Packgrog, don't sweat it, we have all been there at some point in time. The old timers on here may have to think real hard to remember waaaay back when they had the same problem be we all started crawling before we walked. Even after riding for years, you may still drop her in the parking lot, or accidentally hit a curb with the engine guard and plant your chin in the dirt. Your attitude about it is great, keep at it.

As far as the sputtering goes, I'm in agreement with those who say to really check the fuel system, starting with the tank, all the way to the intake. Probably Sea Foam won't correct it, but it's worth a try. I think you said the carb had been rebuilt, but I'm always suspect of other people's work, so you may end up learning a whole lot more soon.

Get a FSM, and gain some exprerience.

 

Yeah, was watching YouTube videos last night about taking apart the carb for cleaning. Doesn't seem terribly complicated, as long as I keep track of the proper parts. Probably better to just go through that process slowly and carefully to make sure the jets really are open enough for Sea Foam to KEEP them clean. I'll give that a go as time allows. I'll check with the local Pep Boys to see if they take old gas once I drain it, in case there's rust or other sediment that won't soften up with Sea Foam.

And I'm definitely a different kind of "old timer", starting all of this in my 40's. Had my father's family been at all involved in my life, I would have learned as a teenager (all the men on that side of the family rode, apparently until me). My father passing a year ago this past February from leukemia, with his last email to me being about his desire to get healthy enough again to ride, was the first nudge to make me think about it again after 17 years of financial struggles had put it out of my mind. My grandfather's last discussion with my father had been about his own desire to get out and ride the next day (he passed in his sleep back in '97). A couple of months after my father's passing, I started checking out beginner tips videos on YouTube, and lo and behold, the first comment on the video was from my father. That was kind of the last nudge I needed to say "screw it, time to give it a go." The rest, including how I wound up with this Sporty (which I won in a raffle that I discovered thanks to this very forum), is a whole host of other interesting stories and other meaningful coincidences that I'll save for another time... :P

So yeah, I may not have "earned" this bike by having bought it directly, but it looks like I'll earn it by learning how to get it running again.

On that note, any recommendations for inexpensive, transportable lifts, for when I'm ready to pull the wheels off (after I get the engine running better) to get the tires replaced? I came across this, but am not sure if it's adequate or not:
[Dorky side note: I had to chuckle at this being on page 883.]

 

I might be the one sounding like a noob here but i didn't see any mention of the choke in previous replies to your problem with it starting and staying running while still not warmed up. Are you familiar with carbed bikes and how the choke works?

 

I believe I'd finally gotten the choke off by the time I tried riding. Took a long time. After restarting it after getting it back to my parking spot, I definitely did manage to get it to idle without the choke on. Even the lame little beater Japanese bikes in my MSF class were carbureted, so at least I had experience with that before trying this. Even that lousy Suzuki GZ250 (god I hated that bike) took less time to warm up than my Sporty. The Suzuki barely rode better (similarly jerky, though not nearly as extreme). Maybe the Sporty really just did need a LOT more time to warm up? *shrug* Still going to do my best to drain and clean the fuel system to see if that helps. Again, if nothing else, it's a great learning experience.

 

I finally picked it up

 

I use a cheap lift ('cause I'm cheap) on my bike, and I always strap the bike off to anchors in the floor of my shop anyway. Almost any lift will work if you have a way to stabilize the bike when it's lifted.

You can get a $90 one at HF all the way up to one that will cost you several hundreds of dollars. They all do the job. I rebuilt my whole bike using a jack I bought at the flea market years ago for $50, and it works fine.

That being said, you may get dozens of recommendations, just like you would if you asked about transmission oil.

 

I have used my Harbor Frieght lift for years, lifting bikes and rolling them around in my garage. Never had any issues. Just make sure to lock the lift into position once lifted incase the pressure bleeds off.

 

Swapped out the forward controls on my 1200C for a set of mid mount controls.

I have a Crash/Highway bar on order and will mount that as soon as it arrives, already have a set of highway pegs for it so I still will be able to stretch the legs out occasionally.

 

It will be 80 degrees Friday and she will get a nice bath and a long ride in the country.

 

NIce! I am doing the opposite this weekend - maybe tonight, depending on when I get home form work. My forward controls I will be taking my mids and highway bars off and installing forward controls.

Also this weekend, because my bike has a speedo and a tach, and I want to keep both, the standard relocation kits won't work, so my buddy @fatfurious2 and I will be trying to fab up a bracket that handles both gauges.