new to owning a bike

i just got a 1997 gsxr 750. the guy that i got it from said it didnt run because there was no spark. well i replaced all the spark plugs and got spark now. it still wont start. the kill switch has been removed to make sure everything is connected right. it has a new kickstand sensor (or whatever) and a brand new fully charged battery the carbs seem to be clean as far as i can tell and it is turning over with some amount of compression(have not tested actual amount yet). the only thing i havnt done yet is replace the fuel due to not having the right key yet for the gas cap.

please help. i dont know hwere to go from here other than testing compression

 

Fuel+Air+Spark

If one isn't good bike no run. Sort the fuel out. Carbs probably have gel in them if it hasn't run since god knows when.

 

Drain the fuel out of the gas tank. The carbs have drains on the bottom of the bowl - open them up and see how dirty the fluid that comes out of there is. If it doesn't look like fresh fuel you'd get at the gas station, they need to come off and be rebuilt. There's also a good chance the o-rings on the fuel lines feeding the bank of carbs are dry rotted so make sure to take care of those, too. Don't try and start this thing in this condition in any kind of closed space or near anything you don't want to catch on fire.

 

I hope this experience doesn't sour you on owning a bike.

 

New gas at a minimum but everything above is great info.

EDIT: Oh and if you have never ridden (first bike) I would suggest taking the MSF course. Also even a 90's superbike is quick so either be prepared to buy some bodywork when you drop it or buy a used Rebel 250 ride it a year as you learn then sell it. I am expecting flames from this but it is my advice and I have not seen it fail (I do have a 2011 GSXR750 that I bought from someone that thought it was good starter bike though)

 

Them carbs are gonna need to be popped out and properly cleaned or you will chase your tail getting it to run

 

no this has not ruined my experince. i grew up working on broken quads this is just new territory that i will learn.

 

thank you for the advice. i do plan on taking a class and starting out very slow in empty parking lots and dead back roads and such. untill im ready to learn my bf will be driving it with me on the back that way ill learn the speed of the bike itself. also i will definantly start with the gas and cleaning the carbs then thank you everyone.

 

^^^ here is where our dear departed friend Putter would kick the door in and start the leg humping.. LOL. Welcome to the madness @Cora take your time and learn, don't forget to wear your gear.

 

That's a lot of motorcycle for a newbie to learn on. Most of us here learned the hard lesson the same way, hence the start small advice...

 

Also, get an ultrasonic cleaner for the carb cleaning. It will make your life a lot easier and give you better results. Use it with distilled water and Dawn dish soap. Don't soak anything in Seafoam, it'll corrode metal. You may also want to check the inside of the gas tank for rust so you don't flood the newly cleaned carbs with rust flakes.

 

Yep not holier than though just been bitten. In my case on gear so apologies to the OP, ALWAYS WEAR YOUR GEAR! My rule is simple if the engine is running a helmet is on, yes I ride to tech with mine even at track days where they are not checking dates. Avoids you making excuses of how it is not far so this time...

 

Also, we're gonna need some pics!

 

Oh, well you're in for a treat, quads blow.

 

when someone says something isnt running because of X, u can usually rightly assume its also not running because of Y and Z as well.

I hope u get lucky with new gas.

 

It's already been laid down a few times as I am the 4th owner.

 

I like my quad for the dunes and trails but ready for a new level

 

Buy a manual. https://www.gsxr.com/13-tech-performance-chat/71326-all-those-after-service-manual.html
New plugs.
Drip a little gas down each spark plug hole and see if it starts. If not it's probably worse than dirty carbs so sell it and buy a running bike. Too much frustration there chasing unknowns.
If it starts even for a second then,
Watch this:
Clean the carbs.
Pinesol in a big bucket or this stuff is amazing. The Stuff he uses is toxic! LOL https://www.shopyamaha.com/product/details/carburetor-cleaner-dip?b=Helmets&ls=yamaha-motor-company
Take apart what you can and soak the rest.
Buy new jets and a gasket kit, not worth chasing plugged ones.
Pull the fuel air screws too.
Use compressed air and carb cleaner blow out all the passages.
Put the carbs back together per the manual.
Check all the rubber parts for cracks, replace as necessary.
Dump all the gas out of the tank, clean and refill it.
Mount carbs and give it a shot.
Good luck, it's not too bad once you've done it.

 

werent some of the 750s fuel injected that year??

you can pop the airbox off and spritz some starter fluid down the bores to see if she wants to come to life when you hit the starter button.

 

97 and 98 750's were fuel injected. Good clean fuel pumps are $300.