As most of you know already, we have spent a lot of workshop hours this year, sorting out carburettors. Cleaning them out the old fashioned way, fitting new repair kits and sometimes needles/jets.
Today’s fuel is lethal for this older system, because it contains Ethanol which is very corrosive to many of the small parts that make up the carb.
Leaving a bike for only a short period of times causes the fuel to separate producing a gum like substance, which obviously affects the operation of the carb to allow fuel through.
Ethanol can also act as a solvent, can also affect plastic and rubber components such as hoses, where of course old fuel can sit.
Using a good fuel stabilizer mixed with your fuel to help prevent this separation process, we recommend Silkolene FST but best of all if you know you are not going to use the bike for a while, drain the fuel tank completely, making sure the hoses are empty as well, and then when you are ready to ride again, refill with fresh fuel.
Picture above is a set of Kawasaki Z650 carbs we had in.
