1981 GS 750e carb float sticking? Overflowing

[Guest]

Hey I was wondering if anyone could shed some insight on the issue I am having with my bike. 81 gs750e with only 8500 miles on it, before I got it, it sat for a while. I have to admit that I did stall it a couple times as well due to it being my first bike. It runs ok (on center stand at idle), at idle it is high, and it seems to have an overflow on just one carb (we noticed last night. Leaks a little from the the inside one and from the back overflow hose a bit when the petcock is open. We tapped on the bowl when it was not running then a little when it was idling. Seems to leak just a little still right below the 2nd carb only. Another issue is that the petcock has a little leak as well, the idiots at a shop replaced the og one with this one and it leaks a small amount, but still the bike idles on its own, just a little too high rpms (3000 versus the stock 1000 it should be at). Don't really want to take the carbs off, the float bowl would be a little tough as well because it is one of the inside ones, but if it must be done... what do you think, ride it a bit n maybe it will loosen up? or what?

[Nessism]

Please check the Newbie Mistakes thread linked in my signature, it will help.

[cmslevin]

Not looking for a wild goose chase to find out what is wrong, have 2 very educated friends with a lot of time worked on these bikes, but specifics with carbs is tricky for even experienced people, we know as of yesterday that we are 90% sure it is the floats sticking, in the very beginning it idled better and didnt leak and it is starting to now. We have tried the tapping technique and are thinking maybe riding it a bit to see if it will help, looking for resolutions to do before taking things apart of course.

[cmslevin]

Also violated #10 of your mistakes, shop replaced stock petcock with ****ty one, have to move on, if this leak issue is resolved that is next step.

[tom203]

"Not looking for a wild goose chase to find out what is wrong"

no need to look very hard, if bike has sat out for a while, with ethanol gas working its magic, your carbs pilot circuits are clogged, and the carb o-rings are tired. Proper carb cleaning is a must, if you want a decent running bike.

[Nessism]

You are looking for instant gratification instead of lasting reliability.

[cmslevin]

Considering the bike ran fine before, the carbs are either going to be fixed coming off or staying on, I’m first looking for solutions to not taking the carbs off. That isn’t laziness, that’s thinking smart, no one in their right mind would just take them off, that alone is an ordeal.

[cmslevin]

Haven’t seen you mention any fixes, solutions, suggestions, other than reading into it more. Man I’ve done that enough, looking for people with actual experience and suggestions.

[Nessism]

Go through the carbs as detailed in the carb rebuild tutorial. All new O-rings. Don't short cut. Do this, in addition to other basic maintenance like a valve adjust, making sure the intake system is properly sealed and the filter is fresh, and you are on the road to a reliable bike.

[roeme]

Haven’t seen you mention any fixes, solutions, suggestions, other than reading into it more. Man I’ve done that enough, looking for people with actual experience and suggestions.

The people in here with actual experience are suggesting to you a course of action for you to follow, right now.

This course of action is tailored to give best results for people that have either trouble following a methodical approach, experience difficulty writing structured paragraphs, or are unable to accept what more experienced people are telling them, to name just a few conditions.

- 3000 rpm idle is not a little too high, it's massively too high.
- If your carbs leak; you will have to take them off.
- If tapping helps, it's usually only for a short time and will not solve the root cause
- Anybody worth their salt wrenching on second-hand GS'es (or in vintage carbureted bikes in general) is used to taking the carbs off and on. Either man up or sell your bike.

Also, to my experience, carbs are not difficult, if you choose a methodical approach, don't go idiotic hulk on the more delicate parts, and listen carefully to what people say that have been in the same predicament.

You are owning a fourty-year old bike. If you are not willing to invest either labour or money for professional work, you are better off selling it.

As has been said (and I learned as much), there are no shortcuts, only do-overs with these bikes.

[cmslevin]

Man you need to take a chill pill roeme, never once said I wouldn’t want to spend time and money on the bike. Tad was sarcastic I already know it is supposed to be at 950-1000. Thank you nessism for you suggestion there. Was just looking for an an actual possible answer. And not everyone is used to carbs if they have owned old bikes because they are smart enough to buy good ones or owned them and kept them in good condition. My friend basically had the last crotch rocket made with carbs and they took em off and cleaned them through, not same bike or carbs, but they are hassle, so hence why I wanted suggestions before taking them off, have money, and time, but not to just sling around. Gotta play it smart.

[jsandidge]

Any bike with carbs that has sat a while will need a thorough cleaning. Unfortunately, this requires removal from the bike. It can seem a daunting task if you haven't done it before, but it really isn't that hard. All the steps are outlined in the tutorial. The parts required are very cheap, it is only o-rings. A can of carb dip is around $20.

Speaking from experience, as these other guys are, anything less will not be sufficient. You would be faced with a do-over.

[cowboyup3371]

Bottom line, take the carbs off, clean them properly per the instructions, put them back on, do the valve adjustment and all other required maintenance and then enjoy many miles of happy riding. Trying to find easy shortcuts is not going to fix the problem and neither is the attitude back to those who are answering your questions truthfully. We have all been there and have the experience you are asking for

[cmslevin]

Definitely not into shortcuts that make bigger problems but not all problems are as big as they seem. Ran carb cleaner through, letting it sit, we are going to try n flush out the you know what, if it doesn’t work, then float bowls come off, if more is needed carbs absolutely. Just looking for some more insight.

[cowboyup3371]

You will not get every single passage clean by just spritzing carb cleaner in there. You must take them off. I don't know how much clearer we can make it.