Bike is Back

[xsrider]

Thanks to the XS11 forum esp carburetor help, my beloved SG is back on the road. Replaced the head, [valve seats were shot], got a complete head w/valves & cams from Andreis Weiss. Finally got everything reassembled [2 years], ran like ****. Had the bike since 1990, never cleaned the carbs, thought I was lucky or different, I guess. Did the complete carb pulldown, soak in lacquer thinner, clean everything with gumout and compressed air... no lacquer thinner on the rubber parts, just in case...

Installed the carbs and vroom, just like it used to start, rumbles real good at an idle.

[81xsproject]

I have never heard of soaking in laquer thinner. Does it work as well as the Chem Dip?

[mro]

laquer thinner

My favorite solvent type cleaner, tho have never used it on inside of carbs.


mro

[xsrider]

I'm sure I read lacquer thinner in the maintenance:carburetor forum... soak carbs...now I gotta go check again

It got them real clean, esp the outside varnish & dirt. I pulled the choke shaft seals before. Two of my pilot jets were plugged at the bottom port, had to poke them out with a small copper wire. Three of my bowls had that port in the bowl plugged. Sprayed with carb cleaner, then blew out w/ compressed air.

One of the main emulsion tubes [shoot, a couple days ago I didn't even know these names!] was half full of dark crud.

The worst part of the whole thing is getting the infamous air box reinstalled.

[xsrider]

Searched on lacquer thinner, found a post by ratbyk 9-15-2004. Basically said "don't soak carbs in a strong carb cleaner, use lacquer thinner or some other solvent instead". Lacquer thinner stuck in my mind from there on.