XS1100 Carb Issues

[MehrBear]

I recently purchased by first bike, a 79 yamaha xs1100. I am chopping it out. When I went to start the bike for the first time after putting it all back together, fuel started pouring out of the air filters on the carbs. I took of the stock ones and replaced it with the KnN filters. What did I do wrong?I think I had the petcocks set wrong so i changed them to the correct setting. Now fuel doesn't pour out but smoke comes out of the carbs and it backfires and wont stay running once I let go of the start button.I think I just flooded the enginebut Im not very experienced in this stuff, its a new hobby for me. Any advice?

[Sky]

Did you go through the carbs? If not, time to do so. Either way, your float/needle/seat is not doing what it should. Changing the air filters would not cause flooding

[Jetblack]

Probably a stuck float or improper float heights, if the hose routing on the carb is correct.

[christopher26]

take a small hammer and tap the float bowls, and see if it will free the floats, sometimes they get stuck, mine does the same thing every once in a while and did when I first put the carbs back on, but if your floats and metering needle are not working right then it will leak out, if you flodded the motor, hold the throttle wide open and turn it over a few times, that should hopefully solve most of your problems, changing air filters wont cause that, the biggest problem you would have is to adjust the a/f screws a lil or rejet it but thats prob not needed. If your still backfiring after all that, I'd do a compression test and pray that that the intake valves are seating right and that theres not a valve issue, good luck

[MehrBear]

Thanks a lot guys for the information, I'm going to work on it this week and I'll let you know if it works.