'97 Marauder VZ800 Not running right - Motorcycle-Journal Forums

St0nkingByte · 12-12-2004, 02:02 PM

I had problems with my Marauder this morning and I'm not certain what the next step is to resolving it hopefully one of you guys can offer some sage advice. Here's the situation...

In October I bought a 1997 Marauder it had 2700 miles on it and from more than 3 feet away it looks brand new. Its my first bike and I bought it from a local dealer with a good reputation. The dealer claimed it was garage kept (it looks it) and that they had given it basic service before putting it on sale. For the past five weeks or so I've been riding it daily and I have not noticed any mechanical problems at all. It has been very reliable, always starts right up, warms up quickly and runs smooth.

Last night I took it out for a short ride to take my son to his friend's house. The bike ran a little rough but I didn't think much of it because it was fairly cold (maybe 40F) and I hadn't spent alot of time warming it up. By the time I got home from the 2 mile round trip it seemed to be running fine so I didn't think anything of it except I noticed that it had been 118 miles since my last fillup so I figured I'd better hit the gas station first thing this morning. The farthest I've taken the bike w/out filling up before has only been around 90 miles.

This morning it was a bit colder, maybe 36F or so, I pulled the bike out of the garage where it is about 60F, pulled choke knob out and started it up, it started right up but the engine never ran really fast like it does once its warm and the choke is still on. I figured I might be running low on gas so I turned on the reserve. The gas station is just under a half-mile away with a big downhill so I figured I could ride/coast it there, fill up and I'd be fine. Once I got it on the street though all it would do is idle, even with the choke knob pulled out, it never really got up to that very fast choke closed idle, it just sort of got halfway there. I decided to try to make the gas station anyway so put the choke in and tried to leave as soon as I put on more than just a tiny fraction of throttle it died. It would start right back up but then die as soon as I apply any throttle. I pushed it back to my driveway and decided that somehow I must have run it out of gas despite the reserve? I don't know, this is my first bike and the first motorvehicle with carburetor I've owned since 1992.

I had a fairly fresh can of gas in the garage for my lawnmower so I dumped about a gallon in the tank and started it back up. With the choke knob pulled out I let it idle for a few minutes and after a little bit it was running very fast like it does on a normal day once its warmed up. I pushed the choke in and it idled fine, pulled it back out, fast idle, back in idling fine. All seemed good so I tried to leave with it but again as soon as I apply any throttle beyond the tiniest bit it just dies. I start it back up and the same thing happens, just a little throttle and it dies. It doesn't even have enough power before it dies to get rolling in first.

Like I said I'm not sure what the next step is. I'm thinking maybe I've got some bad gas or water in the tank that I'm just now getting to enjoy because this is the emptiest the tank has been since I got the bike. Perhaps just putting some good gas in and running it in the driveway longer and I can work through this badness? Or could I have another problem perhaps related to the colder weather and the bike not being adjusted so that it can run well in the cold. I'm pretty sure last night and today has been the coldest day I've run the bike by at least 4 degrees.

Anyway if you've read this far thanks for reading my saga

I'd be truly grateful for any advice you guys might have.