Carb--what is that brass tube on the side?

[Caffeine]

Hey...newbie here.   '97 GS500.   Love the bike!  
Two weeks ago, while warming it up, I noticed a large puddle of gas dripping onto the ground.   It was leaking from the bottom end of a two-inch long brass tube on the left side of the carb.  ("Left" side = the side opposite from the side that has the petcock).    I can't find this piece on any of the blow-up diagrams or in the repair manual, and am clueless as to what it does, exactly.  All I know is that it looks like it was "hit" and the bottom part of it is slightly detached from the carb.    If you are looking at the carb where it says "Mikuni Corp", the brass tube is about 3/4 inch to the front of the "C" in "Corp", and it goes upward about 2 inches into another part of the carb.   The bike still runs ok, even with gas leaking out on the ground.    I started it up today, but it didn't leak...which just leaves me even more mystified!   What the heck is it?   Can I replace it?  Should I replace the carb completely?  How fast would I have to be traveling for the wind to extinguish a gasoline fire?   So many questions...
All help sincerely appreciated!

[The Buddha]

Yea that has to be re fitted and sealed up - JB weld or similar ... Its needs to be on there ... Take off the carbs and send it to me and I'll do that and rejet etc ... $40 and shipping for all ... Just fixing that OK $10 and shipping ... and you can fix yourself ... but Ther fact that you asked the question and the newbieish lingo makes me afraid to suggest that for fear of you making it worse ...
Cool.
Srinath.

[juno]

The bike still runs ok, even with gas leaking out on the ground.  How fast would I have to be traveling for the wind to extinguish a gasoline fire?

newbieish lingo makes me afraid to suggest that for fear of you making it worse ...

For some reason, this thread made my day.  Thanks guys!

By the way, welcome to the site.  Srinrath is a GS guru and carb expert, so you can trust his advice.

[dgyver]

I broke one of the tubes once when I installing my carbs.  :mrgreen:
Used JB Weld on it and it still runs like a champ.

[Caffeine]

I promise I don't intend to ride the bike, flaming or otherwise, until I get it fixed!  I've just got a strange sense of humor.  Or a really bad sense of humor.   In either case, I appreciate the answers!

I do have a good, trustworthy, ASE-Certified mechanic friend who will be dealing with the carb.   But I still can't find the tube-thingy on a blowup diagram, so I don't know how to get a replacement tube-thingy.

[dgyver]

.....But I still can't find the tube-thingy on a blowup diagram, so I don't know how to get a replacement tube-thingy.

It is pressed into the carb body, not a replacable part that can be ordered. My suggestion is if it has to be replaced, get a piece of brass fuel tubing used in R/C airplane gas tanks. It will bend fairly easily but you may need a tubing bender (basically a spring) to keep it from kinking.

[Jared]

You can also fill the tubing with sand while you bend it... that also keeps it from kinking..... Obviously you clean all the sand out before installing.

[Blueknyt]

all that is used for is to pipe raw fuel through the enrichener circut.

these carbs dont have true chokes but the enricheners do much the same job but alittle more controled.


the old style choke system was a flap that closed at the inlet of the carb throat. when the engine was cranked, most the vacume pulled alittle air through a few smaller holes in the flap but it would pull extra fuel up  through the jets to aid starting.  they called it a choke as thats what it litteraly did, choked off some of the air supply making the mixture very rich to help lite up.


this enrichener tube isnt serviceable, and if plugged off wouldnt hurt it other then only one carb will be "Choked" for cold starting which really shouldnt hurt you. just take a few extra seconds before it warmed up is all. a rejet would help it that you might not need a choke at all.

i would recomend cleaning the area really well.  then triming some tooth picks to properly plug the holes in a relitivly shallow mannor, use JB Weld and seal them up.