This will be my last request for help this year.

I was winterizing my bike on the weekend and when I tried to drain the carbs, I noticed the previous owner has stripped the screws. I was able to drain one of the four.

What is the best way to get the screws out?

Thanks

Darrell

i leave mine full ,reson being i dont want my tank to rust. I use stabill when putting up for the winter. add recomended amount drive for 20-30 miles to get the carbs full of the stuff and store. haven't had any probs ,been doing it this way for 8 years now.

Thanks, but my concern is I already had to pull the tank off due to a leaky petcock value. I had stabil in the tank before I pulled the tank. The carbs (three at least) will be full of fuel.

Also, after I pulled the tank & washed it out, I took a look inside. I can see rust starting to form on the interior of the tank. I am guessing previous owner did not take a lot of care with the bike. I have washed out the tank and dried it (as much as possible). I will store the tank indoors for the winter.

The question is, how much rust is a problem in the tank?

Aside: I personally store my bike with stabil in the tank and drain the carb bowls. No problems this way. I used to store them full of stabil-ized gas and had no problems that way. When it gets cold gas doesn't seperate as quickly - cold is an effective stabilizer...

Most tanks have some rust in them -- the trick is to keep them full or bone dry and clean. A full tank has no oxygen to allow rusting - a dry clean tank won't rust either. A half full tank in a damp area will rust.

There have been some discussions on long term tank storage. Brianm from a different forum suggests washing the tank more than once to get all gas out of it. Then put it in a bag and vacuum seal it. This means no moisure or air movement. The tank should stay as is for many years.

If you are worried about your tank the first thing to do is ensure that you have a fuel filter. If the tank is getting beyond use you could use a chemical liner - your milage may vary. The next option is to ebay a used tank in better condition. After that I don't know...

If you can get the screws back then you should be able to replace them - try sorcing some from your dealer. An impact driver ( a screw driver that you hit with a hammer to turn it) will most likely work - you could also try some of the screw extractor kits. From what I remember the metal used to make those carb drain screws is very soft - you might be able to tap a screw driver to make them work...

hope that helps, if not try again! ;)
Woot.

Thanks

I feel better about the tank and will give it another go at the screws. Either way with the screws, there is stabil in the fuel and the one fact I can count on is the winter will be cold.

For anyone still riding, we had our first taste of snow and the high for today is -12. Old man winter took his time getting here, but is making life a little miserable.

Enjoy and thanks for the help (piece of mind)! :)