Engine stops after warm, start only with max choke

[Herr_man]

Dear fellow riders, I am a total newbie when it comes to motorcycle repair but I have faith in this community.
I just bought an XS400 -82, and I drove it once for 30 minutes (everything went fine) and yesterday for 30 minutes. Half a mile from my house I can feel it loses some power going over a bridge (not steep) like If I accelerate hard I feel it dying. At the next red light it dies. I can only start it again with the choke pulled out maximum and then it revs like crazy and as soon as i push the choke back in, I lose power and it stops. I had to push the bike home (Good thing it's super light )
There is gas in the tank, not super much, and the fuel tap is on.

Any ideas?

Thank you

 

[HoughMade]

Put more gas in and try it again, or just switch it over to reserve and try it. Sounds like it is fuel starved. However, if it isn't the gas in the tank, it's probably dirty carbs.

 

[Herr_man]

Put more gas in and try it again, or just switch it over to reserve and try it. Sounds like it is fuel starved. However, if it isn't the gas in the tank, it's probably dirty carbs.

You were absolutely right, silly of me, thanks for the input.

 

[OG-Rider]

The petcock on my 81 needs repair or replacement. If it is in the "run" position, it runs out of gas in just a few minutes. I have to keep it on "reserve."

 

[Scorpio1963]

Another suggestion would be to take the petcok off the tank and clean the screen thats attached.

 

[Drewcifer]

This exact thing happened to me on a nighthawk I'd just finished cleaning and balancing the carbs.

the cause?

There's a small vacuum hose that pulls open the valve in your petcock. It's attached to one of your manifold boots. Make sure that hose is airtight, fitted on snug, and providing the suction to open the valve. After that you'll have fewer problems.

if you open the screws in the bottom of your bowls and fuel comes out then you're airstarved, not fuel starved.

Drewcifer