I have had my hurricane since new in 1987. In 1991 I put a K+N filter in,and for a while I ran a Vance and Hines slip on. I am back running the stock exhaust. The bike still runs strong. I have run seafoam every 10th tank of fuel. I live at 3500 feet above sea level. The carbs have never been off the bike. The fuel filter has never plugged. How dirty do you think the carbs will be? I will pull them off and inspect them and post pictures.

 

unless the bike is giving you problems, I see no reason to pull em off. chances are you wont really see much dirt if you've kept fuel system cleaner run through the bike every now and again, and kept the fuel filter changed regularly.

 

the outsides might be dirty, but i'm gonna have to say the insides will be pretty clean.
make sure you order all new o-rings for the vents, inlet tubes, and float bowl. be extra carefull if you take the vacum slides apart.
if you find anything, i bet it will be hardend silt in the bottom of the floatbowls. but that is unlikely if you've ran this bike consitantly.

 

shouldnt need o rings for the vents as the carbs never need to be separated for a cleaning.

 

If it ain't broke.....
I only had my carbs off once in 1989 to put in the Dynojet kit and never since then. I've crashed it, let it sit for a couple of years and resurrected it and still runs strong. I do believe in preventative maintainence, but pulling the carbs just for a let's see...... hmmmm......

 

yea odds are if youve never had the carbs apart your float bowl gaskets are dried up so if you remove the float bowls theyre going to need replaced......and they aint cheap.

 

My bike is stuttering at idle...almost like a cylinder isnt firing. Yet it runs at speed smooth as butter.

 

check your plug wires then. also pilot jets.

 

It just seems to me that there are a lot of threads about carbs and carb problems. It makes me curious to see how bad they are. As an original owner I know what the bike has been through from day one. If anything it may build confidence in the people who have recently aquired an older bike that the first thing to tackle is not necessarily the carbs. I have three hurricanes so I can afford to indulge my curious nature... More to come.

 

i always pull the carbs on any new to me bike. usualy on dirtbikes there is just one and its pretty easy to get to. but on a bike you dont know the history of, its always a good idea to make sure the carbs aren't the cause of any problems. when someone buys a bike that runs rough, usualy its multiple problems from lack of maintenance. i alwaysadjust valves, change filters, and check electrical connections on any vehicle i buy.