Prages
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Not a car...sorry. 
I haven't had my bike on the road for a couple of years now. One summer we had so much rain that I rarely rode it, so I decided to just save the insurance money and let it sit. I've decided to get it back out this year.
So, I pulled it out of the shed. I knew the battery was shot, as it was shot when I parked it. The first thing I did was bought a new battery. In the process of pulling the old battery out, I broke the ground ring terminal. Motorcycle shops don't sell replacement terminals. Instead, they want you to buy the entire ground wire, which is about a foot long and has a ring terminal on each end, with another smaller connector that runs to the fuse box on one end. Cost...$38.
Instead, I went to NAPA and bought a box of 6 ring terminals for $3.
I also needed to change the oil, so I bought an oil filter for $15 and gallon jug of oil. Got that done on Wednesday evening.
So over the weekend, I got the new battery in, and filled the tank with high octane and some Seafoam gas treatment. Sprayed some starter fluid into the air intake and fired it up. It started, but wouldn't rev very well, and wouldn't idle at all. Turned it off and noticed that the gas was just draining right back out of the carbs. Damn floats were stuck. I was hoping that I wouldn't have to take the carbs off and clean them up, but I figured I would have to.
So, Saturday evening, I set off to work. First thing is to remove the seat. The instrument gauges are mounted to the gas tank, so they have to come off. Then the tank comes off. You could probably get the carbs off without removing everything else, but removing all that stuff takes only a few minutes and gives you a lot more room to work. Once you have a clear shot, there are two ring clamps that hold the carbs onto the motor, and two spring loaded clamps holding them onto the air box. Loosen up the clamps and slide the carbs out.
Two cans of carb cleaner should do the trick. I started by spraying the outside of the carbs to get all the gunk off. Then I took the bowls off the bottom. They were gummed up pretty bad. Sprayed the bowls themselves, then a healthy dose of cleaner on the floats and float valves. Then I put the straw on the can and sprayed it into all the jets until it was flowing freely.
I had to replace two of the screws that hold the bowls onto the carbs because the heads were stripped. Luckily, Advance Auto had the right size screws.
Put the carbs back together, put them back on the bike, hooked up the throttle cables, then set the gas tank back in place and hooked up the fuel lines. Fired it up and it ran like a top.
Then I actually bolted everything back together.
I've got the insurance taken care of. Next will be the registration, then I'll have to get it inspected, and then I'm ready to ride.
I haven't had my bike on the road for a couple of years now. One summer we had so much rain that I rarely rode it, so I decided to just save the insurance money and let it sit. I've decided to get it back out this year.
So, I pulled it out of the shed. I knew the battery was shot, as it was shot when I parked it. The first thing I did was bought a new battery. In the process of pulling the old battery out, I broke the ground ring terminal. Motorcycle shops don't sell replacement terminals. Instead, they want you to buy the entire ground wire, which is about a foot long and has a ring terminal on each end, with another smaller connector that runs to the fuse box on one end. Cost...$38.
Instead, I went to NAPA and bought a box of 6 ring terminals for $3.I also needed to change the oil, so I bought an oil filter for $15 and gallon jug of oil. Got that done on Wednesday evening.
So over the weekend, I got the new battery in, and filled the tank with high octane and some Seafoam gas treatment. Sprayed some starter fluid into the air intake and fired it up. It started, but wouldn't rev very well, and wouldn't idle at all. Turned it off and noticed that the gas was just draining right back out of the carbs. Damn floats were stuck.
I was hoping that I wouldn't have to take the carbs off and clean them up, but I figured I would have to.So, Saturday evening, I set off to work. First thing is to remove the seat. The instrument gauges are mounted to the gas tank, so they have to come off. Then the tank comes off. You could probably get the carbs off without removing everything else, but removing all that stuff takes only a few minutes and gives you a lot more room to work. Once you have a clear shot, there are two ring clamps that hold the carbs onto the motor, and two spring loaded clamps holding them onto the air box. Loosen up the clamps and slide the carbs out.
Two cans of carb cleaner should do the trick. I started by spraying the outside of the carbs to get all the gunk off. Then I took the bowls off the bottom. They were gummed up pretty bad. Sprayed the bowls themselves, then a healthy dose of cleaner on the floats and float valves. Then I put the straw on the can and sprayed it into all the jets until it was flowing freely.
I had to replace two of the screws that hold the bowls onto the carbs because the heads were stripped. Luckily, Advance Auto had the right size screws.
Put the carbs back together, put them back on the bike, hooked up the throttle cables, then set the gas tank back in place and hooked up the fuel lines. Fired it up and it ran like a top.
Then I actually bolted everything back together.
I've got the insurance taken care of. Next will be the registration, then I'll have to get it inspected, and then I'm ready to ride.
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Yep, another mechanic working on the lawn... Ooops, I dropped a thingamajig... I have learned my lesson, and always spread a drop cloth... Anyways, I need to get out for a ride... In fact, this year I would like to get some 17" rims and road tires for my KTM and do a little super-moto action...
