Getting my first Voyager running!

[MyUnclesVoyager]

Hey guys, just got on the forum. My uncle has a 1998 Voyager 1200 that hasn't been down the road in a year or so. He says if I get it running, I can use it to get a good handle on riding. I've made sure we have good gas, and I've gotta run and pick up a new set of spark plugs but I do have spark. Im an 18 year old mechanic going to school for automotive but have never dove into motorcycles, and I'm wondering if someone could point me in the right direction on where to find the fuel pump relay and fuel pump itself, and also which lines to unhook to see if I'm getting fuel out of the tank and to the carb. The bike turns over with spark but I don't think I'm getting fuel. Any help is greatly appreciated! Thank you.

[cushman eagle]

Welcome to the wonderful AVA family! I like the color of your bike[the same as my'99] You can download a copy of the service manual from this site,which would make it easy to do your diagnosis.The fuel pump only runs when the engine is turning,as in cranking with the starter,or is running.To make it easier to prime my carbs,I installed a starter relay bypass switch. I can now disable the starter, if the engine has not been run for a week or more, turn on the key,hit the starter button until the pump stops pulsing,switch my bypass to run,and the engine starts like it was run yesterday.

[MyUnclesVoyager]

Thanks for getting back, how do I find the service manual on the website??

[Gator Mike]

Fuel pump relays are under the faux gas tank, don't remember where but some one will chime in. The following link will take you to a manual for the XII and that will give you a ton of info: https://1drv.ms/f/s!Ao3K0Ai2gvglgS3l7J4pBJrjfBhc (courtesy of Mr Jensee)
Also the following link will take you to fuel filter and how to change it but includes location of pump: http://www.abbikeboard.com/forum/viewto ... f=4&t=1104 (courtesy of abbikeboard) If you change the plugs make sure to use air on the plug wells as a lot of trash get in there and will fall in the cylinder when the plugs are removed. The plug wire caps screw on to the wire, make sure they are tight.
I also put a switch on the starter relay because the carbs will drain if the bike isn't run for a while. you have to turn the engine for quite a while if you don't cut out the starter relay. With the starter relay switched out you can fill the carbs with the starter button then switch the relay back in to start the engine. Good luck with your project..........Gator Mike

[MyUnclesVoyager]

Thanks guys, I'll be going at it again tomorrow, I've got new plugs in and also discovered a giant mouse nest in the upper airbox that must have been restricting a lot of flow. Cutting off enough air to keep from starting maybe??? I'll hook the battery back up and try firing it tomorrow and Go from there. Fuel system is still on my mind, without the starter switch you guys have, about how long would it take to get fuel back into the carbs? Because I did spend a lot of time just cranking today, could it just be taking a long time to fill up the carbs again? In combination with the block of airflow I had...

[Gator Mike]

never actually timed it but I would imagine 30 seconds or so. You certainly want to get the airflow going before making any judgments. Mouse poop doesn't combust well

[MyUnclesVoyager]

Alrighty, I'm sure I'll be back tomorrow with a progress report and more questions!

[MyUnclesVoyager]

I've been looking through the service manual and can't seem to find where to remove the lower airbox. I've got the upper off and out and have the bolts to the lower air box removed but am stuck. Can It be done without removing the carbs?

[MyUnclesVoyager]

Ok it is running but will not idle. I've got to keep it at at least 1/4 throttle to keep it going. It's got some old fuel in it with new fuel as well (should have drained tank) any suggestions??

[voyager55]

Drain Gas, (dump it in your car) Refill with Sea Foam, 1 ounce per gallon.

[cranky]

... I'da put an overdose of Seafoam in it to clear out the water and clean the fuel system,
in your case, as well as I did, run about 5 tanks of it thru the beast to clean stuff up! JM2C

[forestfarm]

If you had a mouse nest in the upper air box make sure you also clean or at least inspect the surge box attached to the carbs.Mine was full of sh-t,nuts,bedding all kinds of horrible stuff

[forestfarm]

you can open one of the carb drainscrews to verify the presence of fuel.You can give it a healthy shot of stating fluid/ether to see if your no start condition is from lack of fuel.It should fire right off and die with stating fluid.dont keep cranking it with a discharged battery as these bikes can have issues with the starter chain if it kicks back against the chain.Mine is extremely cold blooded if i let it set a few weeks.I think the fuel pump relay bypass will be on my to do list

[forestfarm]

If you have never ridden a big street bike before i dont think the Voyager is the bike to learn on.You have to be careful.Its a 90 horsepower 800lb beast that will get you killed in a hurry if you dont respect the weight of it and the aerodynamic effects of all that plastic and bags,windscreeen fairing etc.They will get your attention at highway speed when you are the dirty air from a high profile vehicle.Be careful,its alot of bike,lot of weight and mass.if you go into a curve too fast it will want to keep going straight.Just be careful,its not a beginner bike.read the owners manual.kawasaki devoted a lot of paragraphs to warning the rider about what i just mentioned.

[MyUnclesVoyager]

Thank you for the warning on that forestfarm, I'm not going to be diving into all kinds of riding with this bike but I am 6'2" and I feel that the little riding I'll do will be alright. I will however probably get a smaller bike when I can afford my own.

Anyway, the bike is now running with new plugs, no mouse nest, and good fuel. It will not idle though, and unless I am spraying carb cleaner into the carbs while running, I can't get the bike above 3500rpm. I'm going to try sea foam and I'm probably going remove and clean the carbs just to be safe. The bike is in Indiana and I live in Ohio for school, so I'll be back working on the bike next weekend. Thanks for all the help and advice guys.

[bikerking.biz]

Yes, it sounds like your low speed or idle jets are plugged. If they are plugged pretty good, I doubt that seafoam will clear them. Some fuel needs to pass through jets in order for Seafoam to work best. A complete carb clean will be best. Make sure your fuel filter is also clean and fresh. If you can't get the carbs cleaned out adequately for it to run correctly, may I suggest sending your carbs to Carl Leo and he will clean and rebuild them to perfection.

[Mr Jensee]

I've mentioned this elsewhere but if you are a mechanic you may already have one. A torch tip cleaning tool is a great tool for cleaning out those small idle jets. If you pull the carburetors soak them in some carb cleaner solution and use the torch tip cleaning tools to open up the jets. Before you get it on the road check the tires for dry rot. It wouldn't do for you to do all that work and end up with a blow out on the highway. While you are going through it, use some white lithium grease to grease the speedo cable. Just unscrew it at the wheel and pull out the inner cable and lube it. You might want to consider things like lubing the wheel bearings as well. FYI if you go to YouTube and type in Kawasaki Voyager XII you will find a number of videos that show you how to do a lot of different servicing.