Pouring gas out of the carbs

[locomo87]

Okay so the bike has been sitting in storage for a little over a year since it's been started last before that was another year and Storage last time they started it it revs high on initial start and pours gas out of the carburetors the throttle cable is stuck but not stuck throttle up I am new to working on this bike just got it looking for some heads up

[JeffH]

USE CAUTION
a backfire will create quite an inferno if you have gas leaking out the carbs. Hope you have fire extinguisher readily available if you or somebody is try to start the bike.

After that much storage time the carbs (jets, floats, needle & seat etc.) likely have some problems. So #1 is a good carb cleaning and re-set float heights.

#2, its likely you have gas in the oil. Maybe quite a bit. So oil change is needed anyways after sitting that long. But fix the carbs first so they don't allow the unwanted flow & flooding.

#3, So you have a stock SH with the Octy. Those need a cleaning or maybe a rebuild too so the gas isn't leaking through the petcocks. Maybe one of Octy guru's can give you some suggestions as to what to do.

Jeff

[mschor]

Keep asking questions, there are some great tips here. I just finished getting an 81 Special going after a long time sitting.
When you take your carbs apart, which you should do, follow above tips. Some things to look for:
Floats: One or more may be touching the edge of the bowl, and this stops it from moving freely. Also check levels, they have to be exact.
Float Needles: 1 or more May have deteriorated some & may need to be replaced. Or just not seating fully so fuel getting through. There is a great way to test the needles while the carbs are off the bike. You flip the carbs upside down and connect a fuel source, If they leak you know you need new needles. You can lift them up and let them drop a few times to see if they're sealing properly. You can put a little pressure on them, simulating the upward force of the floats, but mine sealed well with no pressure, just the weight of the needle.
Petcocks: Check if these are leaking
Octopus: Lots of people pull these out and just do direct lines to the carbs. I did this too and it worked really well, simplifying the system and the trouble shooting process.
Good luck, I've learned a **** load of useful info from the guys on this site

[3Phase]

While you're cleaning and checking the floats, take a look at the needle valve body o-rings.

When they leak it'll drive you up a tree setting a resetting float heights and cleaning needles and seats while you try to figure out where the fuel is coming from.