[dperlmutter]

Hey all, just picked up a 1972 SL350 this past weekend. It's in good condition and runs strong, other than the issue I've been having. It will start first or second kick without issue. I've gotten it through all the gears, and when its riding, it rides well. The only issue I'm having is that it will eventually stall when stopped. At first, when in neutral, it seemed to be idling a little low. I've adjusted the idle screws to raise the RPMs. This helped, however it still seems to slowly drop and has eventually stalled once or twice. What is more common is for it to stall in first. It will mostly happen after the bike is warm and has been ridden for a little bit. I will come to a stop in first and notice that the RPMs begin to drop. I can combat this by giving it a little gas, which will keep the RPMs where I need them until I take off again. If I don't do this, the RPMs will eventually drop, leading to the bike stalling. When they get low enough, it sounds like its starting to putter, and then stalls. Someone recommended I adjust the clutch cable, which I did. At first it seemed to help, but I still have the issue. All the cables are original, which I plan on replacing (Will stock CB clutch / throttle cable work on an SL?). Anyone have any insights as to where I should look or what it could be? Thanks!

 

[TOOLS1]

It sounds like a vacuum leak. If you adjust the idle up will it all the sudden want to run at a real high RPM?
TOOLS

 

[dperlmutter]

When adjusting the idle, it only raises the RPMs a normal amount. I’ve sprayed fluid near airbox/carbs to see if there was a leak. Nothing happened though, everything seems tight

 

[mike in idaho]

As long as it's running fairly well, I would put some Seafoam in the gas tank and put a few hours on riding it. It might help clean out the carbs, you can always tear things apart later.