Carburetor flooded...

Jetpack

Jetpack

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k, so first thing I wanna know is, how did this happen?
second is, I left my bike at T O cycle on lakeshore to fix it...she's still there
yeah so I don't know much about the mechanics of motorcycles...just wondering what I did to flood the carburetor:confused:
 
Piece of dirt stuck in the float valve preventing it from closing all the way?
 
Kinda tough to answer that question without any more information. May I ask why you took it to a mechanic to clear it? Next time try holding the throttle wide open (choke OFF) and crank (kick?) it over to clear the cylinders and dry the plugs. If it's just flooded and the plugs are only wet, not fouled, this will get it running.
 
It's not a kick start...

And I didn't know the carbs were flooded until the mechanic told me, she had a dead battery and I needed to get certified...figured, get it all done at the same place
 
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Likely temperature change. Carbs are finicky. As mentioned, when it does flood, open the throttle wide, and crank the engine over to clear the excess fuel from the cylinders. Your float/needle and seat is most likely the culprit. You can sometimes free them up by turning the fuel petcock off, opening the throttle wide, turn over the engine, if the cyls clear and engine starts run the engine 'till it dies (due to fuel petcock turned off). Once engine bogs to a stall, turn the petcock back to on...the sudden rush of fuel to the float bowl will usually unstick a stuck float. See:

http://en.allexperts.com/q/Motorcycle-Repair-837/Flooding.htm

Also, when an engine is severely flooded the cylinders become gas-washed, which means you'll have no compression, and a no start. The plugs will have to be pulled, cleared, and a few drops of oil squirted into each cyl.

Make sure you change the engine oil after it's flooded that bad. The excess gas is now sitting in the oil pan/oil and you could grenade the engine due to the oil viscosity being compromised.
 
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Fuel petcock? I want to try this as soon as I learn what the petcock is


K, so I figured out which the petcock is, and mine has the reserve option, no off...
 
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Jetpack said:
Fuel petcock? I want to try this as soon as I learn what the petcock is
Click to expand...
The fuel petcock is the little lever that you turn to the on, off, reserve position. A good practice if you're leaving a carbed bike sitting for a few weeks is to drive in to your parking spot, with engine still running turn the petcock to off, and let the engine bog to a stall. Your float bowl(s) are now empty and the floats will not be stuck when you return and you won't be into the flooded carbs malady that you're into now.
 
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Jetpack said:
Fuel petcock? I want to try this as soon as I learn what the petcock isK, so I figured out which the petcock is, and mine has the reserve option, no off...
Click to expand...

To one side will be "on", directly to the other (180 degrees) will be "reserve", in the middle will be "off."

A good suggestion in your case, especially owning a carbed bike, would be to buy a Motorcycle Repair For Dummies book. When owning older motorcycles, it's good to have basic knowledge of what's happening underneath you.
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