Seafoam

[DVigue]

Well, Was running a little rough, after the de-winterization. Found out that when I stored it at my in-laws it was in the garage for part of the winter and out covered part.

So yesterday I prayed to the seafoam gods and got a can. I put about 1/3 or the small can in the tank and went for a ride. Seemed to do a "little" bit better but that could have been physcological. Came home and parked it, now thinking that I was about to spend the next few days learning all about how the carbs work on the bike. This morning, I went out to see how it was starting in the colder weather and lo and behold, started right up on the first try. Little white smoke out the exhaust but idled very smooth. Couple of min later the smoke was gone and she was purring like a kitten. No roughness, no missing, sounds like a totally new engine.

So my question is, does this stuff really work or did little seafoam fairy mechanics replace my engine last night?

Could it simple be "hiding" the problem vs really fixing anything?

[mro]

Occam's razor (sometimes spelled Ockham's razor) is a principle attributed to the 14th-century English logician and Franciscan friar William of Ockham. The principle states that the explanation of any phenomenon should make as few assumptions as possible, eliminating those that make no difference in the observable predictions of the explanatory hypothesis or theory. The principle is often expressed in Latin as the lex parsimoniae ("law of parsimony" or "law of succinctness"): "entia non sunt multiplicanda praeter necessitatem", or "entities should not be multiplied beyond necessity".

This is often paraphrased as
"All other things being equal, the simplest solution is the best."

So seafoam fairy mechanics replaced your engine last night...


mro

[trbig]

You probably had a bit of varnish in your jets and bowls from old gas sitting in them. You got some Seafoam run through them and basically let them soak. It did it's job, now it runs better.

I tried to fight the general consensus and always tried to use something else. Something namebrand and cheaper. Nothing I tried works like Seafoam. Good stuff



Tod

[tomatao]

MRO, Dude...that was deep....

Anyway, based on the numerous posts on the site I would go with the Seafoam working.

The only way to really find out is to let your bike sit for a few months again and then ride it without Seafoam.

[mro]

The only way to really find out is to let your bike sit for a few months

To not ride sorta defeats the purpose of having one.
I still have a bottle of Seafoam sitting on top of my tool box.
But since my running XSes get ridden now and then have not used it. My carb problems so far have required pulling and cleaning em


mro

[mn2346]

What is the main ingredient of seafoam. Kerosene?

I have wondered about the situation when one pours the stuff directly to intake. Is it actually doing something or is the smoke just vaporised kerosene?

[DVigue]

Naptha Like 20-30% looks like.

Here is the MSDS on Seafoam.

http://www.seafoamsales.com/pdf/MSDS_SFTT_US.pdf

[jeffe]

Another use for Seafoam. I read on the label that you can use it as an additive to you motor oil just before an oil change. I always change oil at 2 to 3 thousand miles. It normally is slightly dark, normal color for that many miles. I put the Seafoam in as directed, drove about 3 miles, taking it easy, to where I was going to change the oil. The oil came out almost jet black. Guess it broke up almost 30 years of crud. I also noticed that the clutch worked better. Not as grabby. So I use it this way every other change.

[yamahansolo]

i have had success with several bikes using seafoam!

[Bigfoot]

I love the stuff. Works great.

[thewiz]

that is very funny, MRO ..

I love Seafoam and since I don't ride all of my runners that often it think it helps keep the fuel stable. However, I'm still waiting for the Seafoam fairy mechanics to pay me a midnight visit and maybe do the fork seals on my G.

[stoked]

I've heard the stuff is great for clogged up hydraulic lifters and jock itch also.

[mro]

I've heard the stuff is great for clogged up hydraulic lifters and jock itch also.

Testimonials to the spiritual and medicinal properties of Seafoam are well documented. Pretty sure it's the "secret ingredient" Prom puts in his coffee. Over at the SFA (Seafoam Anonymous) the hot line for Seafoam addicts now plays a recorded message of their motto... "YMMV"


mro
Not a bad idea to add some to your fuel if the bike has been sitting for awhile or as PM to discourage varnish/residues from building up in the carbs. My daily ride gets ridden...well daily... so it's just not something I use. On the other Xses it is used but the carb problems I've encountered with them has required disassembly. Once a year, needed or not the carbs come off for cleaning and inspection. Amazing how a bike that runs great all year...pull the carbs and find the floats all at different levels. Maybe that's the Seafoam Fairy's revenge for me not using it in all Xses.

[TomB]

Anyone know a sales outlet in the UK?

Can't find it for sale here

Seafoam Video

[prometheus578]

"From an old post..."

(That heading refers to something I wrote years ago, MRO... not to my Al Gore-like wooden personality, though I'm often called an "old stick in the mud", etc)

"""New Triumphs come shipped with fuel in the carbs, which I have to drain. They either won't start, run on only one or two cylinders, or run lean and start blueing the pipes before they even leave my lift.
First thing I do now after I uncrate them is to pump a 50/50 mixture of Seafoam into the carbs, hook up a jumper and crank or run them for a few seconds to get the Seafoam into the carb passages. By the time I finish preppin' the bike, the stuff has worked it's magic. Engine fires right up, all cylinders, etc.
Does this mean it's the best stuff out there? Can't say... but it seems to work for me."""