Hello to all of you! I'm happy to have found this forum, and the still growing wealth of knowledge within.
I recently returned to riding after being away from it about 12 years. Got my feet wet again on a Kaw 454 LTD and put about 2,500 miles on it in little over a month. After this I felt ready to step up to something a little bit bigger.
A week ago I was calling around for used bikes and I found a purple 2000 Roadstar 1600 with about 6k miles on it at localdealer. It was priced a little more than $3k below book price, and to be sold "as is". My wife and I went right over to take alook at it. I should also mention that this would be my first time getting a close look at a Roadstar.
The building it was in was a bit dark, and the bike was dirty. In looking it over I found some of the chrome pitted and showing evidence of freshly cleaned surface rust. The rear fender was cocked to the left a bit, and had strange rub marks on it that were from a poorly modified backrest that had been bolted on where the chrome trim pieces used to be. The front tire was badly dry rotted, and the rear burnt off almost to the cords. There was a chrome cover on the seat, which I was told hid the fuel pump. This no longer fits because of the large "MR. Gasket universal electric fuel pump for 4, 6, & 8 cylinder engines" that was currently dangling from the fuel line. On the opposite side of the engine there was a large, impressive looking chrome device mounted to the carburetor (more on this later). The sales man turned the key, and hit the start button. With a few pops, cracks and a puff of black smoke the engine thundered to life through the poorly chromed straight pipes that had been welded to the factory header (heat shields also welded). I generally like loud bikes, but this thing sounds obscene. I was told to come back the next day for a test ride on account of the fuel pump not being mounted. I headed home thinking it's not a cream puff, but might make a good rideable project.
The next afternoon I returned for the test drive to find the Roadstar sitting outside already warmed up, and a fresh pair of black cable ties holding "MR. Gasket" in place. After a quick talk with the salesman I fired up the Star and headed out of the parking lot and down the road. I was immediately impressed with the smooth bulky ride and how effortlessly the engine pulled me along through the city streets. I turned onto a country road, eager to work through the gears and see how it felt at 55. Going from 3rd to 4th the throttle stuck, and when I got into 5th I was going 65. After a minute or two I was able to get it back to normal, and turned to head back. The throttle stuck again when I was almost back to town, and I couldn't get it to idle down. Two miles, one red light and 8 blocks later, it starts chugging and runs out of gas. Luckily I had enough momentum to roll into a gas station and only had to push a few feet to the pump. After adding a gallon (just 3 blocks to go) I cranked back to life and it's still revving high. When I parked it at the dealership I noticed a puddle of gas on the engine and more leaking from the
carb.
To keep a long story from getting too much longer, I bought the bike and picked it up with my truck the next day. With a full tank and a bit of Sea Foam I was able to do about 100 rough running poor idling miles. I also found out that my impressive chrome device is a Kuryakyn hyper charger that was mounted without some of the hardware, and causing the boot to be restricted to less than half it's normal size. I also discovered that the
main jet is still the stock 165. I've adjusted the float height,
PMS and the accelerator pump a bit, but I don't think this will be enough to make her run smooth.
I hope my intro isn't too long winded, and I would like to thank you all for this site and your contributions to it. The info here has already helped me alot.
P.S. Does anyone know what the AL designation in the model stands for?
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