Original post is here
First watch the video
YouTube - ‪06-22-11 Carb problems? You decide‬‏

My bike started acting up about two days ago. It used to steady idle between 1100-1200 RPM. The weather changed a couple days ago and since then my bike has been idling at about 800-1000 RPM. The needle seems to bounce around a bit and at times the bike just shuts off! there is a slight odor of gasoline, but otherwise I don't hear any noise or notice anything else out of place.
I have put over 5k miles on the bike since I got it and with 48mm carbs I assume that maybe they need a good run through? Help me out.

0:00 - normal acceleration
0:54 - Acceleration, Stall, Acceleration to 0-100~ mph
3:14 - 2nd gear slip to neutral (another problem I have)
3:21 - low idle
4:42 - Slowing down in neutral with a stall
5:01 - stall while clutch-in in 1st gear

 

bump for late night post

 

a good carb cleaning is the only thing that really comes to mind. Not sure if you had your tank off lately, but checking to see that all hoses and vents are working properly would be a good check.

 

Thank Old Yeller. I am thinking the same thing, but wanted to check with ya'll who have had the bikes longer. I have only ever been in the carb of a gy6 so I suppose it learnin time.


- Kerker Exhausts
http://www.supertrapp.com/product_sections/cat.asp?CatID=37
- KN filter(I didnt put it in) cleaned every 8 weeks
- Unknown jetting
- Spark plugs new in march
- Petcock new in march
- I have Chemtool b12 in the tank now and run seafoam or chemtool b12 through a fresh tank every few months.
- I bought the bike with 28k and have over 33 now.
- the vacuum line is secure I checked it yesterday.
- this started when the weather turned stormy this week
- I am essentially at sea level

Can I run the bike on seafoam like in this article?
Motorcycle Carb Adjustment - webBikeWorld
seems sketchy

 

If it just started when it became stormy (in rain that is) check the tank vent line to see if it needs to be cut at an angle down at the end of it.. It tends to be in a pocket that fills with water that cuts air to the tank off and ends up starving the bike of fuel.

edit: also reach under the right side of the tank and increase the idle slightly.

 

It's certainly possible to run B12 or Seafoam through the carb as the article describes. it's not all that different from fuel injector cleaning that they feed clearner through them and watch the white smoke pour out the exhaust. I'm not really sure about the affect it might have on the engine. I've never done it myself.

I once saw a thread from someone who did some home-testing of B12 vs Seafoam for soaking carb parts to remove gunk. They actually found that B12 did a better job of loosening things up. many swear by seafoam though.

 

I had actually been using a plastic 1 oz cup to measure my seafoam dosages. When I switched to b12(price) I poured some in the cup and the bottom of the plastic cup fell out almost immedietly and the walls disolved onto my hands. Im thinking b12 might be stronger lol.

 

I've used Barreyman's B12 since the mid '70s, when I worked in and managed a tune-up shop. It's the best.

I used to clean carbon deposits from engines by having the tech that worked with me run the car on the dyno under load at 55 mph, while I poured B12 out of a can directly into the carb. That worked great, and no engine harm as could happen when some old mechanics would try that with water from a coke bottle.

But there's no substitute for a good carb disassemble and clean.

 

So do I need to remove all of the coolant to do this? or can I get away with draining the carbs only? I probably need to refresh the coolant anyways, but it seems like such a bother to take it all out. at this moment. After work I am headed to Sears to get the craftsmen 18mm spark socket; when I changed it last time we used Saige69's socket. I am a little fearful about what the plugs will tell me based on the amount of oil my engine has been eating.

 

If you're talking about removing the carbs, there is no need to drain anything.

 

Ok cool, I was under the impression I had to since its listed in the manual, but it seemed like the coolant would drain down while the bike was shut off.