Carb Question

[Buster-boy]

1981 GS850GX - What does the screw on the bottom of the float bowl do? Not the four in the corners, but the big one in the middle? Is it a drain or does it adjust the float or something?

[Steve]

It's a drain.

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[Buster-boy]

So should I open that from time to time to remove any crud that may be built up in there?

[81gs1100]

That wouldn't be a bad idea, but mainly if you know the bike is going to be sitting for a long period of time, its a good idea to drain the float bowls as well.

[Steve]

So should I open that from time to time to remove any crud that may be built up in there?

You could, but if you use the bike regularly and have a good filter on the intake of the petcock and use decent gasoline, there should be no need.

I have not removed the drain plug on any of my bikes, yet. The only time I have had to remove one was on someone else's bike where I was trying to determine whether gas was getting to the carbs, so I pulled one of the drains to verify.

Yes, I live in an area where we have snow, so the bikes will sit for a few months before being ridden again. If I choose to winterize a bike, I will add Sta-Bil or Seafoam to the gas tank, run the bike around the block (about 10 miles) to make sure that the treated gas has gotten to all parts of the carbs, then change the oil and park the bike. I have never had to remove the drain plug for storage or resurrection in the spring.

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