I took the carbs off to check for stuck float bowls...

[anoopb]

When i was cleaning the carbs, I carefully removed the floats. On the left carb, the suspect carb, the float needle seat itself was loose. it actually came right off. So i reseated that needle seat as well. That could potentially be the culprit as well I think.

my thought is that if it's loose, it's circumventing the whole float needle system in place to stop the gas from entering.

That can definitely happen.  Like I said in my post, that oring comes with the OEM needle valve set part number so if you order new ones you don't have to worry about it.  If you have the cash I would order the 2 new needle valve sets from the link I provided at Ronayers along with the float bowl gaskets.  You might be out of commission for a week until they arrive, but once you get them in and get the float height set correctly, it will run soooo much better and with less to worry about.

Yes. I'm definitely going to order those parts. For now, the bike is back in place with everything just cleaned up a bit.

As of right now, there's no gas from the pee pee hose. (Success!)

it starts up without the choke ok and idles fairly steady.

It seems to sound better but that could just be me.

All i did was clean out the float bowls thoroughly, spray air into the carb and all the holes i could find, make sure the floats were fairly smooth, and  clean out the main jet. Scraped off any gunk that was built up over time as well.

I used seafoam in the gas as well. Will continue that for another tank.

TODOs for this bike over the next few weeks/months are:

replace the orings, gaskets, float needle and seat. One of the floats is a little bent and that's bothering me so i might replace the floats as well.
Remove the diaphragm cap and do a full on carb clean.

I couldn't get to the pilot jets so I let that one be. I'll be removing and cleaning those out as well.

Replace all the hoses from the gas tank and clean out the gas tank to get rid of any rust in there.

Thanks again to all.

[anoopb]

A loose float needle seat could easily allow gas to bypass the closed needle. Someone correct me if I'm wrong here... there is a seal around the seat, could be damaged or worn out. I would replace the seats and needles. Please post a nice close pic of the tips of the needles to determine whether to replace said parts or not.

Here's a pic. They look ok to me but what do i know. This is the first set of needles i've ever seen



[attachment deleted by admin]

[Big Rich]

The triangular parts look perfect to me. Those little "buttons" on the other side should be spring loaded though. Sometimes they can get gummed up inside and can cause problems as well.

[NjDan]

The triangular parts look perfect to me. Those little "buttons" on the other side should be spring loaded though. Sometimes they can get gummed up inside and can cause problems as well.

+1 happened to me if they get gunked up what i  did was heat it up with heat gun and once the spring is released soak it in pb blaster or any penetrating oil. Works like a charm now

[bombsquad83]

No need to replace the floats themselves unless they are cracked and allow gas in the buoy parts, or have broken in some other way.  That metal tab is supposed to be somewhat bent, because that's how you adjust the float height.

It could just be me...but I'm a little suspicious that you floats or needles valves are still not quite adjusted properly if you bike can start easily without any choke.   I think that probably means there is more gas in the bowl than there should be.  If you haven't checked the gas level in the bowls with a clear tube from the carb drain, then you should do that.  Remember to put the petcock on prime when you check, and turn it back to on when you are done.

[anoopb]

No need to replace the floats themselves unless they are cracked and allow gas in the buoy parts, or have broken in some other way.  That metal tab is supposed to be somewhat bent, because that's how you adjust the float height.

It could just be me...but I'm a little suspicious that you floats or needles valves are still not quite adjusted properly if you bike can start easily without any choke.   I think that probably means there is more gas in the bowl than there should be.  If you haven't checked the gas level in the bowls with a clear tube from the carb drain, then you should do that.  Remember to put the petcock on prime when you check, and turn it back to on when you are done.

What I meant to say was that after the bike was warmed up, it started up with ease.

This morning, I started him up and he promptly died. The choke helped out there.

So there is a spring inside the float needle? Is that what I'm reading? I didn't take the float needles apart.

That's ok though. I didn't want to go about changing and mucking with everything because then I don't know what actually fixed the issue.

I could always use more practice taking the carbs off

[kyled25]

glad to hear you got in running. no more leaks? will it run over 50 now? if so we should go cruise down lake shore drive! 

[Big Rich]

There are some tiny springs in the float needle, but you'll never see them - they aren't made to be taken apart. As long as that little button feels spring loaded, it's good.

[anoopb]

glad to hear you got in running. no more leaks? will it run over 50 now? if so we should go cruise down lake shore drive! 

Well, I need to cruise a bit to really figure it out. been too cold to stay out for long. Going to try tomorrow in the morning if possible.

also ordered me a k&n lunchbox for it

[kyled25]

Well, I need to cruise a bit to really figure it out. been too cold to stay out for long. Going to try tomorrow in the morning if possible.

also ordered me a k&n lunchbox for it

Nice, well it's supposed to be a high of 67 today with 60% chance of rain and wind gusts up to 35 mph, so be careful. I'll be out in NW Indiana riding with a few people.