bul_racer
XS650 Addict
Hi All,
I'm a newbee trying to rebuild carbs on my 1980 XS650G. I know there's a LOT of previous discussion about this but after reading a bunch of it I'm just confused. Some say confused is just another word for stupid & maybe I am bc I don't know how to proceed. The bike ran when I parked it years ago, but poorly.
One of my floats makes a funny noise when I shake it and when I place it in water it floats with that side lower than the other so I'm pretty sure there's gas inside. Maybe this was the problem way back in 2004. I tried to find a hole or evidence of a leak but can't see anything. I placed it in hot water but no bubbles appeared. I don't know how to repair a leak I can't find. Some posters say I shouldn't try bc heating to solder is likely to create additional leaks or at least cause them to become more open.
I'd hoped that it wouldn't be a major project to get this bike running as I already have several projects taking up my garage floor space. My inclination is to just buy a new float but I've tried and tried to find a source for a replacement float. Hard to believe that Mikuni wouldn't provide the part since there seem to still be a lot of these bikes on the road. Mike's shows one but reading the detail my bike is not among those listed. Saw a post where someone said they ordered this and it seems to be for bs38, not bs34. I don't want to order a part that won't fit.
It seems that some folks are using plastic floats to replace the brass but I don't know which ones to get. Is there one that fits or would it need to be modified? Also not sure if there's a float height spec for the plastic or if I'd have to hook up a gas line to the bottom of the float bowl in order to visually check float height.
Any help would be appreciated.
I'm a newbee trying to rebuild carbs on my 1980 XS650G. I know there's a LOT of previous discussion about this but after reading a bunch of it I'm just confused. Some say confused is just another word for stupid & maybe I am bc I don't know how to proceed. The bike ran when I parked it years ago, but poorly.
One of my floats makes a funny noise when I shake it and when I place it in water it floats with that side lower than the other so I'm pretty sure there's gas inside. Maybe this was the problem way back in 2004. I tried to find a hole or evidence of a leak but can't see anything. I placed it in hot water but no bubbles appeared. I don't know how to repair a leak I can't find. Some posters say I shouldn't try bc heating to solder is likely to create additional leaks or at least cause them to become more open.
I'd hoped that it wouldn't be a major project to get this bike running as I already have several projects taking up my garage floor space. My inclination is to just buy a new float but I've tried and tried to find a source for a replacement float. Hard to believe that Mikuni wouldn't provide the part since there seem to still be a lot of these bikes on the road. Mike's shows one but reading the detail my bike is not among those listed. Saw a post where someone said they ordered this and it seems to be for bs38, not bs34. I don't want to order a part that won't fit.
It seems that some folks are using plastic floats to replace the brass but I don't know which ones to get. Is there one that fits or would it need to be modified? Also not sure if there's a float height spec for the plastic or if I'd have to hook up a gas line to the bottom of the float bowl in order to visually check float height.
Any help would be appreciated.