Hi guys,

Fired up this bad boy yesterday, putting the biggest grin on my face...
...but not for long...

Took it around the block but it then started to flood gasoline all down my leg so i had to pull over fast, ha! So, turned the tap off but it then wouldnt even start, so i had to push it back... boooo!
However it then started 10mins later... where i was able to find the hose leaking fuel.

Bike has been sitting outside for more than 2years sadly...

Pretty sure its carb 1 or 2 flooding... hmm due to float stuck (from stale petrol etc.)??

is there a quick/temporary fix for this please?
Seafoam??
Blasting any crap out of the carbs by not taking them out of the bike?? hmm either by compressed air (after removing tank of course), or by revving the engine more high??
((i really dont want to have to take the carbs out! **gulp** ))

OR im guessing one of the hoses could be 'worn'/pinched/routed badly?
Maybe i seated the airbox badly? (il double check that tomorow).
breather or overflow hoses from tank related?
is there a fuel pump i should check/open/inspect?

Safe to 'clamp' the leaking hose?? to increase pressure in the carb (or will this damage it)

PHOTOS ATTACHED for clear indication

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I started with replacing the battery, emptying the tank completely then put 4L inside, opened and wd40'd both left and ride hand switches, incl throttle and choke cables...
Drained the carbs (dark green fuel came out, ew!), checked the air box, filter and throttle valves to see if theyre moving together in line.
Sprayed carb and brake cleaner down each intake hoping some will get into the carbs!
*didnt take carbs out.
*didnt check spark plugs.
*didnt check regulator or electrics, but they seem ok!
*didnt change oil (not yet).

++ Bike fired up with half choke and little throttle. (still little stubborn though)

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limited tools, but i can do most jobs myself and am a keen learner. i have a manual but still unsure if this model is f2 or f3. doesnt matter imminently.

cheers very much

 

To me, your bike appears to be a F2. Vacuum operated petcock and not a bunch of hoses for the low speed ram air that the F3 has. I know you dont want to pull the carbs but if green stuff drained from them like you said I would pull the carbs. But I've done it enough I could pretty much do it with my eyes shut.

 

What Frank said, if you got a petcock you got an F2. An F3 would have no petcock, a fuel pump, a ram air duct under the headlight opposed to two holes in the sides, and a divider "pillar" in the inspection hole fairings where an F2 has just one big hole per side. The tail is also different but those would be the most obvious differences.

I remember being intimidated by the carbs as well but once you`ve done it once or twice it`s actually a really straightforward job -even if outside in the drizzle, but you`re brit put on your mackintosh, hop on those wellies and you`ll be done when the kettle whistles


In all seriousness you most probly have a stuck float or two. If you keep the carb bank together you shouldn`t have to sync the carbs afterwards, you can just pry them out, flip them over and pop the bowls in place without even detaching the throttle cables I`ve done it myself that way. Keep in mind the carb boots have a tendency to harden over time so the carbs might be well stuck and some prying and levering is probably needed. Inspect the boots as they also get brittle and might tear amidst the battle so you might or might not need to replace them

 

Not to step on anyones toes but I do believe the F3 has a petcock also. Its just not vacuum operated like the F2 is. The F3 has the fuel pump because of the ram air. The F2 has no ram air so it dont need the fuel pump. And the ram air hoses I was talking about not seeing are the ones under the tank for the F3 ram air etc.

 

CMF is correct concerning the F3 petcock situation.
Having said that, green stuff flowing from F3 carbs isn't necessarily a bad thing as coolant routes through the carbs. So if the coolant were of the green variety, and happened to be coolant, then it could be normal.
I have no idea if F2's are like that though.
I do agree that you probably have stuck floats though.

 

Nope. No coolant runs through F2 carbs.

 

I kind of thought that from what I've learned on here but wasn't sure.

 

Is there a such thing anywhere that a fluid other than fuel flows through the carbs?

 

I stand corrected remembered that since it has the pump it hasn't got a petcock at all, but a quick picture googling showed that indeed there is the dial disc right where it's on the F2 as well. (duh, shoulda done that yesterday)

 

Carbs don't get hot like an engine does - so there's no need for coolant. Fuel and air are the only things that go in and through carbs.

I'd just take the carbs off and clean them... I understand the hesitation to do so, but its easy and straightforward. If it was sitting for 2 years, I don't see any way around it

Get a tiny bowls for the jets and needle valves.

Keep the floats and carb bowls separate to which carb they came off of.

There's thousands of tutorials out there. Watch a few. CV carbs are generally the same despite the bike they come off of.