My new " old " bike is giving me problems

[Muscle racer]

Due to a lack of transportation and money, I began looking into getting a bike. I Only had $1500 to spend, so my choices were limited. I found some deals on craigslist, but all the bikes needed to much work. I just need a bike to get to work, which is 3 miles from my house. A found one for sale 60 miles away. when I get there it looks beautiful. Black with shinny chrome. It started right up. Everything looked good. I drove it around. Sounded good. I was happy. Then when I started getting close to home, it would lose alittle power and sputter at low gears. The next day it wouldn't  start right up. I had to wiggle the key for the power to come on. I also notice a little gas dripping from one of the carbs. I would ride around and the loss of power would happen more often. It feels like i have no gas, then gas, then no gas, then gas... I don't know a lot about bikes. The guy said the bike would run another 40k miles. I've been doing a lot of research and there's a lot of mixed opinions. Any thoughts from the long time riders. My plan is to eventually make it a bad ass cafe racer.
  Thanks for the help.

[Re-run]

First, what type of bike do you have? Could be a number of things but lets look at a couple spots.
First, when the bike starts loosing power, open your gas cap and listen for a rush of air. The vent in the cap may be getting plugged up and not letting air in.
The dripping carb could be a stuck float. The stuck float could be causing a rich condition on that cylinder and that could cause surging.
The key wiggle is usually a dirty or worn switch. First, get a can of electronics cleaner and spray inside the switch and let it dry. Also check the connector on the bottom and make sure it clips tightly. Maybe spray it out too. Make sure the cleaner is safe for plastic.
More to come after we know what your bike is.

[Muscle racer]

The bike is a 78 cb750 k.  A few hours ago I went to the garage and just tried turning it on it wouldnt start. I press the electric starter and after a few times trying it, it seems like the battery died. It happend earlier but I used the foot crank, and it turned on. Once I rode around abit, the electric starter worked fine. I don't have a lot of money to take it to the mechanic. So I wanna fix it while I learn at the same time.

[Re-run]

Ok so you turn the ignition switch and lights come on correct? If you can get your hands on a good charger the will do 1 amp trickle charge, hook it up and let it go till the battery is done. See how it starts then.
Get the 78K manual here, use the bottom link as the top ones are DOA and I have been too busy to fix them. Shame on me!
You will want to follow the tune up procedures there and I bet that will help things out and unless you need tools, it is all free work unless something is broken of course.
The dripping carb is almost certainly a stuck float and you can try rapping it gently with a screwdriver handle and it should stop. And since that is the case, there might be crap in the gas tank. Look for an inline filter and see if it is dirty. If not inline, drain the fuel and unscrew the petcock and look for a sock filter, they were stock, and clean it.

[sgtslag]

If there is no sock filter/inline filter, install one!  Crap in the gas tank will foul up the jets in the carb's.  One of the least expensive, most effective maintenance techniques, is to buy a can of SeaFoam at your local Wal-Mart/auto parts store, and add it to the gas tank, according to the directions -- AFTER YOU INSTALL A FUEL FILTER...  Try to run the bike for five minutes after adding the SeaFoam to circulate it into the carbs.  Then shut it off, and let it sit for a couple of days, then try it again.

SeaFoam will dissolve varnish deposits in the gas tank (which will be captured, in part, by the fuel filter), as well as deposits within the carb system.  It is around $7-$9 per can, but it is very good at what it does.  It won't completely clean the carbs, but it will make a serious dent in any crud in the system.

I would also recommend you follow directions, and add the correct amount to your crankcase, to dissolve deposits within the engine.  Some folks fear this will adversely affect the clutch, but it has never happened on my three bikes, and I have done it twice, on one bike.  I would recommend running the bike for 5-10 minutes after adding SeaFoam to the crankcase, then drain the oil.  If your oil is caramel colored before you add SeaFoam, watch and see what color it is when you drain it:  if SeaFoam dissolves sludge from the inside of the engine, the oil will turn black; the oil filter will capture much of the sludge, so be sure to change it, as well!

I ran SeaFoam through my '79 K's engine, and the oil turned black within minutes of the engine running.  I waited two years, and around 10k miles, and I added SeaFoam to the crankcase again:  I ran it for 500 miles, and the oil never changed from its caramel color, as there were no sludge deposits to be dissolved...  In other words, you won't need to add SeaFoam to the crankcase again, assuming you change your oil frequently.

I would also recommend NGK Iridium Spark Plugs.  They are around $8 per plug, but they have a lower resistance, so they fire more consistently, and the bike will start much easier, as well.  I put them into my K, and it went from grinding the electric starter for 5-7 seconds, twice, before the bike would start, to barely touching the starter button with the engine running almost instantly.  After 5k miles, it still starts almost instantly.

Just a couple of inexpensive performance improvements you can do yourself, for minimal cost.  Be sure to download the FSM.  Good luck.  Cheers!

[Muscle racer]

Thanks for the advice! I've never had to buy any parts, so I'm not sure where to go. Do I guy to any auto parts store? Or a bike part store? I'm going to walmart soon to buy the foam. Like the filter, where would I get that. I downloaded the manual from here, and it's a great help bc of all the pics. Keep all the good info coming!!! Thanks everybody.

[sgtslag]

An inline fuel filter (a see-through, paper type is preferable) can be bought at any small engine repair shop, or motorcycle shop (Wal-Mart might carry some in their lawn mower parts section).  The oil filter is used in many different bikes, and 4-wheelers:  you can pick them up at M/C shops, or possibly local DIY stores (Mills Fleet Farm carries them for 4-wheelers, at the same online price, minus S/H), or you can buy them in quantity (to offset the S/H fees), online.

For bike parts, there are many sources online available.  Your local M/C shop will also carry some parts, and they can order most anything, if you need them to.  Check around for prices, as they will vary considerably.  

Check your tires:  if they are worn, or show cracks, replace them!  The best tire I've found so far, is the Pirelli MT66 Route tires.  I run them on all three of my bikes.  My wife and I toured on our K with them, in the rain for all four days we were riding in Canada...  The tires demonstrated superb wet traction the entire 1,935 mile trip.  You can get them online, or at your local shop, but be careful:  my local shop would have charged the same price that I paid online, minus the S/H -- I could have saved myself some cash by going through my local shop, as opposed to ordering them myself!  I discovered that changing my tube tires was a real hassle, and taking them to my local shop, was ridiculously inexpensive ($28 for the front, when I took the tire in with the wheel, and they mounted and balanced it for this price, as well as adding a new tube -- I punctured mine, in the attempt!); the rear tire requires alignment of the wheel with the bike, as well as proper tensioning of the chain -- around 1 hour of labor at $90/hour.

The coils in these bikes tend to be weak, so Iridium plugs help, as do new wires and caps.  There are GM automotive coil upgrades that can be done (inexpensive compared to M/C specific coils), but if new Iridium plugs, and wires do the trick, save your green, without going the extra mile.

Make sure you empty the Storage Tank, below the battery (check the FSM, in the early, routine maintenance chapters).  This collects water byproducts from the cylinders.  It has a clear drain tube below it, with a plug.  Put a basin underneath to catch the crud, then pull the plug.  This is something that needs to be drained periodically, and it is often overlooked.  If it fills up, it will cause the engine to run rough, and die -- quick, easy fix.  If you ride in rain often, check/drain more often; otherwise, drain as needed, starting by emptying now, then check/drain monthly, and revise as needed.   Cheers!

[Muscle racer]

Ok guys, you all have answered all my question so far,so I have another one...
 
I thought one of my carbs were leaking but it turned out, it might be the rubber tubes connecting the carbs to the gas tank. I know there are 2 width, I wider one and I smaller one. I can't find the right size. I also need the little metal clamps to tighten it up. Any ideas for the best place to find them?? Do they sell the kit with all the sizes and clamps???
 Let me know so I can go riding!

  Thanks

[sgtslag]

Your best option is to take the old hoses with you, to an auto supply store (buy an extra 6" of each, to allow for the inline fuel filter you will be adding, and to give you some leeway in routing the hoses -- it's not very expensive, and you can cut off any excess -- if it is too short, it's a trip back to the supplier...).  They should have some fuel lines in stock, to match.

The clamps can either be the spring type typically supplied by Honda, or you can use a worm-gear hose clamp -- take the old with you to the auto parts store.  They will have both the worm-gear hose clamps, as well as small T-bolt clamps used in fuel-injection car systems.  The T-bolt clamps are for use with high-pressure systems (40+ PSI) -- they cost more, and they are overkill (your fuel system is gravity feed, with virtually no pressure whatsoever...), so keep your money in your pocket, and get either the spring clamps (probably the least expensive), or the worm-gear clamps (easier to work with, IMO).  Cheers!

[Muscle racer]

So first I thought my carb was leaking, then I thought it was the fuel tubes, but I actually found out the problem was with the carb. ive done a lot of reasearch and reading and havent found anything that might answer my question. turns out, the carb is leaking from the seam of the carb. as illustraded from the pic. any ideas?????

[Muscle racer]

it doesnt just drip. it only squirts out when i turn the throttle. is there anyway to spray the seam with something to seal the leak?? like super clue or something strong.

[Shea]

I would take that carb bowl off and see if the little 0-ring thats supposed to be there is still there could be your accelerator pump squirting fuel out