Any Suzuki bods out there that can offer some technical, and hopefully model specific experience based advice please?
Ok, so over 3 years ago I bought an 01 face lift 1200 Bandit from another member on this forum. It was sold as a non runner/project, although it did run, but only from cold on choke, and was unrideable as it was.
With initial enthusiasm I started by stripping the carbs, cleaning the jets etc, fitting new plugs and air filter, but no joy. I'll say at this point that there were no signs of anything in the way of muck or rust in the carbs or the fuel in the tank.
Some months later, due to other jobs needing my attention, I tried a second hand set of coils and plug leads, trying both replacement sets and one original and one replacement in various orders, but again, naf all difference.
More time past and one day I read a post on a bandit forum that said about replacing the diaphram in the vacuum part of the pet cock, so I did and hey presto she ran. Not perfect, but a huge difference, enough to think I'd sussed it. I tried balancing the carbs, but found one really lazy, so I bought a new carb diaphram and rebalanced, she then ran as sweet as.
I was so pleased I booked an mot and off I went.
All was fine until I got about 3 miles down the road, onto the first stretch of open road, opened her up, got to 3-4000 rpm and nothing.....no more urg until it got to about 6-7000 revs, then it took off again. It did this all the way there and back.
She got dumped at the back of the garage again. I kind of decided I needed to either replace the carb mounting rubbers, or add a little rtv to help them seal, thinking air was getting in weakening the mixture. Losing interest I left it for another day.
So here we are over a year later, with some new enthusiasm. I decided I'd start by doing the head bearings that the mot had advised. I also freed off the calipers as they had started binding when pushing her about in the garage. With that done I pinched the battery off my Bird, as the original had long since died, but nothing.... As dead as Turned over fine, but no attempt to fire, but also no smell of fuel.
I stuck a fresh gallon in, but still nothing. That was Saturday morning. Sunday I tried again, switching the pet cock to prime. After some cranking she started to cough a little, but I gave up as she started smelling a bit weird. Like the starter was burning out, but it was cold to touch.
Anyway tonight I've tried again, and she's back to where I was when I bought her. She'll start on choke, just. But you can't rev her until she's warmed up, but you couldn't ride her even then. And the exhaust gets really hot, so I've got excess fuel burning in there I reckon. Doesn't seem to matter where I have the pet cock either.
I've been wondering about doing the valve clearances, but that wouldn't cause her to not run, then run, and not run again, although it might explain the poor running when I thought I'd got her sorted.
I was hoping there was a something that's a common cause, but from reading on the Bandit forums they all seem to suffer all sorts of faults with all sorts of fix's and solutions.
Any ideas? Other than wheeling her out onto the front garden, draining the fuel over her and striking a match, cos I've already considered that one
Ok, so over 3 years ago I bought an 01 face lift 1200 Bandit from another member on this forum. It was sold as a non runner/project, although it did run, but only from cold on choke, and was unrideable as it was.
With initial enthusiasm I started by stripping the carbs, cleaning the jets etc, fitting new plugs and air filter, but no joy. I'll say at this point that there were no signs of anything in the way of muck or rust in the carbs or the fuel in the tank.
Some months later, due to other jobs needing my attention, I tried a second hand set of coils and plug leads, trying both replacement sets and one original and one replacement in various orders, but again, naf all difference.
More time past and one day I read a post on a bandit forum that said about replacing the diaphram in the vacuum part of the pet cock, so I did and hey presto she ran. Not perfect, but a huge difference, enough to think I'd sussed it. I tried balancing the carbs, but found one really lazy, so I bought a new carb diaphram and rebalanced, she then ran as sweet as.
I was so pleased I booked an mot and off I went.
All was fine until I got about 3 miles down the road, onto the first stretch of open road, opened her up, got to 3-4000 rpm and nothing.....no more urg until it got to about 6-7000 revs, then it took off again. It did this all the way there and back.
She got dumped at the back of the garage again. I kind of decided I needed to either replace the carb mounting rubbers, or add a little rtv to help them seal, thinking air was getting in weakening the mixture. Losing interest I left it for another day.
So here we are over a year later, with some new enthusiasm. I decided I'd start by doing the head bearings that the mot had advised. I also freed off the calipers as they had started binding when pushing her about in the garage. With that done I pinched the battery off my Bird, as the original had long since died, but nothing.... As dead as Turned over fine, but no attempt to fire, but also no smell of fuel.
I stuck a fresh gallon in, but still nothing. That was Saturday morning. Sunday I tried again, switching the pet cock to prime. After some cranking she started to cough a little, but I gave up as she started smelling a bit weird. Like the starter was burning out, but it was cold to touch.
Anyway tonight I've tried again, and she's back to where I was when I bought her. She'll start on choke, just. But you can't rev her until she's warmed up, but you couldn't ride her even then. And the exhaust gets really hot, so I've got excess fuel burning in there I reckon. Doesn't seem to matter where I have the pet cock either.
I've been wondering about doing the valve clearances, but that wouldn't cause her to not run, then run, and not run again, although it might explain the poor running when I thought I'd got her sorted.
I was hoping there was a something that's a common cause, but from reading on the Bandit forums they all seem to suffer all sorts of faults with all sorts of fix's and solutions.
Any ideas? Other than wheeling her out onto the front garden, draining the fuel over her and striking a match, cos I've already considered that one