Greetings all!
I have recently aquired a "project" Connie, a 1986 model. The bike had been sitting for a considerable period of time (3yrs according to the P.O., but I think it was much longer!) and I'm currently in the process of ressurecting it. I finally got it running, and initially, the engine didn't sound too horribly bad. There was a random "cracking" sound coming from what sounded like the top end when I first got it running. I pulled the valve cover, and checked the valvetrain, adjusted the valves, and looked at the cam chain slack. I didn't see any percieveable slack in the chain, and although the valves needed some attention, they weren't too far out of adjustment. Cams and rockers also looked good. I put everything back together, got it running and synced the carbs. The engine sounded MUCH better, but I couldn't ride it at this point as I was waiting on brake and fuel tank parts to arrive.
A week later, I fixed my brake issues, rebuilt the petcock, and installed the tank. Now, when I went to start the bike, it was very hard to start, the random "cracking" was back, and the bike generally didn't want to run very well. Initialy, it almost sounded like it was only running on 3 cylinders. After checking common items like loose wires, I feathered the throttle enough to get it moving. After a few rides up and down my street, the engine seemed to run better, but I couuld still hear an occasional "cracking" from what sounds like the top/front of the engine.
The bike has about 22,000mi on it currently. Repairs up to this point have been: Remove, clean and adjust carbs, replaced airbox to carb boots, replaced throttle cables, adjust valves, clean spark plugs, replace clutch master cylinder, rebuild clutch slave cylinder, change engine oil and filter, replace air filter, rebuild rear caliper, replace rear master cylinder, replace various missing body hardware. Pending work: Rebuild front brake master cylinder, rebuild front calipers. (waiting on parts)
Sorry for such a long post, but I wanted to convey as much info as possible. Are these noises/symptoms normal? This is by no means my first bike, but it's my first Connie.
Thanks in advance!
Mike