenence things, i put the carb off the old engine straight on it, and slotted it into the frame, this is where the fun ends for me....i fitted my pick up from old lump..i put my starter motor on from old lump and eventually after getting it to work in the right direction i too off the plug leads and turned the engine as i was thinking it would get me some oil around it prior to a good start, so i then hook up a tempory fuel line as the tank is in for spray..plug the res fuel line and feed the primary, i check all my connections on the wireing loom and choke on hit the start button,during the crank i was getting a popping noise from the front cylinder sounding like a cork popping on a wine bottle this is a regular noise then after about 6or7 pops from the front the rear cylinder sounds like it wants to fire properly lets out a puff of smoke and all stops, it seams like the front cylinder is running backwards and the back one forwards but intermittently......i have faith in the new engine and as i am a novice i believe that this is something i have done/failed to do. if i rigourously twist the throttle the engine will pop on the front cylinder as if it thinks its running but the popping noise seams to be more into the engine rather than out the exhaust this continues till the rear cylinder kicks in 5 10 seconds later and stops all, plugs are good, fuel is good, no air leaks can any one shed some light... i looked in my manuel and it says that the ignition timing cannot be adjusted....is there something i have done to make the timing for want of a better word 180deg out ??

ok cynic, i shall have a go ,,, thanks for your help, always appreciated

hey there cynic , i hope that last post didnt read wrong, i am truly gratefull for any opinion....i have no clue myself and respectfully i doff my hat to you , i have just had a fiddle with it again...the bike that is and i am baffled as it is allmost as if the engine is running backwards the front cylinder pops away but it sounds like it is firing back into the engine and not blowing out of the outlet manifold/exhaust then the rear cylinder fires as if in the right direction and then all stops...so if i hang on the starter button and twist my throttle rigorously it repeats the same pattern ..sometimes the front piston will pop away as if it thinks it is running for a good 10-15 seconds, i have swapped the coil wires in all ways, and i have refered to the manuel and corrected them, still nothing , i have discovered a 3 wire connection that has no-where to go i am confident that this is a relic of an old alarm the evidense suggests that is has not been used for some time covered in green corrosion etc

mmm, i see thanks for that, i will investigate this now i have a direction in which to start, looking at the manuel it would seam that the pick up has just one way of going..

i havent even done a friggin mile on mine yet and it has already cost me a fortune...still it could be worse....oh actually no it is worse........................................things can only get wetter..

no airleaks as far as i am aware, can you please expand on the pick up theory ? i aint a clue on that one??

hey there cynic...yes the leads are correct, had a go at swapin them over just for the sake of it and unfortunatly to no avail, i have no idea but it seams to me like the timing is out by 180 deg, however according to the manuel the the ignition timing is not adjustable....,,, i am out of ideas and rapidly losing hope....spark plugs are spot on.. no coke on them, looks like the engine was looked after prior to me gettin it, fuel supply is good, i can smell fuel on the plugs after a few turns, i have the occaisional ball of flames out the carb and out the rear cylinder,i was kind of hoping that i could just pop this engine in and it would run then fine tune it at a garage.. i am a bit worried because if i need to start looking at valve clearances i will be getting well out my depth...a serious lack of tools etc.. any ideas??

ok so any advise please... i crank her over and the front cylinder makes a popping noise at regular intervals and continues to do so with thumb off starter, then after about five or six pops or so i get a fire from the rear cylinder and it then ends, any one know whats going on??? she wants to start but some reason or other there is a pocket of resistance...the poppig noise sounds just like when you pull a cork out of a bottle possibly a chateax neuff du pap....or poss a zinfandelll

ok folks....i would just like to put a big thanks out there to those who replied ,,,i am forevever in your debt...i have now got the thing running in the correct direction exactly what i have done will allways remain a mystery however i did this.....took off bike , took it apart, rinsed the whole thing with an abundance of wd40, with a towel rubbed all bits to a shine, placed a big blob of lithium greese on any moving part where contact was, felt a nice smooth mechanism with the thing re assembled, put it straight on the batt -the wrong way round...it then rotated clockwise..then put it on the bat the correct way and balla-bing it went the correct way anticlockwise.....whoop-dee-doo, i have now fitted it to the engine with a makeshift fuel feed to the feul line, i have cranked her and she is doing the right noises but seams to not want to start, i aint put my exhaust on but i am hearing a lovely poping noise as the motor turns, i did get a nice flame out the rear pot ....does this mean my timing is out ?? any advise is surely welcomed as this site is pretty much my only source of info...........

hello there mr never say die, if i put the wires on back to front ref red on black - black on red would it not mean the frame becomes live ? as opposed to the earth? or is it a case of run it backwrds for a bit and see if that sorts the polarisation thing out ? i am startin to run backwards over this.....its the only thing stoppin me from startin my engine for the first time....i dont even know if the fella who sold it me was tellin the truth about it being a gooden ..

hello cynic, i have just had a google of the polarity magnet thing and i see what you mean ref flashing and all that,i have not wired it wrong at all, the windings within the motor dont look like they have any defects and all looks to be in fairly sound condition,,,

how do drewpy , whats this repolarised thing in which you speak ??? how can i get the magnets back to normal ?? is what happened to my starter a common problem or have just got some awkward luck??

yeah i had it stripped but to be fair looking at it i would think the only way to have it run backwards is have it wired back to front, i am pretty clueless about electrics at the best of times, just to be sure would i be right by having the red wire to the positive on the bat terminal? and thus the black to negative?

thanks once again airhead,it is official..the starter is running backwards-clockwise. what a ball ache, the last thing i need as my funds have almost ran dry,looking on ebay they seam to retail at around the fifty quid mark, there aint any bike breakers local to me. has anybody out there has a spare one at a reasonable price??????????????????

i think my starter is running in reverse too.....

hi folks, heres one for you ....i have refitted my new 2nd hand engine on my freshly powder coated frame at the moment it would seam to be going well but....i took my old starter motor off the old lump and stuck it in the new to me lump ..wired it all up and went for the start ....i got a clicking noise... had a mate round who said it was starter motor..no further a do i whipped it off and took it apart , i found that a small bit of the magnetic lining had broke off and was jamming the mechanism.., then i removed the bit , put the damn thing back together and hey presto it rotated when linked up to the batt, sorted i thought, so i installed the starter motor back into the lump and hit the ignition ...sound as the starter motor turns but no cranking of engine,,,,, mmmmm me thinks, gets me workshop manuel out and there is a bit in there about a starter clutch mechanism... i investigated this as this appeared to be almost text book...however everything moves freely in the right direction no defects to be found,,,, which leads to ask the following.....is it possible that i have put the starter motor back in such a way that it is rotating in reverse ?? which way should she turn clockwise or anti clockwise, non of this info is in the manuel, an answer woulld be grately appreciated....

just to say reference my earlier posts, on hindsight the answer to....... my technical query in technical terms "it was shagged out" . knowledge is power..my jedi father was right ...the 'farce' is strong in me........

ahhh nice one mr airhead i just had a go at that right click search thing.....it only works , sound as thanks, i think that has fowarded my progress by approx a decade or so, here have a cyber pint on me!!

yes i think so, or a zip file, i find it awkward to say the least. i would much rather have it in book form,