Carb Maintenance

[cmyoch]

I've searched through the posts to see if there is anything on here regarding carb maintenance. I've completely dismantled my carbs for a thourough cleaning and I was successful. Given the fact that the bike may sit for a week or maybe two before it's ridden, is there anything that can be done to prevent the carbs from gumming up again? I've seen where some guys run them empty before parking and others add seafoam through their tanks. What I'm looking for is to not have to pull the carbs off every so often for a thourough cleaning if I don't have to. I can see once in a blue moon if the bike sits for an extended period of time with fuel in the bowls. Any thoughts or ideas on what you guys do would be great. I've spent a lot of time getting my bike running properly, now I want to enjoy it for as long as I can!

 

[5twins]

Just sitting for a week or 2 shouldn't hurt it. Do drain the carb bowls for winter storage and probably if you're going to let it sit for a month or more during the riding season. If it sits that long with fuel in the bowls, you might want to drain that out and get fresh stuff from the tank in there before trying to start it. A small amount of gas, like a float bowl full, will go bad faster than a whole tank full.

As an aside, I have found that cleaned carbs that were all gummed up seem to have a greater tendency to gum up again. My thinking is that the gum and varnish is like an infection and, try as you might, you rarely get it all out. The remnants start the gumming up process all over again.

 

[gggGary]

Ethanol has really reduced gumming in carbs, the alcohol is a solvent for the gas deposits and keeps things shiny. My 83 is going on three years since the last carb overhaul, I drag it out in the spring - fire it up - ride. The process while it disolves away years of old varnish from the whole fuel system of a resurrected bike and sends it through the jets and engine can be a bit more hmm.... annoying. LOL