[CSH]

Update: After sitting a day I saw some minor change in turning over the engine after switching to the ATF-F . Now on occasion it will turn over 2 to 3 times before it disengages and spins . As posted above it seems as though if I've got a bad sprag no matter what you put in the primary it can only help so much ,so I'll probably take it in . I ran out of warranty so this one will be on me . My goal at this time is now to get it running so I can ride it there instead of trailering it . I'm about 60 miles from my dealer so that this is a hassel . I still haven't been able to start it again so I've drained the tank, there was a fair amount of water but no visible particulates , drained the float bowl , removed the carb and took off the float bowl and blew carb cleaner through every little crack ,crevice and hole that I could find. There was some small amount of sediment in the float bowl . I pulled the plug , foung that it was gapped at 0.030 . I have seen recommendations ranging from 0.025 to 0.028 so I split the difference . Once I got it all back together first of all the starter wouldn't even spin,probably due to the fact that I ran down the battery and secondly it wouldn't pop over at all with the kick . I remembered reading on one of the threads about the thumb test which I believe is that you pull the plug , place your thumb over the hole and crank it over while openning the throttle like you were trying to start it and you should come away with some gas on it but I didn't . I suspect this means that something is seriously clogged and my next step would be a complete carb disassembly . I've never done anything like that before and would appreciate some advice. To begin with how do you disconnect the throttle cable ?

[UncleErnie]

May I respectfully recommend you get a shop manual before doing anything else?
No offense.

[REpozer]

Did your RE come with a hand/owners book? Aside from adding a full litre of 20w-50 oil to the primary, its a good place to start reading.

[1Blackwolf1]

  I'll agree with the observations on getting a repair manual, Snidals is better than the Enfield shop manual IMHO.  It's very hard to explain how things are done sometimes long distance.

  But to answer a couple of questions you are posing currently.  If the battery is run down to near dead/dead you won't be able to kick start it even (beauty of electronic ignition).  You need a fairly decent charge to energize the whole system.  If you have a charger you need to charge her up then try kicking it into submission. 

  Was the gas you drained out varnished uo (red/brown in color)?  If so I'd try putting maybe 1/4 of a can of sea foam in the tank after refilling with fresh gas.  Let it sit for a few hours with the petcock on and the choke pulled out while the battery charges.

  Since I don't know what kind of lubricant you drained out of the primary I can only assume that the down period when you had it parked did the damage.  If you came up with no shard metal when you drained the primary you may be okay.  I believe the sprague either works or not.  Even if you put ATF in from cold engine it really can't work into the clutch plates or sprague to clean anything up aa far as deposits left if regular oil was in it prior to this repair attempt.

  If you can park it outside and let the sun heat the whole bike up you may be able to warm the primary up enough to thin the oil out in the case.  And if you could park it on tarmac/asphalt could get some really good radiating heat.  Sounds corny..but I used to do that on my H-Ds their first start of the year to help warm them up from their winter hibernation.   A heated garage isn't as good as the reflected heat from blacktop IMHO.

  The thumb over the spark plug hole is the old timers compression tester..if you think it's flooded then you remove the plug and hold the throttle open while kicking to clear the fuel. 

  Just my 2 pence on the situation.

  Will.


   

[PhilJ]

With the tank off and the carb disconnected, rotate the carb until you can extract the throttle cable. Reverse procedure for reinstall. I'm not sure just how much fuel you should have on your thumb after your test. As Blackwolf stated, it is mostly a compression test. With all the fuel being drained and setting for awhile you may need to use the choke. If you use the choke and smell fuel, stop using the choke and clear out the combustion chamber by removing the plug and kicking it through several times. Good luck.

[CSH]

Update , I let the bike sit over night on the charger and I had put clean gas in along with Seafoam as recommended in another thread . Tried the starter and nothing but spinning. Tried to kick start and fired right up on the first try so I assume you guys were correct on the charge being so low that the electronic ingition wouldn't work . I guess I never thought that to kick start you needed a battery but I guess that only works without a battery if you have a magneto . Got it warmed up after a few minor stumbles and then ran smoothly . I shut it back down and kicked it over again on the first try . I decided to go for a quick ride around the neighboorhood as a shakedown and all was right with the world . Great day for a ride . Shut it down and just tried the electric start and low and behold it turned right over and started ! I was shocked for a second and then remembered the post about having to heat it up to get the ATF to work to free things up . It seems as thogh you guys are almost prophetic !  Rode for about 10 miles and then it just kind of died and would bog down when adding throttle . Tried to goose it a few times but couldn't get it to clear and take any gas . I tapped the carb a few times and drained the float bowl by the side of the road which did not help . I at this point was easily able to electric start and it worked without hesitation . It would start right up and idle smoothly but try to give it some gas and forgetaboutit. I decided to go to limp home mode turned my idle way way up , pulled my enricher full on and with a  gentle hand on the clutch and basically no hand on the throttle was able to make the 3 or so miles home .

[CSH]

Update continued: At this point I think I just have goop in my jets so I will take it all apart and clean everything throughly. Thanks for all the help and advice .All your suggestions and guidance have been invaluable . I do have the manual , Parts catalog and workshop manual and have read them through and it has been helpful but at times not as explainatory as I would like .Snidal's CD has been ordered and is on its way . You have to understand that my mechanical experience with motorcycles so far has only been to write checks to my local BMW dealer for routine service , so I feel that I'm way out of my league with this new do it yourself experience . The gas drained was a normal color but had a great deal of water in it .The question about disconnecting the throttle was solved with better lighting , acess and some force.The small nub at the end of the cable was jammed in very tightly and I finally got it out with a centerpunch. The fluid in the primary was oil , type unknow and there were no shards of metal so I think that the ATF did the trick .I had contacted my dealer to set up an appointment for service on the Electric start but will cancel that now and see if the problem recurs. Thanks again everyone for all the help it's great to hear from the experts !

[REpozer]

You have to understand that my mechanical experience with motorcycles so far has only been to write checks to my local BMW dealer for routine service , so I feel that I'm way out of my league with this new do it yourself experience .

Congratulations, It can be overwhelming at first. Keep doing what you can, try to break down your problems into systems (IE fuel, spark, air,)your doing a great job.
Not only are you learning about your RE, you will also understand much more about ANY machine you come across. And your neighbors will secretly envy your  new skills too.

[UncleErnie]

All righty then!

When you get a round tuit, next job is to remove the 3 inch cable behind your head light that keeps your lights on as soon as the key is turned.  These bikes don't have a light cut-out like more modern bikes do, which is a big reson your battery needs to be 100%.
When the cable is taken out -just a matter of unplugging and re-connecting the main wire to itself- you'll need to remember to turn your lights on manually.

Parenthetically, you may find that on cooler mornings, you'll need to kick-start anyway.  


Mr Pozer, I'm not feeling any love from the neighbors yet.  When does that kick in?

[REpozer]

Mr Pozer, I'm not feeling any love from the neighbors yet.  When does that kick in?

Uncle E, you'll notice that I purposely omitted the use of "love" for the more useful term "envy".
Now that being said, you might feel the "love: if you are able to assist said neighbor solve some sort of ingenious mechanical problem. Only to  risk being accused of "poor time management skills" by your spouse. Its all a very tight rope to walk.
I hope this helps you some.

[UncleErnie]

Welll... I did help my neighbor on the North side sand the rust off his back brace, but he accused me of flirting with his girlfriend (who I heard is actually his 15yo cousin).   
No good deed goes unpunished...