KyukidoMaster

NeverSayDie: Thank you. I bought it this summer and have rode it some since then. It's really not high in mileage... probably ~15k miles. It sat for years... all alone... It's just old. I don't think it's ever had a tune up or a bath. I'll check the plugs. and try to clean it up some more. There's more to fix on it than it's worth. I just want to ride without injury or ending up in the middle of nowhere with it being dead. I've put some of that additive to help it burn cleaner and that has helped some, but I still get the problem of backfire every now and then.

I tend to get backfire occasionally when I close the throttle. It doesn't happen every time, but it does sometimes. I'll also have it start to die when I go from Hwy driving to city driving. It bogs down, occasionally backfires, but it dies and takes some time to restart w/ bogging after I get it started. I have a 83' Virago 500.

I just barely got onto this forum today. It showed up when I googled the starter problem. I know it's an older bike. I was just commenting that I had a similar problem with starting my bike. Do you know the title to that conversation?

I've had the same problem. I got home; readjusted my handle bars; then it wouldn't start. It made a "click" sound and was then dead. I got the lights to come back on before using the starter button. As soon as I pressed it, it did a little "click" that sounded like it was by the starter and then everything went dead again. The battery is really good. The lights have not come back on and it's deader than a door nail, electrically. All the fuses are good too. The battery is still good. So bypassing the starter by cutting & splicing the 2 wires will make it so when I turn the key, it will just start? I know enough mechanically to be dangerous to myself, so specifics would help. Thank you.