Last week I was elbow deep into two sets of carbs for a couple of current projects. After stripping a project bike of its bodywork, the first thing I deal with are the carburetors. Shown below is one of the reasons why. These o-rings and bowl gasket are from a bike which sat idle for ten years. Dried and shrunken, there was no way they would have held fuel. In fact, the owner tells me their leaking was the reason the bike was parked all those years ago.
(click on an image to enlarge)
(click on an image to enlarge)
Here's another reason to check the carbs on your project. This green/gold color is old fuel turning to varnish. When I removed these jets they were clogged with a black, sticky goo.
And here's what old gas will do to a slide bore. Despite soaking and gentle prodding, the plastic slide was cracked and ruined as I removed it.
The obvious lesson here is to keep fresh, treated fuel in your bike and recycle it often...by riding it!
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