Sure enough. Mine did the same thing. At the beginning though it was intermittent. It would run fine one day and the next it would suck the tear just right and not let any fuel out. Eventually it got bad enough it was doing it all the time. It's worth checking, it'll take you 15 minutes to tear the tank off but it in fact was running out of fuel because if the diaphram not opening to allow fuel to flow.
That would be the first place to check.......sounds like a fuel flow issue.

Good luck....keep us posted.

 

I hate to admit it but i brought it to the shop. I replaced the air filter and problem continued. Living in an apartment with no garage is not the ideal place to work on a bike. However the mechanic agreed he feels something is in the carb after we had some heavey rains the last couple weeks. Wish me luck poor college boy can only afford so much. Also gonna probably have them throw new chain and sprockets on while its in.

 

Question: If water's getting into the carbsthen fuel should be coming out at that same spot, no?

 

Perhaps if we'd known that the bike was subject to a downpour...

I honestly don't think the gas cap is capable of keeping out all water, especially if it's raining hard for weeks. And the fuel lines are probably a little hard by now, allowing moisture to seep in on the joints that face upward or even sideways. Plus I'm sure water vapor could sneak right in through the air intakes and down into the nitty gritty if humidity is 100% for so long.

Or it's just the diaphragm...

Or a leaky petcock sucking water in...

Or a gremlin battling a gnome...

 

Checked the plugs yet??

 

brought it to the shop and they say it most likley needs carbs rebuilt. i contacted the owener before me and he said he has never touched the carms it always ran great. so 26k miles is it itme for new carbs or should i get a second opionion? also the shop said 700 for complete rebuild of the carbs and all that. what do you guys say?

 

I say you are getting bent over at that price. They better be some flat slided Miks for that price!!
If anything, download the service manual and do it.....or better yet (forgot you dont have garage) browse your local motorcycle forums and see if anyone there could help you out. That price is WAYYY too high for me.

Also, i've ridden all of my bikes in some pretty damn hard rain and for hundreds of miles at a crack and it's sat in the rain before and not once have I had water get into anything that caused a problem. I'm sure it CAN happen, but i doubt highly that is your problem unless you pushed it into a lake and then tried to start it.
There is never a time for new carbs unless you WANT to buy bigger ones. They can be rebuilt and rebuilt for less than that. there is no mileage involved really, they get more abuse from sitting than anything. It could have gotten a clogged jet while running......but I would be willing to bet it's somewhere else before the carbs.

Did he or you check the fuel flow from start to finish or does he just assume the carbs are bad?

 

I had this problem! my number 3 jet had come unscrewed inside the bowl and when i was try to open the it up it was sucking air and gas so it fell on its face. and it wouldnt idle for chit, it would bounce from 800-1500 and everywhere in between. also a good freind of mine had gotin some gunk in his carbs and it made his floats stick so he was getting no fuel then he was getting way to much fuel and the bike was flooding out. just some things to look into but i think its in your carbs. ive had my carbs off 10 times its simple to do dont spend 700 i say get a jet kit come back on and tell us you have it hell ill call you and walk you threw the hole i would hate to see you waste your money like that. or hell ill take my carbs off my bike take pictures of every step and post the pics.

 

I can't recommend enough the money-saving satisfaction of doing it yourself. This manual is the best I've come across, it's nearly an inch and a half thick with step-by-step instructions geared toward 'someone who may be working on the bike for the first time'. There's plenty of troubleshooting advice as well. If you have even the slightest mechanical aptitude, this book is for you.



And inexpensive, too!