Cleaning carbs...need some input

[hikermikem]

......hikermikem made it quite clear to me that you all are tired of trying to help me.....because it appears that I am not listening.......well believe it or not....I hear the advice......and it is appreciated.....just not in a position to do anything about it right now.....so I am officially on my own now with my carbs....Anita

I was not speaking for anyone else on this forum, just me... and I was not trying to be sarcastic. I wasn't trying to offend you.

There has been a truck load of good advice offered here, but I understand that you aren't in a position to act on it. Of course you can try & use your carbs "as is," but it's the collective opinion here that's a waste of time. However, perhaps you will have good results; I hope so...

Good luck to you. Please ping us again when you have the resources you need to get your bike running well.

[bellucci]

o Rings

I have a quick question... How much do the o rings cost? How much do the gaskets cost? Maybe not knowing how cheap parts these parts are is holding things up... Someone post the prices so everyone can see. Just a thought...

[Don-lo]

Kroozn,

Sorry that some people on here seem to be inflexible, since it doesn't really need to be that way. For your situation, the best solution would probably be to post your location and see if someone can come and help you the first time through. That person would need to be a flexible person who understood that you are not doing a deep pockets restoration.

[chef1366]

Words on the internet can be taken the wrong way.
Sorry funds are a problem.

[old_chopper]

If you're near me I have a once used can of carb dip and would be more than happy to let you use it. I would also help you do the job if you want. Helping each other out is what the biking community is all about. I'm near Tulsa, OK.

[Larry D]

I have a quick question... How much do the o rings cost? How much do the gaskets cost? Maybe not knowing how cheap parts these parts are is holding things up... Someone post the prices so everyone can see. Just a thought...

http://www.cycleorings.com/

[Krooozn]

All....first I want to apologize for the rant I went on yesterday.....I guess I was just having one of those days and took what hikermikem said the wrong way.....anyway....it was my bad.....secondly I will be looking into getting a set of o-rings for my bike when I get paid this week....they aren't that expensive so I should be able to swing it....and then I can get them into the carbs......and hopefully get my bike running...I have yet to hear it! I also wanted to say that I had no idea that these bikes were as air sensitive as they appear to be.....I wanted to replace my seat down the road, but have been reading where the seat design was done to more or less funnel the air into the box...so I am afraid of altering the seat configuration....so thinking about just cutting the seat height down a little.....anyway...so much to think about and so much to do...I want to be riding my bike come spring and it's right around the corner.....

By the way...I am on the Eastcoast of Virginia......in the Hampton Roads/Tidewater area......

Thanx again for all the help and support...you guys never gave up on me and that speaks a lot for this forum.....and last but not least.....Hikermikem....I am sorry for the misunderstanding on my end...please accept my sincere apology....I am truly sorry

Anita

[Larry D]

I lived in Virginia Beach near Lynnhaven Mall for 10 years from 85-95. I was in the US Navy then.

I really miss it when it's cold and wintery here.......

No worries. Most of us have pretty thick skin and can certainly understand the frustration that come with bringing an old bike back to life. There is a tried and true method which we try our best to get across to new folks. Sometimes it comes across as harsh, not intentional though.

Good Luck !!!

[hikermikem]

Hikermikem....I am sorry for the misunderstanding on my end

No worries, it's all good... we want you to have a well running & dependable bike too!!

[spyug]

Sorry to hear you are having a hard time of it but if you read my recent 'book" on resurrecting a long dormant engine, you'll see that we all can have these issues. You also can see how helpful and supportive we all want to be. There must be some members close to you that could swing by to help even. I'd love to shoot down as my best buddy ( ex Canadian sailorman) lives in Norfolk and I love the place. Unfortunately your border guys see me as an undesireable and won't let me in again.

I'll do what I can here none the less.

They've beaten you up about takening the carbs apart and dipping them so I'll leave that alone. Robert is the best source for o-rings but you might be able to find them locally at any good local automotive store. They are only pennies. Just make sure they are rated for gas as they are made from different materials that may not stand up.

The big things with carbs, once you clean them is to get them synchronized. There is a "bench" synch which is covered off in the tutorials and is basically the initial setting of the carbs when reassembled and a "dynamic" synch which is tuning one carb to the other when on the bike and engine running. To get that right you will need to use a manometer which is basically 2 (or 4) columns of fluid ( or some light weight metal rods) in clear tubes which rise and fall to engine vacuum. The tubes are connected to the vacuum ports on your carb boots ( i believe...check your manual). As the engine runs, the idea is to adjust the carbs so the columns of fluid stay level. Then you know your carbs are "synchronized" and will work the same on each cylinder.

You can buy commercial manometers but good ones are around $100. You can makeone that works well for less than $5. I still have the first one I made 6 years ago. Do an internet search for home made manometer or words like that. There are several types out there. You can use different fluids in these and I would advise you to use ATF as the red colour is easy to see, it is the right viscosity and if it gets sucked into the engine (it likely will happen the first time you fire up) it won't hurt anything.

The other thing about bike engines is that they won't function properly unless the intake boots from the carb to head are airtight and the carbs have proper airtight connections to the airbox or pods if fitted. I'm not sure of the intake boots on yours but if they are screwed to the head , they will have big o-rings that seal them. These o-rings break down and should be replaced as well. They will be in Roberts kit so another good reason to deal with him.

Now this seems like a lot of work but trust me you can do it. The first time might be a bit daunting and take you some time to do but go at it in steps...abit at a time. Get those carbs squeaky clean first.

Keep us informed.

We're pulling for you and yes we have thick skin so you're allowed to beak off once in awhile.

Good luck learning something new.

cheers,
Spyug