In the last episode I finally got the parts I needed to assemble the carburetors. However the engine didn't budge due to some electronics issue.

In this episode I figured out the problem and actually got the engine running again.

I started the debugging process by testing all fuses on the bike one by one. Eventually got to the Master Fuse. The fuse was so burned out that it had actually split in half.

My first instinct was to take the same fuse off of the other bike and directly replace it. However that fuse was equally burned out. So I did the only reasonable thing a backyard mechanic would do, and magaivered a quick solution.

I took a modern 30Amp automotive fuse, some spare wires and wired things up. Once the battery was plugged back in, all the electronics came back online.

It was now time to start the engine. The first attempt was a failure, the engine just didn't seem to be combusting. Later it occurred to me that it was probably because the air box was completely open, and too much air was coming in. So I decided to grab some carb cleaner and spray it directly in the carbs. Knowing that carbs cleaner is flammable I figured it would help with ignition. As soon as i tried it again the engine turned over and fired once or twice. I few more squirts of that stuff and it purred right up.

The exhaust started spuing white smoke as the engine started to warm up. This was due to the carbs getting flooded with oil from the emissions system. A lot of that gunk had flown straight in to the cylinders. After about 5-10min of running the smoke started to clear out and engine temperatures started to come back up and normalize.

After running the bike clear of oil, i realized it wouldn't really idle with the air box so open. Far too much air was coming in and killing it. I re-assembled the rest of the air box, and tried again. This time the bike had a slighly more difficult time starting, but I believe the issue now is lack of fuel, and not too much air. More tweaking will be needed.

For now I am happy with being able to start the engine again. I will be proceeding with stripping the front and starting to completely replace all electronics. The next on the list is clip-ons. Stay tuned.