pb face blast.....

[turkeyroll60]

So I go to start the 450 up for a quick ride before heading to a new years eve party. I start it up but it keeps stalling. An inspection of the supply line from the tank to the carb reveals a fuel leak. I take off the seat and tank and zip tie the line snug....I go to use a little pb blaster on the tank bolts as they are looking a little rough and my itchy trigger finger hits the nozzle to early and I catch a blast directly in the right eyeball! A lot of flushing and a trip to the ER for some more flushing from a contact lense with a hose attached (midevil stuff!) And finally some antibiotic drops for good measure. The guy who had this bike before me has the carbs all fouled up and out of adjustment. Would it be wise to rebuild them or just adjust them and the timing before adjusting the valves? Plus what hose material is good to use? There is 1/4" rubber on there now but it seems too big. The breather hose was also disconnected from the air box under the seat as ot seems it was cut too short.

[keman]

I recommend following the Carb rebuild guide (you will find it in the page linked in my sig).
Get a set of orings from cycleorings.com. then order a set of bowl gaskets from z1enterpriszes, and do it right. Don't waste your money on rebuild kits.

There are guides to all of the basic maintenance your bike will need in the page linked in my sig as well.

For lines, I have silicone no kink lines from the dealer. There are better lines, but these were not expensive and are the right size.

I have had the joy of Carb cleaner in my eye, now any time I do any kind of sprays when working on the bike, I wear a face shield. Not fun.

[redstedman]

I recomend using EYE protection. ATGATT. It hurts to f*#k up.

[allojohn]

Adjust the valves first dude, and move on...

[TheCafeKid]

PB Blaster? That's wussy stuff man. Try carb cleaner or that purple PVC primer in your eyes. That's exquisitly painful! Seriously though. Sorry bout your eye. Plenty of us have learned the painful hard way.

[tkent02]

Brake fluid... The ony thing worse was battery acid.
Actually the worst was some kind of airplane juice I got in my eye, but I never found out what it was.
Couldn't see right for a week, especially if I tried to look up.

[Steve]

OK, I'll just address these one at a time:

An inspection of the supply line from the tank to the carb reveals a fuel leak. I take off the seat and tank and zip tie the line snug....

Are you seriously trusting your bike and your life to a zip-tie to hold back a known fuel leak?

Depending on where the leak is, you might need to simply change the hose. Use the proper hose, you don't even need a clamp.

I go to use a little pb blaster on the tank bolts as they are looking a little rough and my itchy trigger finger hits the nozzle to early and I catch a blast directly in the right eyeball!

As mentioned, safety glasses or a face shield is a MUST whenever spraying stuff.
NOTE: that includes using an air gun to dry off a part or blow out a hole.

The guy who had this bike before me has the carbs all fouled up and out of adjustment. Would it be wise to rebuild them or just adjust them and the timing before adjusting the valves?

Are you seriously asking THIS group whether to properly rebuild something or simply "make an adjustment"?

As far as sequence, it doesn't matter much, but you WILL need to sync your carbs after adjusting your valves, so you may as well adjust your valves first, or just do them while you are dipping the carbs.

Plus what hose material is good to use? There is 1/4" rubber on there now but it seems too big.

If it has 1/4" hose, not only is it wrong, it's too small. Get proper OEM hose, which is 7mm.
It looks like it's really expensive (about $15), but you get 6 feet of it.

The breather hose was also disconnected from the air box under the seat as ot seems it was cut too short.

Again, the proper OEM hose is best here, too. This is also about $15, but you get 6 feet in this package, too.

If you KNOW that something is already wrong, like your carbs, just "adjusting" them will have you chasing your tail. Unless you KNOW that all the basics are covered, like CLEAN jets and CLEAN passages and KNOWN float heights, and KNOWN jet sizes, you can tweak adjustment screws all day long and not figure something out properly. Start from the basics, like we keep preaching to all the newbies. CLEAN the carbs. ADJUST the valves. CLEAN the electrical connectors. CLEAN or REBUILD the brakes. CHECK or REPLACE the tires. THEN you have a solid platform from which you can make adjustments and modify.

[pete]

If your 450 is of the 80 - 82 year varieties, there's a specific guide by Flaming Chainsaws on BassCliff's site that will set you right.

Check your intake boots while you're at it, at only $25 each from Boulevard they're worth replacing if they're a bit dodgy while you have the carbs off for cleaning.

+1 on all the advice above, although I used 8mm fuel line on my 450 but I have proper hose clamps on the T piece between the carbs and on the fuel tap with no leaks. I think 7mm will be too small for the 450, the 8mm was a pain to get on the T piece properly and seems a perfect fit for the fuel tap. My T piece is brand new and so is the fuel tap (and the hose).

Sorry to hear about the eye too, that whole ER visit would be a right PITE (haha substitute the A, sorry, lame)...

[turkeyroll60]

ha ha

I used some 1/4" hose clamps on the in line flow valve the owner before me installed and no more leaks. I cleaned the air filter and set the idle and all seems well except for the noise at the left side exhaust valve. took it for a short ride and it actually felt stronger. I am going to order the actual 7mm hose so things will be within spec and a valve adjustment is in my very near future. Does anyone now where I can find an inexpensive tappet depressor tool? The one from suzuki is $132!!!! I paid $500 for the bike!!!

[Flyboy]

Brake fluid... The ony thing worse was battery acid.
Actually the worst was some kind of airplane juice I got in my eye, but I never found out what it was.
Couldn't see right for a week, especially if I tried to look up.

Tom, sounds like Skydrol, the purple hydraulic fluid used on all the airliners.
Evil is too tame a word for that stuff, it burns worse than the devils own fire on your skin, and beyond belief if you get it in your eyes.....Ouch

[tkent02]

Tom, sounds like Skydrol, the purple hydraulic fluid used on all the airliners.
Evil is too tame a word for that stuff, it burns worse than the devils own fire on your skin, and beyond belief if you get it in your eyes.....Ouch

Well, I know Skydrol is bad, but this was probably not it. Just sitting in the seat minding my own business, reached down to get something beside my seat, stuck my finger in my eye for some reason, and the pain begins. I have no idea what it was or where it came from. Could be second hand Skydrol from some mechanic's rags or something, I don't know. Nasty stuff.

[JJ]

I know MEK hurts like hell on your eyeball. I had to wear an eyepatch and apply drops 3X a day. Doc said I was lucky to have only minor blistering on my cornea.

[allojohn]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Motion-Pro-Suzuki-Yamaha-Valve-Shim-Tool-08-0017-/380395264105?pt=Motors_Automotive_Tools&vxp=mtr&hash=item5891531869

Pro Motion valve tool.

[turkeyroll60]

Thanks for the link allojohn! My eye is better. I have to finish the antibiotic drops and follow up with eye doc. I will always be using eye protection now after listening to everyone's stories!

[Steve]

Does anyone now where I can find an inexpensive tappet depressor tool? The one from suzuki is $132!!!! I paid $500 for the bike!!!

I just LOVE it when someone tries to justify the cost of tools based on what they paid for the bike.

My philosophy is that the less you pay for the bike, the more you have available for tools.

Now, you want "inexpensive"? Look in your toolbox, see if you have a zip-tie.

http://members.dslextreme.com/users/bikecliff/images/valve_tool_zip_tie.pdf

Although there are several members here to claim to have no problems using the "official" tool, I have yet to use it successfully for more than one valve per bike. I prefer to use the zip-tie.

Since you are about to enter the fun of a valve adjustment, have a look in my sig.

.