Rebuild Carbs or not??

[joshuame2]

1985 Aspencade Journal
The Honda manual says to replace all o rings and needle valves and such as needed is there a kit that supply's all the necessary components available?
I guess I should have all the parts ready in case I need them.
Also the Haynes manual says not to separate the individual carbs as they can be cleaned while still together, While the Honda shop manual says to take them apart and replace the o rings on the connecting tubes.
My question is. Is it necessary to separate the individual carbs to clean them after a three year setup in all kinds of weather?
I am not afraid of the work I just don't want to take anything apart that I cannot get back together in working order.
I do have a parts bike to practice on but would hate to waste the part that could be useful later either to me or someone else.
I figured to clean both sets and use the one that works out the best.
You guys where great in helping me get the motor moving after it sat out in the weather for three years, open and no cover. Now I want to hear her fire up. I know I have a long way to go but feel I can do it with the help available to me here and a couple of other sights.

Any suggestions or help would be much appreciated.
Ed

[SIR tricky]

Ed, if you havnt yet removed the carbs, might I suggest running some seafoam through the system. It might save you considerable time and money.

[Guest]

When I first got my '84 it was running pretty rough. I changed the plugs with no result. On the advice of some others, I started running MMO through it. I did so for about three or four tanks of gas with no change. THEN................. one afternoon I rode it to a meeting, suffering through the rough running just because I wanted to ride. When I finished the meet, I climbed aboard and started out of the parking lot. Suddenly, it cleared up and smoothed out. That was over four years ago and I run at least one treatment per summer. It's run great since. \:d/ :YMAPPLAUSE:

[bs175dths]

I would suggest starting with the simplest first and working your way through the harder stuff later. See what works and what doesn’t.
Running either Seafoam or MMO will only work IF the bike runs to begin with. If the bike will not run, the gas additives will not have a chance to do their work.
Therefore, if the bike runs, even poorly, try BOTH additives, but note, it will take multiple tanks to see results.
If the bike does not run or you don’t want to wait for multiple tanks to run through the bike, then removing the carburetors is the next logical step.
Don’t forget to try the other easy steps first; new plugs, air filter, fuel filter (make sure the gas is being delivered to the carburetors – check petcock and fuel pump)
There may even be a misfiring coil, ignitor or defective high tension lead!
I did not find the need to separate the carburetors when I cleaned mine after the bike sat, unused (so sad) for two years. I also did not need to replace the fuel valves or jets.
I did, however, clean everything, and I mean everything, including replacing all the vacuum lines and the intake o-rings. (vacuum leaks can be difficult to identify)
She runs very, very good now.
Don’t be too upset IF you have to do something more than once before getting it correct. Doing one step may allow another problem to surface and this may cause you to repeat some steps.
I also took extensive notes of parts, procedures and results as I went through the bike. Good notes helped eliminate repeating myself and also allowed me to think about why it did or didn’t give me the results I was looking for.
The choice is always up to the individual. My only real suggestion to anybody about any project such as these Wings is to go after it logically.
Checking the front tire pressure will not solve a oil leak anymore than cleaning carburetors will solve a misfiring spark plug.
As I suggested earlier, do the simple stuff first and once eliminated as a cause, move to the next simplest step.
It can save time, money and aggravation.

Best of Luck.
Any questions, just return here.
At some point in this project you will find yourself saying, ‘I’m done.’ Then go for a long ride……………

-Ride On