Gas pouring out

[jvbailey3]

My 2007 RSV is leaking gas (a huge understatement) from the front of the bike after sitting up for a while. I had surgery on my knee last year around June 1st and could not ride till March of this year. I had another surgery this June 1st and it went much better than the previous one.

 

Anyway, I started the bike last month as I try to start it once every month or 2 when it sits up, with no problem. I went out today to start it up, it started, but gas came pouring out. I can't be sure where exactly, but it shouldn't be a freeze plug as the winter here was very mild this year and I had ridden since. I am not really handy with tools and am planning on bringing it to the shop, but wanted to have an idea as to what I was looking at having done.

 

TIA

 

Joe:bighug:

[steamer]

Stuck carb floats. Shut off the petcock, start it up and let it run out of gas. tap on the float bowls with a screwdriver open petcock see if it stops leaking.

[jvbailey3]

Stuck carb floats. Shut off the petcock, start it up and let it run out of gas. tap on the float bowls with a screwdriver open petcock see if it stops leaking.

 

 

Thanks,:cool10:

 

that seemed to get the problem resolved. Do you think I should give it a shot of SeaFoam next time I go to start it up?

 

Joe

[steamer]

QUOTE=jvbailey3;703482]Thanks,:cool10:

 

that seemed to get the problem resolved. Do you think I should give it a shot of SeaFoam next time I go to start it up?

 

Joe How old is the gas in it now? IF its old,drain it, fill with fresh gas and a good dose of sea foam. see if you can find gas in your area with out ethenyol in it.

[V7Goose]

As you already know, the problem was a stuck float, so my reply is simply to clue you in to a couple of other things you should know.

 

First, periodically starting your bike but not riding it for over 10 miles is the WORST think you can do to any vehicle that has been sitting. In this case, that practice directly contributed to your stuck float. This practice is ALWAYS bad, and it is REALLY REALLY bad in the wintertime.

 

Old gas turns to varnish and gum quickly - with the poor fuel formulas these days, this problem starts in as little as a week and gets progressively worse the longer it sits. If you are not actually RIDING the bike at least a couple of times a month, you should always use a fuel treatment.

 

Every time the bike is stopped, fuel starts to evaporate from the carbs. I do not know for sure how long it takes for all the gas to evaporate (leaving behind lots of gum and varnish), but a few weeks of sitting should do it. Once it is all gone, the carbs won't get any worse, no longer how long it sits. But EVERY TIME you turn on the key, the carbs get floode3d with more gas to evaporate, so each cycle just messes them up more. That is not even the biggest reason why you should NOT periodically start your engine, but it is significant.

 

After the period of time you described, along with your poor practice of regularly starting the engine, your carbs are now a REAL mess inside. Even if it seem to be running, you still have problems that need attention. A shop will probably charge you several hundred bucks to remove the carbs and clean them.

 

Even if you never started the bike after it began sitting (so the carbs would be relatively clean inside, the old gas sitting in the tank and fuel lines is a big problem after six months or more. It will not burn well, and the varnish and gums in it will clog your fuel filter and damage your fuel pump. After letting a bike sit so long, ALL the old gas should be drained before making even one attempt to start the engine.

 

I hope you get it sorted out,

Goose

[CaptainJoe]

:sign yeah that:

 

 

We've got a BINGO!

 

that's why I run my engines till they are outta gas. then drain gas out of the tank if i'm not going to be using it for a couple of months.

 

If you have gas that doesn't have ethanol in it, you can get away with as much as 6 months sit time. Your smaller engines will still need stabil if they are going to sit that long.

Edited July 29, 2012 by CaptainJoe

[dacheedah]

If you can get aircraft fuel it will not varnish.