Bike sitting for a while - Carb issue?

My bike has been sitting for a while, over a months time. Doesn't seem to run well and is really weak and when revving high it will miss and doesn't seem very strong. Ran great b4 letting it sit. I think it's carb related. I called a shop and they told me to bring the carbs in....he said that if the bike is sitting for too long the additives in the fuel will mess the carbs up...and that I should remove the carbs and bring it to him so that they can go through them and clean it. It's going to cost about $150 for him to do it. Can someone verify that this is probably the issue. And is there a alternative that I can do for a quick fix?

I had the same issue with a bike I just bought. The PO said the bike worked great when he last had it out, I took it for a test drive and it ran rough. Later on I added a little carb cleaner to the gas tank and seemed to clear things up. I would also make sure you are using fresh gas. I'd also check all the usual stuff, battery, plugs, etc.

Post edited by: kainh, at: 2006/09/27 16:43

Sitting for a month should not hurt a thing, 6 months is another story. I don't believe the carbs could gum up that quickly.

No carbs should not mess up in a month like Ron said. Unless your tank is dirty and rust or such is in fuel system. Do you have gas filters? Also, $150 to have someone clean your carbs.....man.... that would make me tackle the job myself this winter. Pretty good instructions in the archives. It's not that hard. Plus knowledge is POWER!

Yah, come to think of it the tank does have rust, so perhaps that is another possible issue. I do not have an inline fuel filter. Guess I'm going to have to put that on the to do list. I'm going to try some of that sea foam stuff though and run it for a while to see if it cleans up. Anyone have luck with sea foam?