I've always used seafoam with pretty good results. I pulled and cleaned my carbs about a month ago but I still dump some seafoam in a full tank about once a month, seems to help keep them cleaned out and it'll actually up the octane of the fuel. If I could find a good lucas oil fuel treatment I'd at least try it, lucas oil makes excellent products. The other good thing about seafoam is you can actually add it to the oil as well and get a all around engine treatment

 

i've just had leaking fuel from 4 months of side-stand storage. i expected the worst and was quoted AUD $1000 for carb servicing. i had a can of LIQUI-MOLY CARB & VALVE CLEANER on the shelf, so i gave it a try. i drained the fuel tank of all but 2 liters of petrol and put in 10 times the recommended dose of Liqui Moly. i ran the engine for 1 hour over 4 successive days at 1000, then 2000, then 3000 rpm variations. it blew smoke at the beginning, then started settling down. the misfiring stopped and i set the petcock to OFF and let the fuel bowls empty themselves til the engine sputtered out, then i used full choke til it sputtered out again. this really cleaned out the choke circuit. logically, it can only have been the float and needle valve causing the leaks. the bike seems to be running perfectly now and i saved $1000.

i like LIQUI-MOLY because it's made in germany and they really take their chemistry seriously. the clincher was
1) the long high revving sessions at standstill
2) emptying the fuel bowl with the OFF petcock
3) finishing by emptying the choke circuit with the OFF petcock

 

Another reason is Old fuel bowl orings shrink when left on side stand as the fuel gradually
lowers in the fuel bowels usually beginning on the outer right side carb bowl.

Always best to store the bike upright on the center stand or a paddock stand and start it
every 2 weeks to keep the fuel bowls topped up, unless of course the fuel bowl orings
are relatively new.

 

That's a great tip for an alternative cleaner Bassman. I'm going to get some of that for sure.
While I was getting side tracked via your link to the Lucas shop I came across this stuff

http://www.lucasoil.co.uk/products.p...uct&product=98

for stabilising ethanol fuel which let's face it is what we're all having to use on a day to day basis.
Have any of you tried it. I can understand using something like this when putting a vehicle to bed for winter but regular dosing? It's probably going to be a bit expensive in the long run and for what benefit.
Talking of Redex (which Hawk mentioned), I used that in a Diesel van I owned for 11 years and every year the MOT test emission figures got better. The test centres found it hard to believe but when I told them I used it regularly they always nodded knowingly. It just goes to show that you can't always fell a clean engine through the seat of your pants. I still use it once in a while in the CBR for good measure as long as I've a large bottle at a decent price.

Be interesting to see what everyone makes of the Lucas treatment.

 

Here's one opinion that advocates its use for various reasons.

http://www.wired2fish.com/real-world...nol-treatment/

I have to admit, I'm becoming more worried about the higher amounts of ethanol we have in the fuel after reading up on the nasty side effects, especially on older machines such as mine/ours. I'd have to think long and hard about starting to use a product like this on a regular basis when I'm filling the tank at least every other day.

 

I can't seem to find seafoam in Aus but found the Lucas Upper Cylinder Lubricant with Injector Cleaners and Fuel Conditioners(what a name!) at Supercheap Auto for just under $20 for a litre that treats 600 litres so I will give that a try

 

I use the Lucas Big Bottle stuff here too Jarvid - does a nice job

 

Just wanted to share my experience with a product I found and it has helped me and my fuel woes tremendously. I keep my 91 CBR1000F in the garage but krappy gas can still clog up your carbs/fuels system. A couple of years ago I went into the garage to fire up the old girl and to my dismay, she was hard to start and I couldn't keep it idling...bummer.

I figured it was the ethanol or bad batch of gas to blame so I dropped by Advance Auto to see what snake oil they might have, the counter guy asked what I was looking for and he led me to the lawn/small engine section (that's where they used to keep it) and he showed me this little pretty blue bottle of liquid with the words "Star Tron Enzyme Fuel Treatment" on it, he said it works.

I went home, emptied the tank, put half the bottle in (more is better, right?) put a couple of gallons of fresh gas in, with the help of some quik-start spray and a good battery, I finally got it started. After some nasty smoke out of the pipes and a good warm-up, I revved her up for a bit and got her running steady. I usually pour a couple of ounces every other tank to counter the evil ethanol and I've been pretty happy with the quick starts and better performance.

They carry it in Walmart now, the good word has gotten out, $7-$8 USD for an 8 ounce bottle, worth every penny to me, use it in my lawn tractor too, smooths out that rough idle after a winters storage. I have NO affiliation with this company, I wish I did...Good luck and Happy Trails

Star Tron Enzyme Fuel Treatment Gas and Diesel Additive