Fuel problem

[B_Ott]

So I have not started my bike in about a month. I jump start it to fire it up and it starts. I let it run for a good 10 minutes. It will not stay above idle. If I put the choke on it jumps up to 5k rpms then falls back down and stays idling. I run down and bring back a gallon of new gasoline to put in it thinking it may be out. This does not change anything. I then go to take it off of reserve, and the lever will not move. It is stuck on reserve for some reason. Is this a sign of something?

EDIT: Bike now holds 5k rpms with choke on. But without choke bogs with any acceleration.

[brennahm]

What kind of bike. You likely need to totally clean the carbs...

[64BonnieLass]

I'm thinking carbs too. When I owned the lil 250 ninjette, I had the same issue. And the lil reserve switch would kinda stick a bit. (but I could still move it)

Take the bike in, and get those scrubbed. Unless you can do it yourself.

And during the winter, and summer (if you don't ride much) you need to keep starting that bike to keep the fuel flowing. So it doesn't settle and clog.

[B_Ott]

I just downloaded the service manual so hopefully if the weather is nice I can clean the carbs.

Any suggestions on unsticking the reserve? It will not move at all. I am scared to try turning it too hard and break something.

[buzzardman36]

If your battery was totally dead and then you jump started it. It could be an electronic fuel issue, or an electronic ignition issue. You should start by dis-conecting the Bat and fully charge it then hook it back up. Same issue with my Honda last yr. If that doesn't work, then I'm out of suggestions.

[Jim_Vess]

Any suggestions on unsticking the reserve? It will not move at all. I am scared to try turning it too hard and break something.

Drain the gas (it's probably bad anyway), pull the petcock off the tank, and rebuild it. You can get petcock rebuild kits from Bike Bandit.

Also check your fuel filter, it may be gummed up too.

Whenever there is a chance your bike is not going to be ridden for an extended period of time, add a fuel stabilizer, like Stabil, to your gas. Then run the bike for about 5 minutes to get the Stabil into the carbs. That should help prevent the issues your having now.

[B_Ott]

As far as cleaning the carbs goes, Is it necessary to disassemble them? In the service manual it calls for disassembling the carbs, cleaning, then reassembling. I read that syncing the carbs can be quite a pain. I was wondering if I could just uninstall them, clean off all the dirt, then soak in carb cleaner without completely disassemling?

Also I have to remove gas tank to get to carbs, but the fuel level tap is stuck on reserve so I can not turn it to OFF to remove the tank. What is the best way of draining the gas tank for removal?

[Jim_Vess]

As far as cleaning the carbs goes, Is it necessary to disassemble them? In the service manual it calls for disassembling the carbs, cleaning, then reassembling. I read that syncing the carbs can be quite a pain. I was wondering if I could just uninstall them, clean off all the dirt, then soak in carb cleaner without completely disassemling?

Also I have to remove gas tank to get to carbs, but the fuel level tap is stuck on reserve so I can not turn it to OFF to remove the tank. What is the best way of draining the gas tank for removal?

At the very minimum, you'll need to pull off the float bowls. It's not a good idea to let the carbs soak in assembled carbs soak in carb cleaner. The cleaner will ruin the rubber parts and you carbs will develop vacuum leaks. To do the job right, it's best to take the carbs apart. Search on-line for a forum specific to your bike model. There's a good bet someone on there has an awesome set of directions on carb cleaning.

Disconnect the fuel line from the carb rack and drain the fuel from the tank into a gas can.

[B_Ott]

After further research I found out the boiling in lemon juice way. This seems much easier and everyone claims it to be just as affective. I should have it done by monday or tuesday and will post my results.