Service

SERVICE

The $200 carburetors

I own two Kawasaki KZ305 motorcycles, one with 1400 miles on it, the other one a tad over 2000 miles. Both have chronic carburetor problems: Sometimes they will only run on one cylinder, at other times they leak mass quantities of fuel from the overflow tubes. I’ve spent over $200 in the last year trying to fix the problem. Obviously, my dealer doesn’t have a handle on the problem. What can I do short of trading both of them for a pair of Suzukis?

John N. Ayres Jermyn, Pennsylvania

Judging by your description of the symptoms, both of your Kawasakis are suffering from sticking carb floats. Fuel running from the overflow tubes is a clear indication of the floats sticking open; refusal to run on all cylinders indicates that either the affected cylinders have become flooded as a result of the floats sticking open, or fuelstarved as a result of the floats sticking closed.

In either case, you should remove the carbs, disassemble their float mechanisms, replace the needle and seat assemblies on all four of them, and clean all the fuel passages by blowing compressed air through them. Then carefully adjust the floats as prescribed in the shop manual, which instructs you to set the float level with the carburetor inverted. Once that is done, turn the carb right-side-up, which lets the float drop to its lowest point, then gently push upward on the float to see if it hangs up in any way. If the angle between the needle and the little tang on the float is too acute, the needle will bind in its seat and the float will stick open. If that happens, bend the tang a bit to increase the angle between it and the needle, then readjust the float level by slightly bending the float arms themselves.

Adjusting the floats in this way should eliminate the possibility of their hanging up. Your fuel-system problems also could be the result of small pieces of sediment causing the floats to stick. Cheek for this condition by inspecting the insides of the gas tanks and the fuel-petcock filters for any signs of corrosion inside the tanks.

Family car problems

The cast-type front wheel of my only family vehicle, a 1980 shaftdrive Suzuki GS1000G, has a bend in the area where the tire bead seats. This bend is only on one side, but the rim is bowed away from the tire bead about Vs of an inch. The metal doesn’t appear to be cracked and the wheel rolls smoothly but I’m worried. 1 don’t have a lot of money, and I know my dealer will recommend replacement of the wheel, which I can’t afford. I often ride two-up with saddlebags and a top box loaded with gear. Should I try to get the cash for another wheel or forget about the bend?

William Sanders Little Rock, Arkansas

Even though the wheel may look all right, the impact that dented it may also have compromised its structural integrity. The only way to verify the wheel's safety would be to have it Xrayed or magnafluxed, and the cost of doing so could come close to equaling that of a new wheel. So, our advice is to take no chances and park the bike until the wheel can be replaced or properly inspected. Nothing can be more heart-stopping than a sudden blow-out of the front tire—except maybe a front wheel that suddenly breaks.