Having lined up garage space to use for a few days (lots of rain in the forecast, too) while I sorted my starting issue (either solved, or laughing at me for having fallen for the simple problem it let me find)  I decided to sort my fuel hose mess (prior owner/mechanic put just about everything that could be put on backwards on backwards.)

I started draining from the carb bowls, partly to see what the petcock is really doing, and then to get fuel out of the main hose before I switch to draining out via the main hose - fuel tank is, inconveniently, starting nearly full, and one of the backwards things is the tank petcock, so I can't shut that off.

***Bike has been running just fine*** and it's been getting ridden regularly, and getting filled up with fresh gas.

Yet the first little bit to come out of the carb drains on both sides was a dark, nasty, viscous slime, before we got to something more closely resembling gasoline.

This causes me to think that using those carb drains on a regular basis - perhaps with the 600 mile chain services - might be a good thing. Of course, I don't know when the last time mine might have been drained was - but they've been running for a few hundred miles for me, without any apparent problem - and also without this gunk mixing in and being burned. Getting it out presumably is better than having it in there.

Quote from: DoD#i on July 23, 2008, 01:15:07 PM
Having lined up garage space to use for a few days (lots of rain in the forecast, too) while I sorted my starting issue (either solved, or laughing at me for having fallen for the simple problem it let me find)  I decided to sort my fuel hose mess (prior owner/mechanic put just about everything that could be put on backwards on backwards.)

I started draining from the carb bowls, partly to see what the petcock is really doing, and then to get fuel out of the main hose before I switch to draining out via the main hose - fuel tank is, inconveniently, starting nearly full, and one of the backwards things is the tank petcock, so I can't shut that off.

***Bike has been running just fine*** and it's been getting ridden regularly, and getting filled up with fresh gas.

Yet the first little bit to come out of the carb drains on both sides was a dark, nasty, viscous slime, before we got to something more closely resembling gasoline.

This causes me to think that using those carb drains on a regular basis - perhaps with the 600 mile chain services - might be a good thing. Of course, I don't know when the last time mine might have been drained was - but they've been running for a few hundred miles for me, without any apparent problem - and also without this gunk mixing in and being burned. Getting it out presumably is better than having it in there.

Good call. When I remember to I drain the bowls, and there is -always- some water /trash in there. The chain service interval sounds like a good time to do things.