GT 185 issues!!

[JLew3112]

Hi folks, thanks for the add. Long time stalker but have yet to post.
I inherited a 1979 GT 185 a few years back and have left it in my garage until recently. Time and money have been the main reasons for not getting it sorted sooner.
Anyway.
The bike hadn’t run for a fair few years before I got it. I twiddled and fettled and finally got it running. It idles fine but will not rev, and bogs slightly when the trotted is applied. So I finally got round to fitting new points and condensers. Bike started second or third kick after being sat for a few months but the non revving issue was still present. Granted it was slightly improved and engine sped up minimally, although still boggy. It doesn’t matter how the carbs are set up or how the choke is set, it always does the same. I don’t know of the history of the bike and I’m reluctant to just throw money at it. If someone could shed a light on what I could possible look for or what the likely cause may be, I’d be grateful.

[GTandcbr]

Hi and welcome to the forum
If the bike has been sat for a very long time its not surprising your having the problems you report. First thing is to completely empty the tank and carbs of fuel. It takes a short time for petrol to go off and its no use adding new fuel on top of bad it wont inprove it.
What is the inside of the tank like? Any corrosion will end up in the carbs and block the jet very quickly.Fit an in line filter
anyway its a good investment. The carbs will definately have to be thoroughly cleaned and blown through with compressed air if you have access to it.
Make sure the air filter is clean and clear.
Make sure the battery is fully charged as some problems occur due to a flat spark

[JLew3112]

Hi, thanks for the reply. The inside of the original tank is horrible. I’ve removed it and I use an auxiliary tank whenever I’m working on the bike so I can see what goes in. I’ve striped the carbs completely and made sure they were unblocked and all thoroughly cleaned. The bike didn’t come with the original air box but I have fitted some pods to get it running before I dump a load of money trying to make it look nice.

Doing some reading it sounds like the crank seals have gone as it was sat for a very long time.

[GTandcbr]

How have you cleaned the carbs? The internal passages are not easy to clean and usually take several attempts to clear them. Have you tried running the motor without the pods/air filter fitted?
Do you have access to a gauge to check cylinder compression?
It is possible the crank seals could be toast but not neccessarily. An engine can run perfectly well with damaged seals.
Have you looked at the throttle valves and jet needles.? There should be a small clip holding the needle in place.