IanMe

you shouldn't need to remove the carbs to crack the bowl drains. That is definitely a vacuum petcock and not an overfill diaphragm. ..

How much experience do you have working on bikes?

Not a whole lot on motorcycles...more on cars 

Is the the diaphragm that you replace behind the cover at 55seconds on the video? That is the vacuum shut off for the fuel. Not an overfill do hickey. If that is what you changed then you would have had to have turned off the petcock so gas did not run out when you removed the hose. Unless of course the tank was empty or petcock plugged. Pull that hose with petcock off then turn it on using a catch can of sort and see if gas comes out. If yes your good. If no your problem is between the hose and the tank cavity. See the hose on the other side off the one you pulled off at 140? That should also be the fuel out to the carbs. Pull it off and stick a rag under it or better yet a piece of hose going to a catch can. Reinstall first hose. Turn on the petcock. No gas should be coming out of the do hickey. If yes...do hickey problem. The other small hose on the so called over fill do hickey is a vacuum hose. Pull it off the carb,inspect and make sure it is in good condition. With it attached to the do hickey.....suck hard on the other end. Gas should now be flowing into catch can. If yes...good. If no...do hickey problem. All this is nothing but a shot in the dark diagnosis. It took me longer to type this than it would have to perform the actual test. Also what IP said to check.

Yes! That is the diaphragm that was replaced. I turned off the petcock, but the tank wasn't so empty at the time. I will check this out, because i think that's where the problem is happening. 

Does it have a vacuum actuated petcock? Make sure your fuel lines are installed correctly to the petcock. It sounds like you just flubbed a line, somewhere. That or a line is kinked under the tank?

I don't think this one has a vacuum actuated petcock, but I will check, I can't be sure. So there is only one line that goes into the tank, and the others are for the carbs and the overfill diaphragm. 

But the bike also quit running....so my guess is that its not getting gas....like maybe you accidentally swapped the feed and return lines when you installed the new part? Did you ever crack open the bowl drains to see if it's getting gas?

I am pulling the carb out to see if there is some gas in there shortly, I needed a break and wanted to check out the super bowl. I might have done that, swapped a line somewhere and didn't realize it. I also need to find a better service manual for this bike than the one that I am using currently. 

How was the motorcycle show? 

Overfill diaphragm?

Elaborate please.

So on this bike, this overfill diaphragm will send gas back into the tank if the carbs become filled up with gas. The old one was falling apart, and it was leaking like a sieve. Once I replaced it, the overfill wasn't leaking anymore. 

Ah well...hopefully nick (gsxkat) can truck it down here when things warm up a bit. I had an 1100 shadow for a season, loved that bike for what it was...check one more thing: if your choke lever is on the handlebars, check and make sure it's actually operating the plungers down on the carbs. Hondas are naturally cold blooded in the first place, and if your choke isn't operating in the cold it will never start.

Sadly on this one, it's not on the handlebars. I had an 81 CMT400 that had the choke on the handlebars, it was great. This one is on the left side, near the starter for the key. I'm going to put everything back together tonight or tomorrow, and try starting it. I haven't had a chance to deal with it all week. If it doesn't start, I will need to bring it to someone to fix because I can't figure out where its wrong. The issue is that I had it running fine before, but then I had to replace the overfill diaphragm, put everything back together, and nothing. Hopefully I can get it done this week to get it running, time is running out before the season starts, and I want to be up and running well before the season starts. 

I'm gonna be in cle for the motorcycle show saturday, I could try and make a house call if you have some way to heat up your garage.

Sadly I don't...it's just sitting there in the semi-cold, and a small electric heater won't make much of difference in there 

I may be making a trip to Euclid (HGR) within a month or so, I will let you know if you are still looking to get it moved to a mech.

Thanks! I would really appreciate it. 

Greetings.

Thank you 

what part of East side?

 

I live in Parma and work in Painesville.

I am near Beachwood Mall, that's a long drive, but in the summer when you can ride I bet it;s amazing 

welcome

Thank you! 

Welcome! You should v

come out to the international motorcycle show this saturday and see how we act at the after party before you decide how awesome this collection of drunken apes really is Lol...

I would love to! Sadly I have already made some plans that can't be changed this weekend...at the time I didn't' realize that it was the same weekend, because I missed last years show also :/

if you're in a serious bind as far as transporting the bike, I would try to help you out for the cost of gas. 

 

Decide where you need the bike to go, and let everyone know where you're at.   I'm sure someone will help you out.  I've brought my trailer to work several times to pick my bike up from Anderson Door Racing headquarters on my way home from work

Awesome! Thank you for offering transport! But that would be the one thing I'd be able to take care of, I can always borrow a truck from a friend and load the bike in the bed with some help from friends. 

I am thinking I will need to take it somewhere to get it sorted out if since I can't seem to figure out what it needs. I'm not a mechanic, but I am pretty handy, so doing the basic things is fun for me. 

No al, it cranks over. Kill switch interrupts entire ignition circuit on those bikes, starter won't run with it killed.

Yep...I tried that but it wouldn't even turn over at all 

Kill switch ??

It's working - when I use the kill switch, it won't turn over at all. 

Here's a checklist for you:

Is gas getting to the carbs? Crack open the bowl drain screw and see if gas runs out the bowl drain.

Is it getting spark?

Pull a plug out, put it in the boot and hold it against the motor while cranking it. Does the plug spark? Is it bright and blue or dim and orange?

if there's gas in the bowls and you have spark then you probably either missed a passage when cleaning the carbs or you reassembled them incorrectly, assuming your motor has good compression.

I will check the bowl to see if it's getting the gas. 

I think so, but I will have to check if it's getting a spark. 

Okay...I will check it out. Thank you 

I'm right down the road from CSC, I may be able to arrange transport of said vehicle if need be.

 

Of course, there will most likely be a fee unless I'm heading up that way. How far are you from Euclid?

Not too far from Euclid, I am near Beachwood Mall 

Thanks guys! I changed all the spark plugs last night, I didn't have a chance to try starting it yet. Also, this bike to change the spark plugs, you need a thin walled 18mm socket...it took me a long time to find one, but the one from Advance Auto Parts works. 

I looked at all the wiring, couldn't find anything that seemed wrong with it, but then I could have missed something. 

I will have to see about bringing it down to massilion, it's kind of far from the east side of cleveland. 

Ravenna is also kind of far, but if I can't get it running, I need to have it done very soon, way before spring. 

Hi everyone, I have a 2003 Honda Shadow VLX 600, and I can't get the bike started at all. It turns over, but won't catch. I cleaned out the carbs, replaced the spark plugs, the overfill diaphragm, and still nothing. Any ideas or leads so I can take it to a mechanic would be great! TIA

Hi all! New to this forum, and It looks amazing. I can't wait to get started, I know this is the introduction page, so I will keep it short!