• Required reading for all forum users!!!

    Welcome!
    Register to access the full functionality of the GSResources forum. Until you register and activate your account you will not have full forum access, nor will you be able to post or reply to messages.

    A note to new registrants...
    All new forum registrations must be activated via email before you have full access to the forum.

    A Special Note about Email accounts!
    DO NOT SIGN UP USING hotmail, outlook, gmx, sbcglobal, att, bellsouth or email.com. They delete our forum signup emails.

    A note to old forum members...
    I receive numerous requests from people who can no longer log in because their accounts were deleted. As mentioned in the forum FAQ, user accounts are deleted if you haven't logged in for the past 6 months. If you can't log in, then create a new forum account. If you don't get an error message, then check your email account for an activation message. If you get a message stating that the email address is already in use, then your account still exists so follow the instructions in the forum FAQ for resetting your password.

    Have you forgotten your password or have a new email address? Then read the forum FAQ for details on how to reset it.

    Any email requests for "can't log in anymore" problems or "lost my password" problems will be deleted. Read the forum FAQ and follow the instructions there - that's what we have one for...

  • Returning Visitors

    If you are a returning visitor who never received your confirmation email, then odds are your email provider is blockinig emails from our server. The only thing that can be done to get around this is you will have to try creating another forum account using an email address from another domain.

    If you are a returning visitor to the forum and can't log in using your old forum name and password but used to be able to then chances are your account is deleted. Purges of the databases are done regularly. You will have to create a new forum account and you should be all set.

Out of Winter Storage Mystery

  • Thread starter Thread starter WingMan71
  • Start date Start date
Fjbj40 said:
Simple things first. Have you tried the fuel cock in prime yet? In other words are you getting adequate fuel.
Click to expand...

Yes. Tried the fuel petcock in the Prime position. No difference.

Bike is getting plenty of fuel since she runs fine at speed. She just has NO off-idle performance. Nearly dies whenever throttle is rolled on from idling.

Had tons of off-idle performance when I put her up in late December.
 
Pull the plugs and see if they are black. If they are, change them out and start freshy fresh. I know it sounds simple but last year my GK wouldn't run for anything after the winter layup. I changed the plugs and she ran like new. It something easy and cheap to try anyway. :)
 
Last edited:
Believe it or not the guy that I got my bike from let it sit unused for year and a half - he claimed he doubled dose it with stabil. Fresh gas run in with stabil has always been good to me.
 
Did you check the air box, make sure a mouse didn't make itself a winter home around the air filter?
 
Think there are fuel problems now??? Wait till "E15" is pushed through. Sounds like you will have to pull the carbs and check through them again.
 
When you pull them youll likely find plugged pilot jets, the emulsion tubes are all brownish and half the holes clogged, and the bottoms of the bowls will be stained. This is from the fuel sitting and evaporation. Sorry to tell you this but your gonna need to clean the jets and an overnight soak of the bodies..since they are off the bike already...will be in order.

Next time dont believe all the "just run it till it stalls" or the "put some seafoam or stabil in it " crap. The ONLY TRUE WAY to have trustable carbs after a hibernation is to do exactly what the manuals tell you to do. Which is to DRAIN THE BOWLS. And by DRAIN they mean via the drain screws so there isnt that little bit below the main jets still sitting there once the bike "stalls"!!!!! I have 8 bikes and I have also cleaned and recleaned carbs too many times with your same problem after the winter and found the things i described. I drain the bowls now and never a hiccup...ever.
 
Very few things in life have "only one true way"! Life would be boring ! Try reaching the bowl drains on the lower carbs on a V-6 outboard and you'll wish you ran the stabilizer in during that last dash.
I've had no problems on all sorts of motors with stabil run in. It won't fix clogged carbs but it sure seems to prevent gunk from vacationing in them.
 
It's Fixed ! ! !

It's Fixed ! ! !

IT'S FIXED ! ! ! :cheerful:

Here's what I did:

1. Drained the fuel bowls. Gas did not look that bad at all. Just a little bit yellow, but not bad.

2. Removed the tank and drained all the fuel out of it. Same deal. Really didn't look that bad. Just a tad yellow.

3. Next I went with my clever idea that nobody commented on: Basically, I back-flushed the pilot circuit. I completely removed the pilot screws and sprayed a jet of carb cleaner directly into the bottom of the pilot screw hole with the red straw on the carb cleaner can. The red straw is a perfect fit in the hole in the very bottom of the pilot screw port, so I could really get a pressurizes shot of carb cleaner in there. Gave it a couple of shots until I could actually hear the flow of carb cleaner through the pilot circuit into the carb. At first I got a little splash back from #2 and #3 carbs, but then it opened up and started to flow into the carb. I could actually hear it flow.

4. Put the pilot screws all back in and set them all to 2+3/4 turns out, which was were they were set when I put the bike up in December.

Success! Bike runs great again!

Thanks for all the ideas.

Lesson learned: I'll never put the bike up again without draining the fuel bowls, Stabil or no Stabil.
 
Last edited:
Went to the storage unit and got out the 79 1000S today. Hadn't been started since around September last year. Full 6 months at least. Did the first of spring oil change, dumped in a gallon of gas ( tank was drained as were the bowls ) set petcock to PRIme and fired off in seconds and idled like the day I put her away.

There may not be a "1 true way " as someone stated but there is one RIGHT way. If everyone would just follow the directions in the service manuals so many problems would simply not happen.
 
Try that for 8 months and see the problems that you will get. The gaskets and o-rings WILL dry out. Fresh fuel, drain the bowls, refill bowls, quality stabilizer and it will work just fine. Been doing it that way for years.

Now perhaps if your bike is stored for just a few months draining the bowls would be just fine. However we do not all live in an area where the bike sleeps for just a few months.

When I put the bike away for a period of more than a year, which has happened, I drain the bowls, tank and put a gallon of 5-10 weight oil, I actually use an inhibiting oil for aircraft fuel delivery systems, in the tank and select prime to fill the bowls. Did that and the bike sat for 2 years. Drained the tank, bowls, added a gallon of gas, sloshed around, drained tank and bowls and she fired up and ran just fine.

Point is there is more than one way of doing things and more than one way of doing things the CORRECT way. Every different situation warrants a different remedy.

Too many people say this is the ONLY way of doing things..........
 
"Too many people say this is the ONLY way of doing things.........."

yes, indeed. Best to learn to entertain opposing viewpoints with open mind- it costs you nothing.
 
Just Reading this and wished to ad ,,,...Use an alcohol Type comparable fuel stabilizer, Not the red **** from Canadian Tire. That red stuff is pure crap. I had a bottle and it actually solidified in the boottom of the container,,, had a chunk in it??? Ive always used Stabil but ,,,the cleanflow seems good alo. Mike
 
madmikeracing said:
... Use an alcohol Type comparable fuel stabilizer, Not the red **** from Canadian Tire.
Click to expand...

While the advice is probably prudent, the original poster has about the same chance of using that "***" from Canadian Tire that I do. :-k

Sorry, but we are not going "north of the border" to get stuff, especially if it is considered to be "***".
tongue.gif


.
 
I really like this thread, interesting reading on peoples ideas.

Here is my opinion on a few of those things.

Yes ethanol is evil.
The alcohol separates leaving water with bonding particles found naturally in corn behind. (there is a name for these particles but I cannot think of it, used in many products) enzmines?
The longer left sitting the better these particles bond.
Freezing temps speed up the separation and settling of the ethanol from the gasoline causing the particles to bond quicker still.
Different parts of the country change the ethanol content of gasoline with projected temps so as to cause less problems in a attempt to stem the public's ire on being forced to use ethanol.
This past winter had some very very cold spells on the east coast that many were not prepared for.

Fuel stabilizer is a great investment.
Choosing the correct type for your needs is very important.
Some stabilizers are made better then others.

For those who are storing a bike for a long time draining the fuel from everything will save you money time and labor in the long run.
For those storing a bike for a short time stabilizer, running for several miles to flush carbs with stabilizer, and then draining bowls is usually enough.
Don't forget your battery tender!

Shortcuts may work in one part of the world with warmer more stable temps may not work in another part of the world with colder quickly changing temps in this matter.

Most of what I have typed above is from information found on this site and doing the math to reach conclusions.
The information on enzymes is gleamed from knowledge on products using corn enzymes just for their bonding properties.


Great for the original poster for coming up with a quick solution after reading Steve"s post on how another solution would not help.

There will almost always be some gunk in your tank from the buildup of particles and contamination from pump gasoline.
Periodically running fuel additives will help keep this from causing problems.


Guinness is good!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top