Kenner nurses a neglected 04F back to health

[Kenner]

Hello Everybody!

I'm back from my overseas "vacation". I decided to pull the bikes out of storage and get them running again. Old Blue didn't take much to get back into working order, it just smoked a little on the first couple of rides due to the oil I put down the cylinders when I stored them. Yellow Bird on the other hand is giving me fits again! Mainly carburetor issues. When I turn the fuel on one of the carbs leaks fuel. I took them apart and looked for any gunk, but they were still quite clean. I believe it is the needle and/or seat that is leaking. I ordered a rebuild kit.

I just overhauled this carb last year when I did all 4 of the carbs on the 2 bikes using K&L kits from eBay. An OEM needle and seat is north of $50 so I am going to try another aftermarket kit. So there's a few data points for you: 3 of the 4 aftermarket kits are holding up well after a year of storage. I found an eBay seller that has kits even cheaper than the K&L, I may regret going with them but for the sake of experiment I'll try the lowest cost option and see if it holds up.

I can still ride the bike because the fuel leak is only noticable when stopped. It burns fuel fast enough when going that it does not drip. I want to put a few more miles on the bike to see if any more gremlens show their faces.

Wish me luck.

Ken