Carb-clean and tune-up for the mechnically uninclined?

[GSJoe]

I've finally decided that I can't wait any longer to fix my bike up. I am by no means mechanically inclined; computers are more my fort?.

My question is this: can someone like me do their own work on their bike? Mine needs a tune-up and carb clean.

Another question is what specific tools are required for these jobs? Where can I get them for the best price?

[gspaul]

I have no doubt you can do this yourself, you have to find a workshop manual that cover's your year, O ring kit for the carby's( do a search on this site for Robert Barr,he supplies kit's)
You need very little in the way of special tool's,but you will need to get hold of some vacumn gauges or mercury stix to balance them.
There may be someone on this site that lives near you and can help you out.
If you don't know something ask,somebody will know.
Good luck!

[Poot]

I am also less mechanically enlinced, but over the winter, did the valve clearance, changed swingarm bearings, fork oil, completely took apart my carbs, and corrected my cam-chain timing, as well as rebuilding the tensioner.


if you put your mind to it , and DONT RUSH, everything will be ok (assuming your I.Q. is over 50 or so


poot

[Billy Ricks]

A valve adjustment and carb cleaning are about all you can do to your bike. As long as the ignition plate has never been disturbed there's nothing to do ignition related.

[Anonymous]

Ditto on doing the carbs and getting a tool to synchronise them when done. (I'm going to sync mine this afternoon--assuming I have the floats set right and it starts. :roll: ) I got mine for about $45 sans shipping from JC Whitney.

Some suggestions:

1. Print or meticulously copy the carb clean-up sequence on this site. This is invaluable.

2. As noted, replace all the rings possible.

3. If you cannot get the air/pilot mixture screws to remove easily, take the carbs to a professional to get them to take them out. Or just leave them as it and don't worry about getting that tiny o-ring out, or about dipping the carb bodies. I ruined a set of carbs trying to drill and easy-out those mixture screws.

4. When tapping out the pin than holds the float in, be sure to support the opposite side post as it may break off. (Been there.) But if that still happens, don't fret, it is repairable; you'll get a chance to practice some budding jeweler's repair skills.

5. Finally, I put all the parts for each carb in a frezzer storage bag and labeled each bag with the corresponding carb's number. I also gently center punched dots on each carb body, float bowl, and top (one dot for carb #1, two dots for #2, etc.) to keep things from getting mixed up.

I wouldn't mess with the float level, and just assume it's correct. I have been messing with mine off and on for more than a year (more off than on), and if I would have just left them alone, I would have been better off. (My bike's book claims a 22-23mm float level, but when I set mine there, the carbs act fuel starved, and the bike refused to start. Right now they are around 18-19mm at most, and I'll see this afternoon it that works.)

You might say there's a certain compulsion for order, so to speak, to this carb work. Computer work is probably not that far removed, just minus the gas, grease, and dirt. (Although I have found plenty of dust bunnies in my PC.)

Good luck, and enjoy the education.

[Detman101]

I agree with the previous poster on leaving the floats alone and how they come stock. I fiddled with my original set and could never get them right according to the guide.

I wound up purchasing a stock set of UNTAMPERED floats off ebay and installing those in the carbs....Problem instantly solved. :P

[Anonymous]

One more thought: It's a good idea to replace all the phillips head screws with allen head screws. Most recommend using stainless steel ones, but if that's cost prohibitive (there are a lot of them), regular will do.

If you have trouble getting the old/original screws out, a basic hand impact driver will do the trick. Or you can do like I did and cut (with a hacksaw or dremel tool) a slot in the difficult screw(s) and use a larger straight screw driver.

Best.

[Billy Ricks]

Setting the floats shouldn't be that big of a deal. 21.4mm +/- 1mm seems to be standard on CV equipped bikes. That's measured from the carb base where the gasket sits to the bottom surface of the float. The carbs should be inverted with the floats just resting on the float needles, not pressed down.

[Anonymous]

I have done just as described by Billy, and I swear that when I have them set at 21-22 mm, it ain't right, and the bike won't run. I even cut a nice piece of stiff card stock into an "L" shape with a 22mm length (between the top of the "L" and the inside 90 degree turn). When I opened up my used, replacement carbs, the floats were no where near 21mm when measured this way from the base (where the gasket sits, and removed) to the bottom surface of the float. It was more like 18-19 at most, at the bottom of the float with it resting on the needle. It might be 21-22mm when the float just touches the needle, but not resting. At least not in my case.

So I went ahead and changed mine to 22mm, resting, and I've been trying to get them back to where they were ever since. So I say don't mess with them if you can help it. If they all look the same, leave 'em alone.

[bwringer]

Aftermarket float valve needles are crap. Take a look at one, and you'll notice there's a spring-loaded nubbin that the float tang rests against.

The problem with all the aftermarket needles I've seen is that this spring is far too weak -- the weight of the float compresses the spring when you flip the carb upside-down. On an OEM needle, the spring does not begin to compress under the weight of the float.

You can see therefore, how it's impossible to set the correct float height with these low-quality needles.

Took me YEARS to finally figure this out. Luckily, I still had the originals in a plastic bag.

[Billy Ricks]

As BW stated the problem could very well be with the replacement parts. The kits contain some generic replacement instead of an oem part. There's no need to replace needles if they are sealing okay. The o-ring on the seat is more likely to be a problem than the needle. Until you get float heighth right in the bowls it's tough to get the rest of the jetting right.

[Poot]

I have done just as described by Billy, and I swear that when I have them set at 21-22 mm, it ain't right, and the bike won't run. I even cut a nice piece of stiff card stock into an "L" shape with a 22mm length (between the top of the "L" and the inside 90 degree turn). When I opened up my used, replacement carbs, the floats were no where near 21mm when measured this way from the base (where the gasket sits, and removed) to the bottom surface of the float. It was more like 18-19 at most, at the bottom of the float with it resting on the needle. It might be 21-22mm when the float just touches the needle, but not resting. At least not in my case.

So I went ahead and changed mine to 22mm, resting, and I've been trying to get them back to where they were ever since. So I say don't mess with them if you can help it. If they all look the same, leave 'em alone.

I did the same thing...... I also wouldn't screw around with them. the little metal ridge under the gasket proves to be a bit of a pain.