Seafoam ruined my bike?

[danny1121]

So let me start off by saying I know nothing about motorcycles. I bought a used 06 suzuki, with 1.7k miles. I figured since it was an old bike with such low miles it had to have been sitting for awhile. I put a half can of sea foam in the gas tank with about 60-70% gas in the tank. I followed the instructions on the can, let it run for like ten minutes after I put it in the tank, then turned it off and let it sit for about 5 minutes. I turned it back on, expecting to see a bunch of smoke, since that it was is supposed to happen. There is no smoke, so I dump the other half in, and do the same thing. Still no smoke.

I decide to let it sit overnight. After work today it had trouble starting for awhile so I was adjusting the idle screw hoping to get it to start, eventually it does, but keeps dying. Eventually it idles without the choke, so I hop on, give it some gas and it hestitates for a second, and then the rpms go up, needless to say the bike goes out from under me. Damage dealt is cracked rear fairing, front blinker light doesnt respond, and some other stuff. Ironically the rpms are fine after this mishap, which infuriated me. I can still get the bike to start, but the rpms are all f%$ked up and eventually it dies. the only conclusion I can come to is that the seafoam is somehow messing with the gasoline going where ever it is supposed to go. And I am still getting no smoke. WHAT GIVES? I just got this bike, and all of its problems have been so overwhelming, I just want to get rid of the thing. It's one problem after another

[Big Rich]

Well, first of all drain the tank and carbs. I mean all of it. Pull the spark plugs out (unplug them too) and hit the starter button a couple times to expel anything in the cylinders. Pull the carbs off and give them a good cleaning as there will still be crud in them. Pull the tank and rinse it out along with the petcocks.

I'm not quite sure why you are mad at the bike for this?

[4strings]

FWIW, I too did sea foam on my '93 w/ 20K when I bought it and saw no smoke.  I did a whole tank with a whole can. Then a half tank w/ a whole can.  I cleaned the carbs anyway (great cause a bunch of crud literally just fell out when I unscrewed the main jet).

[danny1121]

Thank you for the quick response, and for being so helpful.
I'm not mad at the bike, I guess it is just displaced anger because as soon as i get one thing fixed it seems like something else goes wrong. Forgive me for asking, but how do I accomplish all of the things you said I should do? I'm totally willing to do all of this, but I know nothing about motorcycles, and I am not sure how to remove anything, much less clean it. Is there some sort of manual I can refer to to do all of these things? Also, is there some sort of bonding I can use to repair the crack in the fairing? Did I use the seafoam incorrectly?

[Big Rich]

You are definitely going to want a manual of some sort. Haynes, Clymers, whatever. Factory service manual would be best. There are just too many details for me to type out.

[nydad19]

you only get white smoke when you spray seafoam into the air intake...through the gas tank it jus cleans up internals and it probably did its job and whatever loosened up clogged up the jets or something...clean the carbs and do proper adjustments you should be fine

[danny1121]

Would it be possible to find any sort of  manual online?

[Twisted]

You can buy them online from eBay or Amazon but I am not sure if you can "legally" D/L them online.

[bill14224]

You should be mad at yourself for not reading the directions.  I don't have my can with me now.  What does it say, 2-4 ounces?  You put in way too much.  I don't even want to touch how that made you crash.  Suffice it to say your enemy at this moment is in the mirror.  You gotta lean to ride better unless I missed something.  We like all forum members to stay in one piece! 

[ben2go]

I've had no luck with seafoam ever.I tried multiple times in my car and truck.It made my bike run worse and I had just cleaned my tank and carbs.I was hoping it would clean the valves up a bit.

[danny1121]

Ben, I completely agree. I was just expecting to see the white smoke, as the can says, but I didn't so i poured in more. Thinking back, I'm not at all surprised any of this happened, and yes, I am upset with myself, I know I am the cause of this. Anyways, I took my gas tank off, drained as much as I could, and then removed my airbox filter. I don't know the first thing about carbs, I also don't know where the spark plugs are located. I know I am a n00b with this stuff, but I am willing and eager to learn. It would be great fun to work on my own bike, So far I've dumped a few hundred bucks into things that I'm sure I could have done myself if I had some know how.
Also, is there something I can use to glue the cracked fairing back together?

[jeffdodge]

Drill some holes, and stitch them with zipties. Looks ugly but it works. It will also remind you of what not to do every time you see it.

[danny1121]

Believe me, although I still have alot to learn, I won't make a mistake like that again. Is there something more practical I could do, like use some sort of bonding glue?

[noiseguy]

Epoxy and fiberglass on the back of the plastics.

[viggen]

Plastifix.

There's a YouTube vid that explains well.. It makes the fairing one piece again.   I used the black and didn't paint over it.  Subtler reminder...



 

[lanesplitter]

You my friend are well on your way to becoming an excellent DIY mechanic  .  I can't tell you how much stuff I screwed up over the years trying to fix my motorcycles and cars and especially trying to make them faster. 

I don't know that I would mess with the carburetors now that you've drained the gas tank.  You might want to fill the tank completely and try letting the bike run and simply burn off the sea foam that's still in there.  If your bike was running okay before you added the sea foam then it's doubtful that it caused a situation where something needs to be adjusted.  I would also suggest trying to find replacement plastics on Ebay rather than trying to fix what you broke.  It will probably look better in the long run and save you a lot of time. 

Do invest in a repair manual and plan on buying tools as you need them.  For example, when you need that 24mm socket - go ahead and invest in a set.  When you need to cut off that stubborn nut - go ahead and buy a dremel tool to cut it off.  It won't be long and you'll find that you have pretty much everything you need to work on your bike.  Hint:  ask for tools for Christmas and birthdays.

[danny1121]

Thanks for being so helpful guys. I am really glad that I joined this site. I know I have alot to learn about motorcycling in all aspects but this is a great place to get started.
Lanesplitter, thanks for the uplifting comment. That is a great idea, I've always been interested in tinkering with things, but afraid of messing stuff up, especially something as intimidating as a motorcycle. . I'm planning on investing in some tools once I find out what all the parts of the bike do, and how to work on said parts.
I figured I would do the same thing as you suggested, but  I thought it wouldnt hurt to have the carbs cleaned a little bit, since that is the reason I got the seafoam in the first place, so I had a mechanic friend come over and he drained the tank, cleaned the jets,(those things are so small!) and put everything back together. ($60!) It took about 3 hours, but it was fascinating to watch. It seems like everything is in working order, but I haven't had a chance to ride it around yet. My girlfriend is still pretty irate about me tumbling off of it

[Big Rich]

Actually, the spill you had was one of the best to have. Makes you realize that a "beginners bike" still has enough power to overwhelm you. Chalk it up as a lesson learned.

[mister]

I'm still trying to figure out how you launched the bike from under you when all you were wanting to do was allow the engine to idle at an increased speed.  Neutral and the side stand or center stand does nicely. 

Michael