Since spring is coming, I thought I'd post up my 2 tried and true methods to clean up those pesky carb jets.
First, if your bike has been sitting for a few months and is hard to start and/or runs ragged when it starts:
a) drain and remove your gas tank. Pour that old gas in your cage
b) get a small plastic container, like a cream cheese. One at a time, drain the float bowls, catching the old gas in the container. Put the drain screws back in.
c) Rig up a funnel to the gas line and pour (or spray)carb cleaner to fill the bowls.
d) let it sit a day or so
e) drain out the carb cleaner per step b
f) refit the tank and put in a gallon or so of fresh gas
Start it up
Second,If your carbs are really gunked up,
a) pull the carbs (after doing a & b above)
b) carefully strip the carbs one at a time, using an egg carton to keep track of your parts
c) take a 35mm film container (or similar). Put all the jets from one carb in the container, fill about 1/2 way with carb cleaner and put the top on. Put it in your pocket and go do chores for an hour or so.
d) take the jets out and put them in the egg carton to dry. Blow thru them to remove cleaner. See step g
e) put the next set of jets in the container and repeat
f) clean out all the other passages in carb #1
g) before putting the jets back in, hold them up to a light and look for shiny brass in the hole. repeat c if they're not clear
The agitation of having the jets in your pocket as you walk around is a great way to clean them without resorting to the smelly, toxic dip. Of course, the second part is for jet cleaning only, refer to the carb cleaning page for all the other stuff you need to do for gunked up carbs.
First, if your bike has been sitting for a few months and is hard to start and/or runs ragged when it starts:
a) drain and remove your gas tank. Pour that old gas in your cage
b) get a small plastic container, like a cream cheese. One at a time, drain the float bowls, catching the old gas in the container. Put the drain screws back in.
c) Rig up a funnel to the gas line and pour (or spray)carb cleaner to fill the bowls.
d) let it sit a day or so
e) drain out the carb cleaner per step b
f) refit the tank and put in a gallon or so of fresh gas
Start it up
Second,If your carbs are really gunked up,
a) pull the carbs (after doing a & b above)
b) carefully strip the carbs one at a time, using an egg carton to keep track of your parts
c) take a 35mm film container (or similar). Put all the jets from one carb in the container, fill about 1/2 way with carb cleaner and put the top on. Put it in your pocket and go do chores for an hour or so.
d) take the jets out and put them in the egg carton to dry. Blow thru them to remove cleaner. See step g
e) put the next set of jets in the container and repeat
f) clean out all the other passages in carb #1
g) before putting the jets back in, hold them up to a light and look for shiny brass in the hole. repeat c if they're not clear
The agitation of having the jets in your pocket as you walk around is a great way to clean them without resorting to the smelly, toxic dip. Of course, the second part is for jet cleaning only, refer to the carb cleaning page for all the other stuff you need to do for gunked up carbs.
