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'99 feels way down on power after sitting for several years


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I started taking apart my '99 four or five years ago with the intent of R&Ring the transmission, as it would skip a tooth in second gear.  Then I ran out of motivation and the bike sat until recently.  The bike was in a climate controlled basement the entire time.  I took it to the local Honda shop and paid them to fix the transmission and put the bike back together. 

 

I just got it back today.  The bike runs and rides perfectly.  No hesitation or misfires.  Except, it feels like it's way down on power across the powerband.  How much, I can't tell, but I'd guess at least 20-30 horsepower.  

 

One thing that might be worth mentioning is that I didn't drain the fuel rail or injectors.  The Honda tech couldn't get the bike to start and run after the repair, so I told him about how it had most likely had old fuel in the fuel rail.  I didn't specifically ask what they did to fix it, but the invoice indicates a fuel injector cleaning, so presumably my suspicion was correct.

 

So far I've only ridden the bike about 10 miles.  Is this something that's likely to resolve itself?  IE the computer "relearning", or maybe the rings getting worked free and sealing better?  If not, what could it be?

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Go to Autozone or whatnot and get a bottle .  It's a fuel additive.  It will clean varnish deposits that have likely built up in the injectors and rails.  Best of all, it works.  I use it on a regular basis.  I have my own concoction of Seafoam, Marvels Mystery Oil, and Stabil.  The Seafoam is great stuff.

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Oh okay.  Yeah, I'm an avid Seafoam user--have several bottles in the garage right now.  I wasn't sure if you meant something like running it through the intake manifold, or if you just meant adding it to the tank.  

 

You think it's just running lean right now?  

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Probably. Lean due to the injectors not properly atomizing the A/F mixture.  I let a bike sit for twenty years in another State.  Long story.  Anyhow, the point being, sitting for a long time w/out properly preparing for storage takes a significant toll on the fuel delivery system.  

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You think Seafoam will do the trick, though, or is it gonna need more in-depth work? I gave it a fresh tank of ethanol-free 91, and half a can of Seafoam. Probably won’t get a chance to ride much until next weekend.

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Start with seafoam.

 

If it doesn't do the trick you might need to pull the injectors and get 'em cleaned and flowed. There are little filters in them that the service will replace, and sometimes even if they improve the seafoam won't get the spray pattern good again. At the worst, if you run a tank of seafoam it'll help with the fuel system, regulator, and the like.

 

That said, it could be other issues as well. Are you throwing any codes?

 

  But fuel in an unpickled bike that say for years is the number one likelihood.

 

 

 

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Aaaand it’s fixed. I had ridden for about 15 miles, and was cruising at about 70mph when the bike surged and started accelerating. I let off the throttle and rolled back on it, and the power was back.

Idle is now close to 2000rpm. I think one of the injectors must have been clogged and the bike was running on 3 cylinders. Which makes sense given that it felt like it was down 20-30hp.

Whew!

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Good. So glad it isn't anything difficult.

 

Now ride the damned thing so it doesn't get gummed up again!

 

As a side note, when I got into mine I pulled the PAR valves and blocked them off. That changed idle slightly, so I knew they were leaking. Those things are not made to last.

 

Then when I did hoses I had my injectors cleaned.  I had to do a lot of fussing with the starter valves after as one was drippy. It made the throttle response difficult but now it idles as smooth as these engines will idle, I have no problem getting a reasonable 1250ish RPM, and it's passably smooth rolling off and on the throttle. I wouldn't be surprised if a little balancing on your starter valves is necessary.

 

 

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