Carb cleaner

Is it advisable to use the spray stuff, made for cars, on a bike? Also, what about the fuel system cleaner additives? If you can't tell, I'm a bit concerned about my fuel system getting gunked up. I added the STP Stab-IL yesterday, but I wonder if I can reverse any damage already done without physically tearing down down the carbs?

Looks like this will be a question for Larryg. :)

I wouldn't see why not...carb system is a carb system...the only major difference I can see is that you have more carbs....say on a 4 cyl bike

And theres an answer. Thanks Gas Man. :dthumb:

Well, I'm not saying that..let's Larry key in!!!

Is it advisable to use the spray stuff, made for cars, on a bike? Also, what about the fuel system cleaner additives? If you can't tell, I'm a bit concerned about my fuel system getting gunked up. I added the STP Stab-IL yesterday, but I wonder if I can reverse any damage already done without physically tearing down down the carbs? The jets on an automobile carb are much larger than the tiny jets in each carb on a bike, so they don't clog very often. Carb spray works good on the tiny air jets on my carbs, as they can clog. But mostly carb spray is used to free up the exterior choke linkage on a car, which can bind. Pouring carb cleaner in the gas makes it too dilute to do any good. You really have to take the carbs off to do it right. I just did mine. You probably already know about cleaning the jets in the float chamber, but what about the vacuum chamber? The piston holding the needle has to be cleaned, as well as the air bleeds under the diaphram. You have to be careful with the diaphram, as you don't want to rip it or get (too much) carb cleaner on it. I use a little Vaseline to hold the edge of the diaphram in the groove when reassembling the top cover. After cleaning, I do a carb balance and test ride. Whoo-hoo.

Go FI... jk As far as cleaners... i dont see why not, wouldnt do it a lot, could corrode the rubber boots in the carb if u did it too much, but my 500 id use it one if i ever ride the thing again. As for additives.. id say avoid em, ive heard htye are NOT good at all for high compression and very high outout motors like bikes run....if you want to run cleaner run shell premium and then a lil bit of VP 113 in it instead... supossed ot use higher octane fuel and not booster. it doenst take much VP to boost octane safely....just dont overuse the VP and get the octane levels too high if you dont hjave a very high compression bike... mines only 11.5:1 so i run like 2 capfuls per tank.

Good point Scott... Worries...some good points too. I was thinking after I posted, that I would also recomend that you don't add any additives unless you know you're going to burn off that tank of gas in your riding that day or the next. Don't want to let that stuff it in your system. Also, carb cleaner in a spray can yes, is intended for exterior use, but can be used on the interior of the carb. Use to do it all the time...remove the air filter and with motor running, spray the cleaner into the carb...all it is going to do is burn off... But I was refering to carb/FI cleaner that you pour into your tank...additive...

Spray carb cleaner is spray carb cleaner, it will remove deposits from evaporated fuel. I'm not a big fan of fuel additives but stabil is a good way to have your carbs survive the winter. The big thing to look out for in fuel additives is that they are safe for rubber components in the fuel system. Larry

was just going through some old posts......I would not spray carb cleaner into a motorcycle carburator ever, i have seen it attack the rubber diaphram on the needle slide assy, it swelled up so big i couldnt get the cover back on......like larry said, you have to be real carefull of anything that will attack rubber in the carbs. very very bad. if you want to clean the carbs, remove the top cover and needle slide assy and the bottome bowl and spay away..then blow it out good with compressed air, and reinstall.

How hard is it balance the carbs?

How hard is it balance the carbs? to sync them(balance) is easy, sometimes though the ports that u have to put the hoses from the (gauge with the 4 tubes) since i cant think of the name of it and couldnt spell it if i did..(menometor sp.) can be a pain in the kneck to get to.... basicly you want them all to be between 2"(marks) of the gauge of each other, i like to get them better... theres 3 adjustment screws, you adjust them in banks, the left 2 and then the right 2 and then those 2 together...its really a piece of cake.. i remember on my honda i had to have a special tube that installed on the intake of the head to attatch the hoses to, but most bikes have a small port by each carb that has a rubber cover on it, thats what u attatch the hoses from the gauge to..

carbstix is what i have, pretty cheap gauge..mine is filled with mercury..i would beleive they use water now, but not sure.... i use to have carbs all over the garage, but i must have cleaned it up and thrown them out to show the ports the 4 hoses connects to..but u cant miss them

Cool thanks, where do I buy the gizmo?

look up carb stick, shoulld be able to find them...maybe speedworks carrys them...with fuel injection comming into play, they may start getting hard to come by..

yeah my r6 is carbed and every other bike I have FI

There is alot easier way!!! Take the carbs off the bike...put them in a trash bag and take them to Brighton Superbike and have him sync them!!! Much much easier! In a race bike, that is something you might want to do every year or 2. I had mine done when I had it jetted! Even dealers will do them off the bike for about $40!!

There is alot easier way!!! Take the carbs off the bike...put them in a trash bag and take them to Brighton Superbike and have him sync them!!! Much much easier! In a race bike, that is something you might want to do every year or 2. I had mine done when I had it jetted! Even dealers will do them off the bike for about $40!! not easier just another way to do it if you dont have carb sticks...its much easier to just hook up the 4 hoses and check them anytime you want, and just adjust them if needed. pulling the carbs off some stock bikes can be a real pain with the stock air filter setups...I'd also rather have them adjusted on the bike that there going on ,,,, so i wouldnt say easier, just another way you can do it carb sticks cost around 40.00

Im with Jack, strange huh? I WILL NOT LET ANOTHER MAN PUT HIS GREASY HANDS ON MY BIKES. They make books, vids and many other tools to do it yourself to just repair or make more HP. I know my bikes inside and out and never will another person work on them. That like letting another man sleep with you wife.

Im with Jack, strange huh? I WILL NOT LET ANOTHER MAN PUT HIS GREASY HANDS ON MY BIKES. They make books, vids and many other tools to do it yourself to just repair or make more HP. I know my bikes inside and out and never will another person work on them. That like letting another man sleep with you wife. well thats another good point, when my ass is on the line when im at speed, whether on a track or the street, i want to be the one responsible for my bike when i comes to tires, brakes etc.....though synking your carbs isnt gonna kill you i just always feel better knowing i did it than someone else... that and try ripping the carbs off any older gsxrs with the stock airbox on... :rant: :bash:

I know but it's an option I had to point out!

I know but it's an option I had to point out! i agree, it just isnt an "easier" option...in fact i never even heard of bringing your carbs in to have them synked (sp) but since ive always had a carb stick, it was never needed... I would like to hear Larry's or speedwerks input on synking the carbs off the bike that they are going to be installed on.... there are ways to do it mechanicly, by measureing the opening of each carb with feeler gauges...i use to do that to get the carbs close to being adjusted when i had all the carbs torn apart and reassembled, but that just got them in the ballpark.

Like I said, I would do it myself.... however, there are alot of people that aren't very comfortable messig with such things!

There is alot easier way!!! Take the carbs off the bike...put them in a trash bag and take them to Brighton Superbike and have him sync them!!! Gas Man, I've taken carbs off of four different bikes. I would rather push a motorcycle up a hill than take off and put on carbs. Synking the carbs using a Carb-stix is 10 times easier than taking off the carbs. Most bikes you have to take the gas tank off and rig up a fuel line, but with my Honda I just hinge the tank, hook up the stix and turn the screws to even out the mercury. Done in 10 minutes.

That sounds pretty nice... maybe I'll have to get one... How aften do you guys sync the carbs? I don't do mine that often. Had mine done when the carbs were jetted! That was 2 years ago... Also, you guys never answered Twisty... where could we get one from??

That sounds pretty nice... maybe I'll have to get one... How aften do you guys sync the carbs? I don't do mine that often. Had mine done when the carbs were jetted! That was 2 years ago... Also, you guys never answered Twisty... where could we get one from?? I was always playing with my jetting and needle position, so i use to sinc them often back in the day,now i would say once a season or anytime you rejet, or anytime the bikes not running or idling right...its a quick check to make sure the carbs being out of sinc for some reason isnt the problem...then u can go from there to find the problem just do a search for carb stick on google.....

I did the search...but wasn't sure of a good site to buy it from... I prefer to deal with up-standing sites.... SpeedWerks!!!! Do you have these??????

if you want to sync the carbs and get some external tunability try a Flo Commander I was gonna do it to my 500 just to make it run smoother but it wasnt worth the money since ive got my FI, 1000 now.

How about injection cleaner on the FI bikes?

if you want to sync the carbs and get some external tunability try a Flo Commander I was gonna do it to my 500 just to make it run smoother but it wasnt worth the money since ive got my FI, 1000 now. that flo commander is pretty interesting...not sure if it does what it claims, would have to see it in person but again, pretty interesting...would have been a nice addition on my flatslides on my gsxr11, but they were so easy to change airjets or mains and needle positions, not sure......

I did a search and I cant find the carb stix for sale by anyone.

I did a search and I cant find the carb stix for sale by anyone. jc whitney has em...42 bucks or so carb stick (http://www.jcwhitney.com/autoparts/ProductDisplay/s-10101/p-3704/c-10111) another place... carbstick (http://www.motorcyclecarbs.com/tools/carbtools.htm) more.. carb stick (http://www.mawonline.com/motion_p.htm#Carb%20tuners)

Thanks Jack...the words motion pro looks like that was the key!

That sounds pretty nice... maybe I'll have to get one... How aften do you guys sync the carbs? I don't do mine that often. Had mine done when the carbs were jetted! That was 2 years ago... Also, you guys never answered Twisty... where could we get one from?? I bought my carb stix over 20 years ago. I spilled some mercury out and the backing is made from cardboard, which is looking ratty. If you don't want to mess with mercury, but you want the coolest and one that will last until the world ends, check out this synchronizer: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=4530023721&category=35601

I bought my carb stix over 20 years ago. I spilled some mercury out and the backing is made from cardboard, which is looking ratty. If you don't want to mess with mercury, but you want the coolest and one that will last until the world ends, check out this synchronizer: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=4530023721&category=35601 those are nice, but now your relying on gauges (4 for 55.00) isnt a lot of money and if their off then your carbs can be also..2" of mercury is around 1 psi so theres not a lot of room for error...where as with the stix and the murcury in a tube your 100% certain its accurate...kind of fool proof the newer carb stix are all plastic and not like the ones from 20 or so years ago (ive had them also) ,,,,ive had mine for many years and still are in good shap, and im not the most gentle person when it comes to taking care of things

So what you're trying to say Jack, is that you don't like the gauge style?!?!?

So what you're trying to say Jack, is that you don't like the gauge style?!?!? Jack means that the gauges may not all read the same. But you just hook each gauge up to the same carb one after another. First reads 18, second reads 19, third reads 18, fourth reads 19. Then note that 1 and 3 reads 1 inch low or 2 and 4 read 1 inch high, and stick the four gauges on the four carbs. The gauges can be used to set the idle mixture, and can also be used on other vehicles to check mixture, synchro of dual carbs, vacuum leaks, etc. I actually have a vacuum gauge in the dash on my Jeep. It's called a "Gas Saver". The idea is keep the vacuum needle high, but it's impossible to do with the hills around here. Plus, it acts as an altimeter. The higher you go, the lower the idle vacuum.

Jack means that the gauges may not all read the same. But you just hook each gauge up to the same carb one after another. First reads 18, second reads 19, third reads 18, fourth reads 19. Then note that 1 and 3 reads 1 inch low or 2 and 4 read 1 inch high, and stick the four gauges on the four carbs. The gauges can be used to set the idle mixture, and can also be used on other vehicles to check mixture, synchro of dual carbs, vacuum leaks, etc. I actually have a vacuum gauge in the dash on my Jeep. It's called a "Gas Saver". The idea is keep the vacuum needle high, but it's impossible to do with the hills around here. Plus, it acts as an altimeter. The higher you go, the lower the idle vacuum. yup if u connect all 4 carbs up individually to one gauge, you will get a good sinc, since it doesnt matter what the number is, just that there all within 1 or 2 inches of merc.... ive seen them for a lot more money and i beleive thats what the bike shops will use, and i even toyed with the idea of making my own gauge one, since i have access to some real nice vacume gauges, but the mercury carb sticks are just a lot easier...imo

Keep this debate going...it's very educational!

Keep this debate going...it's very educational! not really a debate, just a personal preference....I think the only set of gauges that i would really trust is the one for 150.00 + that u see on some of the sites that i put up... Im just a real stickler for using cheap gauges to measure small measurements (as in the tire pressure thread)...doesnt make me right or wrong...just makes me a stickler... :wink: what does speedwerks use for their shops carb sinc.....mercury sticks or gauges

They don't really come with mercury anymore though... it's got something else in there instead..not sure what..but somin...

Gas Man, there is only 2 days and 9 hours left. Do I have to come up with more uses for it? Well, besides measuring vacuum, it also measures pressure, like Jack says. Could measure fuel pump pressure on cars and bikes. Could check all those valves on vehicles that open and close, like CTO's, EGR's, PCV's, etc. You could also bring it to parties and have contests. I have a good vacuum gauge and carb stix or I would have bought it. Plus, I dropped my vacuum gauge and it didn't zero out. I had to take off the glass (not plastic) face, lift off the needle, and place it back on zero. You can do the same so they are all equal. Time's a wasting.

Just get the Z1000 EFI system off and fit it to the Zx9R... no more syncing.. the Z1000 motor is the EXACT same block as the Zx9R but with the extra 53CC's... im sure it would take some dyno fuel tuning but it wouldnt cost ya mush to pull the EFI from a Totalled Z... or better yet get the whole motor from the Z and transplant it to yours... and use your flywheel and stator and cams... youll have a 145RWHP Zx9R..thats fuel injected.

That sounds like alot of a pain... besides..I don't think I'll need to use it... but may just "check" it...

little off topic, but relevant to the thread....well not really but what the hell .. we have a building with a test cell that tests jet engine compressors...many many years ago all the pressure measurements were made using manometers (tubes with either water or mercury in them like the carb sticks only a lot longer , about 10 feet tall) this building had hundreds of tubes on the walls and all were tied to a specific pressure readout... It took over 30 people and a half an hour to read and record all these measurements for just one test point condition...later they upgraded it by using polaroid cameras to take pictures of the manometers so that cut down on the people and time needed to take the measurements..... now, present, we have maybe 300-400 pressure measurements, and only need 3 people to run the test and can take hundreds of readings in a milisecond....progress is neat every now and then the compressor would go into a stall and blow the mercury out of all the tubes..which made an unbeleiveable mess ,,,they went to water with a blue dye in it later on..(one inch of mercury = 17 inches of water or close to it) ok end of reminissing, and back to the topic what ever that is :thumbs:

but wouldnt a 953CC FI ZX9R be cool.. youd have a one and only bike. It would be like a Gasman Prototype... i wouldnt mind getting my engine assembly transplanted into the suspension and bodywork of the 9. Better yet the full muzzys 998CC conversion kit for either bike...165 RWHP...id take that. But i do know ill never go Carb'd agian. FI is the only way to go, even if its harder to work on and more expensive if it breaks.. the performance and ease while it works right is well worth it.

Nah, I'll just wait for the 9R's life to come to a end and buy one of those sweet 10R's that Chev and I sat on at the MC Show this weekend!!!

Nah, I'll just wait for the 9R's life to come to a end and buy one of those sweet 10R's that Chev and I sat on at the MC Show this weekend!!! Just get a real bike like a GSXR :whistle: :wink: :lol: :lol: :twfrox:

Just get a real bike like a GSXR :whistle: :wink: :lol: :lol: :twfrox: True!!!! :withstupi

Not one of those new ones... :puke: Even some GSXR riders have to agree with me on that... Pics to come...

Not one of those new ones... :puke: Even some GSXR riders have to agree with me on that... Pics to come... Ill never admit it :wink:

Why would he downgrade to a GSXR... he said he wanted a nicer faster bike thats FI.. y buy a poser bike just to lose to the 10R :bash: ...hell mine as well keep the 9R jk. :wink:

Why would he downgrade to a GSXR... he said he wanted a nicer faster bike thats FI.. y buy a poser bike just to lose to the 10R :bash: ...hell mine as well keep the 9R jk. :wink: It would be a big upgrade over a Caw! j/k :wink: :whistle: :lol: