VERY hard start

[cushman eagle]

I do not think they are leaking,for gas to burn it has to be volatile or able to vaporize.When it does that it turns to vapor.When it does that,you need to replace it or there is nothing in the carbs to run the engine on.If you put a little gas out on your driveway,you would see it very rapidly disappear,which it does in your carbs over a period of time.Diesel fuel is much less volatile than gasoline,so it injected into the engine through injectors at a very high pressure of 28,000 to 30,000 psi in todays engines to get it to burn clean enough to pass the EPA

[ekap1200]

I just went out to start the Voyager after letting it sit for over a week.

Clicked my primer switch - or whatever we want to call it - several times, and the beast fired right up. In fact, I think it was flooded just a tiny bit.

I don't know why my carbs are (apparently) draining down a bit, and I'm not getting gas on the floor. But I do think this might be the fix I was looking for.

Thanks for all your wisdom!

So what made you think that maybe one or more cyl's was a bit flooded / ? Did you see a little fuel-ish smoke out one pipe ? As I have observed thru-the years on the AVA. It's not the norm to need this primer for just a week of sitting . As long as you know where to set the choke to fire off at , you should have no issues. But this will get you thru the riding season. Until then just bump the primer as few a strokes as needed to get her going. Normally these engines fire right off. where are you setting your choke. ( ie ) at what rpm does it fire off at ?
3 to 4 weeks of sitting with the radio fuse in and the old garmin gps wired in and I do give it a few strokes with the primer , Other than that, I don't use the primer, A half choke fires it off to 2,000 then I drop it right down to 13 to 15 hundred for a min or less , then off I go dropping the choke out all the way. Are you getting good MPG ( 45~49.5 ). ?
If you thinks she's flooding , stop- don't risk fouling and damaging a cyl. from fuel wash. MPG used will tell one allot of information about how this engine or any engine for that matter is running.
I remember you saying your adding fuel cleaner. Is it possible your tank is now getting all the rust loosened up and getting at your fuel supply/pump and carbs....?
Have you met up with any other voyager owner's near Omaha ? Sometimes like doctor advise it may be best to get a second opinion from someone who owns and may be better familiar with the 1200.
Glad to hear your at the least not putting undue wear and tear on the starter and battery.
Gene K.

[JeffHicks]

So what made you think that maybe one or more cyl's was a bit flooded / ? Did you see a little fuel-ish smoke out one pipe ? As I have observed thru-the years on the AVA. It's not the norm to need this primer for just a week of sitting . As long as you know where to set the choke to fire off at , you should have no issues. But this will get you thru the riding season. Until then just bump the primer as few a strokes as needed to get her going. Normally these engines fire right off. where are you setting your choke. ( ie ) at what rpm does it fire off at ?
3 to 4 weeks of sitting with the radio fuse in and the old garmin gps wired in and I do give it a few strokes with the primer , Other than that, I don't use the primer, A half choke fires it off to 2,000 then I drop it right down to 13 to 15 hundred for a min or less , then off I go dropping the choke out all the way. Are you getting good MPG ( 45~49.5 ). ?
If you thinks she's flooding , stop- don't risk fouling and damaging a cyl. from fuel wash. MPG used will tell one allot of information about how this engine or any engine for that matter is running.
I remember you saying your adding fuel cleaner. Is it possible your tank is now getting all the rust loosened up and getting at your fuel supply/pump and carbs....?
Have you met up with any other voyager owner's near Omaha ? Sometimes like doctor advise it may be best to get a second opinion from someone who owns and may be better familiar with the 1200.
Glad to hear your at the least not putting undue wear and tear on the starter and battery.
Gene K.

The reason I think it might have been flooded a bit is because it sputtered a little on start-up, then had "that smell."

Here's what's probably a stupid question: Is the choke a butterfly that closes off the air passages of the carbs, or does it simply raise the rpms? I assume it's the former.

Couple thoughts about my Voyager...
1. I bought this bike as a "grandma bike" because my wife (we're now 55) isn't so fond of riding on the Vulcan 1500 anymore. I really like it, but I'm more of a lone-wolf rider. I'm not a Sturgis guy, or even a local club guy. My wife & I just enjoy puttering out through the hills and scenic byways.
2. Having only had this bike since June, I'm still figuring it out. Having ridden the EFI Vulcan for over a decade, I had forgotten how different carbed models are. There's a whole lot more tweaking involved.

Big thanks to you, and other guys, for all the advice here!