carb breather hose is perfectly clear. So now i guess the only thing left to do is put the gas tank on and check the float height? 

Galahs, you said that an 05 carb float can't be easily adjusted, so if the problem is the float what can i do?

I agree that the float height is either too high, the needle valve is damaged or dirt is preventing it from seating. I had a similar problem and it turned out to be a piece of dirt on the needle valve. I'd pull the carbs and clean them up and it should fix the problem.

Installing an inline fuel filter will prevent this from happening in the future.

It would be a good idea to change the oil since it's diluted with gas after you fix the problem too. Since there isn't a ton of gas in the oil you could burn it out of the oil with a long ride (it should evaporate once the oil gets hot)  but it would be better to change it.

ok i replaced the spark plugs with a new set of ngk stock ones and it started up like a champ, sounded normal and took less than a second to start.

So i guess the improper running has been fixed with the plugs, im gonna put the gas tank back on and go out to buy some clear hose in a day or two, that way i can see how much the carbs are still leaking into the airbox.  I don't know what size hose to get to check the float height so ill just guess hehe.

thanks for all the help so far, ill update again when i can.

ok after taking the gas tank off and letting the bike sit for a while, i replaced the plugs and it started up great.

I put the gas tank back on and it ran great for a few minutes, so i turned it off and decided to check the float level.  I used kerry's pic as a reference since i could not take a picture of it.  Here's how my float test went:



I took the bike for a short spin after checking the float height, it was the same on both sides.  It started perfect, ran fine for a few miles, but it did sound a little boggy and had a little lag in the revving once i twisted the throttle, but then the idle started to drop and the bike sounded really bogged down, at low rpms i had to keep it revved to keep it running, and it was a hassle to get it started off in first gear because it would bog down and stall with moderate amounts of throttle applied.  I got it home and checked and no gas has entered the airbox yet as far as I can tell.  So i'm wondering if my floats being set wrong will cause the bike to not idle, die, and not start without a good amount of throttle now that the system is filled up with gas again.  /sigh i just wanna ride her lol.  anyone know if lowering the float height will fix those problems or if there are other underlying problems here also?

i know im probably getting annoying with these questions but right now im at the point where i could go pull my carbs and im wondering if just adjusting the floats will more than likely fix all these problems =)

As I understand it, the carburetors rely on the float bowl fuel level to regulate fuel flow into the intake airstream (by providing hydrostatic pressure which drives fuel flow). If the fuel level is too high, it could result in an improper fuel mixture into the engine. You should definitely adjust the float height to correct this.

Let me know if you don't have a manual and I will post directions on how to.

Never having had my floats that high, I can't say from experience what the symptoms would be.   (Maybe Srinath can?)

But if you don't mind getting a little gasoline (and carb cleaner) on you, and you're fairly meticulous about keeping everything organized when you take something apart ... I'd say "pull those carbs". 

The only thing is ... I don't know if the float height numbers for the old-style carbs (14.6mm +/- 1.0mm) still holds for the newer carbs.

At any rate, it looks like I did a "step-by-step" (of sorts) back in [THIS OLD POST], along with a link to a full-page scan from the Haynes manual.

Good luck!

thanks guys, ill adjust the heights and see if it fixes it. I wish i had a computer in my garage, it's an apartment garage and there wasn't one available right by my apartment so its a few hundred feet away lol. ill do some printing and take things with me, i guess i should also go pick up some carb cleaner and some new ragcloths to work with.  ill post up my results

On a related topic, I found a thread in the FAQ describing how to set the float height: http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?topic=26604.0

Unfortunately, the pictures seem to have disappeared. Does anyone know how to get these pictures back?

ok i got my carbs off without too much hassle.  Lots of hoses and things ill be trying to remember the spots for later hehe.

anyways it looks like the previous owner of the bike has done some "work" to it before i got to it.  The screws that hold the float bowls on are halfway stripped and even with a good grip seem impossible to get out with a philips head, so now im gonna get a dremel set and dremel slots in the screws to try to get them out with a flathead.

basically with the carbs off I can make the needed adjustments just by taking off the float bowls correct?  thanks for the replies while i head to sears for a new screwdriver set and a dremel set  new tools are a plus

also i found a great use for those spare beer bottles from wrenching that are laying around in the garage, if i dont have a clean container to recycle my fuel, here's a new idea !!

Quote from: beRto on February 11, 2008, 04:44:15 PMDoes anyone know how to get these pictures back?

  It looks like the pictures (including Dr. Love's missing avatar) were hosted at phas.ubc.ca ... possibly an on-campus, for-students-and-faculty site at the University of British Columbia?   My guess is that he/she "moved on".  They last logged onto GStwin on 16 May 2007.

All I can think of is to PM them and hope they have email notification turned on.  Or, ask an admin to forward an email for ya (to their "hidden" email address).

Gotta love broken links ...! 

I guess there is one more option: someone could take new photos! 

ubc = university of british columbia in vancouver canada

Quotealso i found a great use for those spare beer bottles from wrenching that are laying around in the garage, if i dont have a clean container to recycle my fuel, here's a new idea !!

Careful! That could be dangerous if you leave it lying around unlabelled.

Quote from: Meph on February 11, 2008, 04:57:19 PMbasically with the carbs off I can make the needed adjustments just by taking off the float bowls correct?  thanks for the replies while i head to sears

If all you are looking to do is set the float heights (and clean out the float needle seat, and a jet or two) then yes ... you can get to all of that stuff by pulling the float bowls.

The photo below is from an '01/'02 carb, but hopefully it will provide some good hints.



Meph?  Meph?  Awwww, he left already.  Hopefully he'll be able to find some replacement float bowl screws while he's out. 

got the bowls off, annnnd reset the float height, got everything back together (after much cussing and such) and the float height seems to be perfect on both sides now, less than a millimeter off of the gasket, now my only problem is that my bike wont start    ran the battery dead trying to start it. Soooooo.... dunno what to do now.   

Are you fairly sure that you got all of the hoses reconnected right?

Just for completeness' sake ('cause this has bit me more than once) ... did you reopen the tank petcock and PRIme the carbs?

Does anything come out when you open the float bowl drain screws?

Oh, and just curious: did you happen to clean the jets while you had the carbs off?  (Soak 'em in carb cleaner for, oh, 15 minutes ... and then blow 'em out and/or run a toothbrush bristle through 'em?)  If not, no big deal, I guess.  Just fishing for data we may need in the future.

im pretty sure i connected everything back exactly how it came off,

The carbs were filled with gas, which is how i saw that my float levels are correct now 

i did forget to mention that it was making some funny blip and bloop (yea real good description eh lol) noises when i was trying to start it, it wanted to start a few times but the throttle killed it and it sounded all blippy, and when i let go of the starter there was always one noticable bloop noise right when it stopped turning over.

no, i did not clean the jets, i didn't want to mess with anything more than what i knew i was doing heh 

Quote from: Meph on February 11, 2008, 10:13:19 PMThe carbs were filled with gas, which is how i saw that my float levels are correct now 

DUH!  My bad.  See, I told you I had been bitten before.    "There's always a second time." 

Quote from: Meph on February 11, 2008, 10:13:19 PMi did forget to mention that it was making some funny blip and bloop (yea real good description eh lol) noises when i was trying to start it, it wanted to start a few times but the throttle killed it and it sounded all blippy, and when i let go of the starter there was always one noticable bloop noise right when it stopped turning over.

Hmmmm.  "Blip"s and "bloop"s.  I'll have to think about that one....

Quote from: Meph on February 11, 2008, 10:13:19 PMno, i did not clean the jets, i didn't want to mess with anything more than what i knew i was doing heh 

No problem - thanks for the data. 

while the engine was turning over the noises werent really there, but at the end of each try it would be a loud noticable one and if i put on any throttle at all it was also noticable. 

i'll have a little time to work on it today so i hope i can get it running, I would hate to have to take it in at this point cause i can't really afford it.