There are some points in life where its fun to be a little dirty.. That’s best found on another post ..on another blog. This post is all about your dirty jets soldier.
This time a year, we are in full motorcycle mode. If you have one , you’re looking for another one. If you have 2, you are looking for a part for the first one. If you do find yourself shopping the favorite sites: Craigslist; LetGo; Ebay, you’ll be seeing many bikes with outrageous prices like $500 for a pristine looking GS 1100 with some buzz words to be aware of.
- Doesn’t run
- Bad idle
- Wont run unless on choke
- Can’t rev to high RPM
The common man will read this and think, “well crud, it must be a lost cause”. Not the MidLifeMotoz man (or woman). We read that and go, sweet!. I was going to rip it apart and rebuild the carbs anyway. The common theme with the discount bike or the bike that isn’t running is DIRTY JETS (and just dirty carbs/ports/passages). So… When was the last time you ripped into your carbs?
Ye Old Bike
The beauty of an old bike is the simplicity. The analog nature of the controls, the open/exposed engine components, the air cooling fins, and the row of carbs. The carbs though, are an evil creation from a mad scientist in some dark lab somewhere. Filled with little holes, screws, brass components, springs, rubber bits, and even clips. When i say little holes, I mean even the little holes have pieces with little holes in them that can clog. So at the end of the day, a clog in one hole, inside another hole, beside another hole, will cause your bike to either not run, run erratic, or run only when choked.
The job its self doesn’t have to be impossibly complicated though. I’ve posted on my initial efforts getting my old GS 550 back to life. There are many resources out there. YouTube, GS RESOURCES, and other Motorcycle focused sites. Just GTS (Google That Shit).
Take time and think about what could be wrong. It could be just your dirty jets!