kickstand leak

76 KZ900 Finally got her together and running after a complete resto. :woohoo: Needs some idle adjustment, but main side is strong. been on the center stand for a couple weeks with fuel in it, no carb leaks. had it out 2 left carbs leaked on the kick stand. on the center stand now, no leaks. Whats up with that? Not bowl gaskets, not bleeders, what only leaks when tilted? :blink:

Are the leaks from the overflow tubes? Ed

Define overflow tubes... There is a tube that the bowl kind of "goes around", then there are what I call drain tubes, that you use to drain the bowls. It appears though the tubes that come down next to the bowl in the front side of the carbs, the leak is in that area yes.

What you call the drain tubes is the overflow. Float height may be off. If on the sidestand does it just weep for a bit or does it drain continously? If continously it is a flaot oe two hanging up. If just for a bit I am guessing fuel level too high.
Wayne
Wayne

Gasoline might leak past an imperfect seal between the float bowl and the carb body, especially when the bike is tilted.

Good parts, with a good gasket, properly tightened, should provide a leak-proof seal against leakage between the float bowl and the carb body, even when the bike is tilted.

Would first assure that the gasket itself is in good condition.

On some carb models, it's possible to over-tighten the float bowl screws so much that the ear on the float bowl is bent just enough to prevent a proper leak-proof seal between the float bowl and the carb body.

If the ear is bent, it may usually be straightened without drama.

With good parts properly fitted, it isn't necessary to tighten the float bowl screws very much in order to provide a leak-proof seal against leakage between the float bowl and the carb body when the bike is tilted.

Many float bowl gaskets have been repeatedly used over and over for years, and remained leak-free.

Good Fortune!

Does it stop on its own after some fuel has drained out? It may be that when on the side stand the fuel from the higher carbs (3 & 4) is flowing down to the lower carbs (1 & 2) and overflowing. It could also be that the floats in the carbs are not closing off all the way when they are leaning at an angle due to a bit of lateral friction. One other thought, have you checked where the fuel level in the bowls is set using the clear tube method? If the bike is leaning at an angle, and it the fuel level is set very high, it could be that the floats don’t rise high enough to close the float valves. Ed

don't park it on any blacktop surface, the gas will eat it and you will have to pick it up off the ground.