So...can I ride now?

After much trepidation, shuffling of feet and calling shops for quotes I decided to dive into my carbs for the first time. My original problem was that I didn't properly maintain the bike over the winter so I ended up with no cold start, then a float got stuck and dumped gas into the air box. The PO had the shop rebuild the carbs 3 years ago so I decided to just clean whatever I could without breaking the carbs off the rack and see how that went. I spent a long time alone with the carbs and several cans of carb cleaner on Saturday. The carbs were dirty but nothing was caked on. I was able to get good flow through all of the passages and little bits that I pulled off. Sunday I got the gas out of crankcase with a few oil changes, replaced the plugs and air filter and got the carbs back on the bike. I didn't check the valve clearances because they were fine last year and I didn't feel like going that deep unless I had to. When taking the carbs off, I turned the throttle adjustment screw on one carb so I bench synched the carbs. The float level looks good with no adjustments needed. After getting everything back together I got her started with a little starter fluid (which I read was common after ripping the carbs apart). The idle was very fast (3k after warm up) but that was fixed by the idle adjustment screw, which I know I turned while working. The only issue is that it idles a little rough. I took it out for a quick ride and it seems to run strong with no sputtering or hesitation at higher rpms. The quick ride turned into 30 miles and I didn't see any issues. I am going to order a Carbtune Pro and a Colortune from Chacal. My questions is...is it safe to ride the bike while I am waiting for the tools to arrive? My commute is 35 miles (30 on the highway) each way. I haven't been able to ride all year and the short ride tonight just made me want to ride more. I don't want to damage the bike though, so I will park it if I need to. Can I ride...please ?

I guess the real question is should I ride?

 

Pull your plugs and look at them. If they all have at least some color I'd ride it (assuming you checked all the safety stuff).

 

I am waiting for the engine to cool before I pull the plugs. Safety checks are done, but thanks for adding that in.

 

Congratulations!
You did a good thing Cleaning your own Carbs.

Just keep an eye on the Plugs for a few runs.
If the Plugs have some coloration and don't look CLEAN ... you're good to go.

It's possible to Clean and Bench a rack of carbs and not need to do very much Fine Tuning thereafter.
But, it is especially rewarding to strive for perfection and ColorTune and VacSync.

 

Grats XJasfirst! Many of us know exactly how you feel after putting it all back together and being able to ride! It's an awesome feeling!

ps - I'd keep it on the center-stand at night if possible so you can keep an eye on the oil level.....if it creeps up higher on you, do the oil cap smell check to make sure no fuel is getting into the oil from floats sticking, etc. you know the drill.

Mac

 

Just checked the plugs and it looks like I will be riding to work tomorrow.

 

You have already pulled the rear wheel and inspected the brake shoes for delamination, right?

New brake fluid? Hoses? Date codes on tires?

Have you checked the valve clearances yet?

 

Brakes look good.

I didn't replace the brake fluid, but the level looks good. Is that supposed to be replaced every year? I just put braided lines on last year.

Hoses look good and the tires were new last year and are still in good shape.

As I said in my original post, I checked valve clearances last year and did not want to do it again right now so I decided to clean the carbs and see how it ran without checking the valves.

 

Valve clearances only need to be re-checked every 5000 miles, so you're good there if it's been less.

It sounds like you've covered all of the major stuff. Ride safe.

 

I'd still bleed the brakes, but I'm kinda anal about that. I bleed mine every 1,000 miles. Comes from the racing background when I'd change it every weekend.

 

If I did that I'd be bleeding them every three weeks.

Once every other season is fine after you've rebuilt the system.

 

For future reference, use brake cleaner instead of carb cleaner. Cleans better and easier. I sounds like you have covered all the bases and I am jealous of you, having your bike ready to ride. I am installing a replacement wiring harness but still need to track down a replacement turn signal flasher.