New Owner of a 1998 with a few questions

[Justin]

Hey everyone! I recently purchased a 98 ZG1000 and I'm having an issue or two. I'm not very experienced with working on bikes or bike issues so bear with me please.
First off, it takes a few cranks to start up (with choke) especially if it's been a few days between.
Secondly, it idles rough, moving between 1100-1500. (I've tried to adjust the screw to no avail)
When riding, it tends to stall out, even when riding at 30 mph.
I've pulled into my garage, stopped and it will backfire like a cannon and the fuel smells rich as heck.
Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

[connie_rider]

It sounds like the carbs are overfilling.
Most probable is carbs needs to be gone thru.
Be very carful cranking it. In fact, don't until you hear more from the COGdom.
If the fuel level is as high as it sounds, you could fill a cylinder with gas and hydrolock the engine.
Hydrolock is Bad!!

Here's a discussion/video;  http://www.zggtr.org/index.php?topic=276.0

Steve Sefsick does most of the carbs in the club.
Someone will be along shortly to give you the correct address to contact him.
As your inexperienced, I highly recommend you send them to him.
He has mine now...

Ride safe, Ted

[VTconnie]

Yeah the carburetors likely have a sticking needle valve on one or multiple fuel floats. And given the poor running condition, you have jets and circuits clogged too. You can certainly clean this stuff yourself, but the money spent on having SISF take care of them is well worth it even for DIY'ers like me. There will be plenty of other things you can do yourself while the carbs are being refreshed, to address the "new/used bike" checklist.

[Mettler1]

  Sounds to me like your carbs dirty and maybe even your fuel. Check your tank for rust. If rusty clean it!  The biggest danger to the C10 is hydrolock due to dirty cabs. Here is some videos to educate yourself on the Concours.

 https://sites.google.com/site/shoodabenengineering/video-resources

   Some of this stuff is scary but things you should know. No older motorcycle is a jump on and ride without some maintenance. The carb issue is the FIRST thing to  get done. Be for you do anything to the C10 check for hydrolock. If it passes you can go from there
   The Concours is a great motorcycle and like old things ( bikes and people) they NEED maintenance

 Have had mine for 23 yrs and a 120,000 miles and never stranded me.     Enjoy the bike!!

[Thud300]

A hard backfire after a hot shutoff suggests unburned fuel getting into the exhaust. Next cold start you can identify a nonfiring cylinder by using a laser thermometer on the four exhaust takedowns.  Then you can inspect for an ignition problem on that cylinder to either find an issue, or find no issue and then you will know you have a carb and/or valve problem.

Education on the Connie's known issues is key. Like the others have said, there are tons of experience here. If you have little mechanical experience, seek help, and above all, be patient and try not to rush things.

Love my 98, it's the stealthy color 

[Daytona_Mike]

  Sounds to me like your carbs dirty and maybe even your fuel. Check your tank for rust. If rusty clean it!  The biggest danger to the C10 is hydrolock due to dirty cabs. Here is some videos to educate yourself on the Concours.

 https://sites.google.com/site/shoodabenengineering/video-resources

   Some of this stuff is scary but things you should know. No older motorcycle is a jump on and ride without some maintenance. The carb issue is the FIRST thing to  get done. Be for you do anything to the C10 check for hydrolock. If it passes you can go from there
   The Concours is a great motorcycle and like old things ( bikes and people) they NEED maintenance

 Have had mine for 23 yrs and a 120,000 miles and never stranded me.     Enjoy the bike!!

Welcome and congrats on the new bike. This is a great bike for a person like you to work on and learn on. Read first- lots of reading. We are here to help you make your bike into a bullet proof super dependable ride and you can do this but first things first.Tthe above is really good advice- Follow it. Once that hydro lock test  is done we can tell you the next steps to take.
 Right now we dont know the bikes maintenance history. When was the last valve adjustment done? Are you planning to change out the fluids (brake, clutch,final drive, engine oil and radiator) or has this been done already?    Also, I would  NOT start the bike back up until we know your carb floats are working. Try and read up on Overflow tubes and I really hope your bike has them if not- get them. Most of us already installed them because without them you could possible damage the engine beyond repair. With overflow tubes you are golden and will have no more worries about damaging your engine.   Not trying to scare you  here but  you need to invest some time and yes a little  money but the results are a fantastic dependable  bullet proof  - ride it like you stole it bike

[Roger Dodger]

For professional carb work contact Steve Sefsick (SISF) @ shoodabenengineering.com

then you can have the bike the c10 'shoodabeen'.

[Justin]

First off, thanks to everyone for all the support, tips, etc. It's awesome. I haven't tested yet for the aforementioned hydrolock, but I watched the video posted and I'm going to tackle it this weekend.
I've only ridden this bike a handful of times for limited minutes just to see how it ran. (It was an inexpensive purchase off only $700)
I don't have any maintenance records so I figured I'd put quite a bit of time and money into, which I'm cool with because the bike is gorgeous.
Anyways, I'll get back with my results from the hydrolock test if thatd be alright.
Again, I really appreciate y'all taking the time to respond and be so helpful.

[VTconnie]

First off, thanks to everyone for all the support, tips, etc. It's awesome. I haven't tested yet for the aforementioned hydrology, but I watched the video posted and I'm going to tackle it this weekend.
I've only ridden this bike a handful of times for limited minutes just to see how it ran. (It was an inexpensive purchase off only $700)
I don't have any maintenance records so I figured I'd out quite a bit of time and money into, which I'm cool with because the bike is gorgeous.
Anyways, I'll get back with my results from the hydrology test if thatd be alright.
Again, I really appreciate y'all taking the time to respond and be so helpful.

Yes, check the condition of your rivers and streams, and get back to us. 

[Derick]

First off, thanks to everyone for all the support, tips, etc. It's awesome. I haven't tested yet for the aforementioned hydrolock, but I watched the video posted and I'm going to tackle it this weekend.
I've only ridden this bike a handful of times for limited minutes just to see how it ran. (It was an inexpensive purchase off only $700)
I don't have any maintenance records so I figured I'd put quite a bit of time and money into, which I'm cool with because the bike is gorgeous.
Anyways, I'll get back with my results from the hydrolock test if thatd be alright.
Again, I really appreciate y'all taking the time to respond and be so helpful.

Not sure what kinda hardware stores you have around, but I went to menards last weekend to get the long screwdriver for the hydrolock test. I grabbed a 12" phillips, but what made me happy was that the little rubber rings that secured it to the package....worked PERFECT for securing the fender washer. Grabbed a 79 cent bag of fender washers, and I was on my way under 10 bucks. I was worried about finding the right size vacuum hose to make it fit like steve shows us. Turns out they gave me the tools I needed in the package!

[Justin]

Oh man, ha! That's awesome. There are tons of hardware stores around me here in Florida so I'll check that idea out. Thanks for the tip!

[Anthony]

Welcome to the forum! Be patient and it will pay off. I wasn't and it's costly (bent rod). Once it's running right, you'll be pleasantly surprised by the power. Mine wasn't running perfect and I liked the power.