Motorbike Mondays » Podcast

Episode 23: Paint Prep And…..we’re back! Hey guys, so sorry for the delay in new episodes over the last month or so. We’ve all been super busy throughout the start of the summer. RaceTech moving into new offices, Jarred & Brady working on new bikes, it all adds up.  So finally we’re covering Paint Prep, a topic we’ve been asked about before.  Our paint guru Brady Young covers most of the steps for paint prep, and Jared and Evan bring up some good questions.  We also cover some recent emails and questions at the end. Prep notes for this show:

Episode 22: ‘How to Build a Cafe Racer Guide’ Review Awhile back, we posted this article after a listener told us about Jim March’s “How to Build a Cafe Racer” guide. We skimmed through it, but never really went over it in detail or discussed it.  After we all read the document in depth we saw it had some really good points to discuss. Make sure to download the document below and follow along to the podcast with it. Jim March’s Cafe Racer Guide (PDF) We’d like to mention that all credit for this document goes to Jim March. He definitely put alot of work into compiling all this information. In this show we are using his advice as talking points to discuss, and we are not criticizing him or saying he is wrong. You are listening to our opinions on his opinions! Jim has a link in his document to tip him if you found the document helpful, but the WePay link does not work any longer. His email is in the document and it sounds like he welcomes feedback. So, what do you think?

  Episode 21: All About Suspension w/ Ed Sorbo from Lindeman Engineering If you’re a couple episodes behind, you don’t want to miss this one! We met Ed Sorbo, owner of Lindeman Engineering at Deus Ex Machina’s Saturday School event in April. Ed had a booth at Saturday School and was leading excellent suspension seminars that drew a crowd every time.  We were very excited to have him join us on the show and talk in depth about suspension. Note: this is our first show recording a remote guest via Skype. There are a few sound quality issues due to our old computer hardware. We’ll be upgrading soon to be able to record remote guests with much better quality. Make sure to contact Ed at Lindeman Engineering for any of your suspension needs! Make sure to tell him you heard his Motorbike Mondays episode. Lindemann Engineering 700 East Redlands Blvd. Ste U Box 410 Redlands, CA 92373 (909) 838-4587 ed@le-suspension.com

Episode 20: Top End Rebuilds Part 2 Episode 20 continues with Part 2 of our series on Top End Rebuilds. We pick up where we left off after describing disassembly of your motor to prepare for a top end rebuild. This episode covers the tools necessary to rebuild your top end and the steps to prepare your motor for final reassembly. It’s recommended you have listened to Episode 19 before starting this show. Notes for this episode: Assembly Piston skirt scoring: Debris between cylinder and piston Motor ran hard before at operating temperature Rebore Will discuss next episode Pistons Thoroughly clean piston ring grooves, if using same pistons Install new piston rings in appropriate orientation While installing piston to connecting rod, be aware of piston orientation mark on top of piston Slide wrist pin through piston and connecting rod and insert wrist pin clip Deglazing/honing: Adding a surface for the new rings to break in Oil the cylinder wall thoroughly and tool With triton hone or ball hone on drill move tool up and down through cylinder at a constant quick motion Remove tool out of cylinder whilst still in motion Removing old gaskets: Gasket scraper Razorblade Scotchbrite pad on die grinder Heads: Remove all old gaskets and check for head warpage (use glass/mirror) Thoroughly clean heads Replace valve guide seals Heads resurfacing Start with 220 grit and move head in a circular motion for about 30 seconds and check work. Use a lot of WD-40 Check for high and low spot. Continue till surface is even Finish with 320 grit Too smooth and you won’t get proper gasket seat properly Valve Lapping Remove any carbon deposits off of valves With valves removed, apply a light coat of valve grinding compound on valve seats Insert valve and with a valve lapper rotate valve back and forth Check valve for even surface and excess pitting Lap valves until there is a solid matte grey ring on valve and valve seat Thoroughly clean and remove all grinding compound from valve and seat Install Barrels/Jugs/Cylinders Replace gasket By hand or with a piston ring compressor, slide pistons into cylinders Gently seat barrels to the case Oil cylinder walls Heads Install Install valves and valve springs Install new gasket and place head on barrels Insert head bolts/nuts and hand tighten Torque down to manufacture spec and pattern Camshaft install Follow manual steps Make sure cam and crank timing is correct Install cam guides Adjust valves Slowly rotate crank to check for any binding and proper cam timing

Episode 19: Top End Rebuilds Part 1 Episode 19 is part 1 in our series about rebuilding the top end of your motor. This episode will cover disassembly of your top end, and goes over the important components of the motor top end as well. Make sure to listen to Part 1 before moving onto the new Episode 20, part 2 of Top End Rebuilds. Check out the notes below for the important points to follow. Episode 19 Outline/Notes: What is a Top End? The top end of a motor is anything from the cylinders and up Why? To replace worn or damaged parts Performance upgrades Burning oil She’s just tired Engine in or out? Not all bikes require you to remove the motor from the bike May be easier to rebuild it on a workbench Where to start? Remove gas tank Remove air intake and carburetors Remove exhaust Remove cables (clutch cable, tach cable) Drain fluids (oil, coolant) Disconnect battery Remove spark plugs and wires If it’s connected to the motor, disconnect or remove it Removing the head: Check manual for proper process to relieve pressure off of valve train Remove cam(s), rockers, or cam followers Remove head bolts/nuts Remove heads Removing valve springs and valves: With the appropriate valve spring compressor, compress valve spring When valve collars are exposed, remove them with needle nose pliers or a magnet Make a char to organize valves Removing cylinders/jugs/barrels: Slide cylinder off piston If motor is removed from the frame do this while the motor is tipped forward Cover case opening with towels/rags Removing pistons: Remove wrist pin clip from one side Slide wrist pin out Remove piston from connecting rod What to look for: Pistons: Clean thoroughly and inspect for excess wear, cracks, or any damage Measure the diameter of the piston on the skirt 90 degrees from the wrist pin guides Refer to manual for proper piston to cylinder measurement Replace if needed Valve Train: Inspect valves for damage (cracks, bent or excess pitting) Measure valve spring tension Check cam lobes and guides for scoring or heat damage Check that valves move freely in valve guides Cylinders/jugs/barrels: Check for scoring/scratches, grooves, or corrosion May need a re-bore Heads: Check for warpage or corrosion Check guide surfaces Inspect valve guide seats

Episode 18: How Motors Work This show is all about motors. 4-Stroke & 2-Stroke motors. The kind we all use on our motorcycles.  In this show we describe the important components in a motor (we’ve done shows detailing most of these components you can refer to), and how they interact to complete the strokes that keep a motor turning.  Make sure to follow along with our outline below, and look at the reference videos, pictures and links to really get a good understanding of what we’re talking about. It’s very hard to understand this topic without seeing a video depicting how the components interact. References/Links Jacob O’Neal’s ‘How a Car Engine Works’ animations: This website has some amazingly designed animated GIF’s showing how motors work. While they’re specifically about car motors, this definitely helps illustrate what we’re talking about. I’m posting the images below since they are freely available online. All credit goes to Jacob O’Neal. Click on the images below to view them full size. How 4-Stroke engines work by Mercury Marine: How 2-Stroke engines work by How Stuff Works: Show Notes & Outline An engine needs 3 things to run: 1) Mixture 2) Compression 3) Spark 4 Stroke Motors: 1) SUCK – Intake 2) SQUEEZE – Compression 3) BURN – Power 4) BLOW – Exhaust Components in a 4-stroke motor: Carburetor(s) Head Valves Cam(s) Combustion chamber Ignition system Piston(s) Connecting rod(s) Crankshaft Exhaust How it works: Intake Stroke: The intake valve opens as the piston goes down Creating a vacuum, draws mixture from the carburetor thru the head and into the cylinder The intake valve closes as the piston reaches the bottom of the stroke Compression Stroke: Both the intake and exhaust valves are closed The piston travels upward compressing the mixture to the combustion chamber Power Stroke: Valves remain closed A spark from the spark plug ignites the compressed mixture The burning gases expand, pushing the piston down with force Exhaust Stroke: The exhaust valve opens as the piston goes up Burnt gases are blown out of the cylinder thru the head and out the exhaust pipe The exhaust valve closes as the piston reaches the top of the stroke Then the process starts over again. 2 Stroke Motors: Differences: No valves No heads Fires once per revolution Few moving parts No oil in the crankcase Piston acts as valves Components in a 2-Stroke Motor: Carburetor Intake port Reed valve Ignition system Combustion chamber Cylinder Exhaust port Exhaust Crankshaft Connecting rod Piston Mixture – Air/Gas/Oil: Oil in the mixture lubricates and cools moving parts Premix or oil injection from separate oil tank Mixture from carburetor fills the case How it works: With mixture in the case and the piston at the top of the stroke after a spark Piston travels down exposing exhaust port releasing most of the burnt gases As the piston travels farther down it pressurizes the case and exposes a path from the case allowing mixture to enter the cylinder As the piston travels up it forces more burnt gases out and closes the passage to the case The vacuum the piston creates opens the reed valve drawing more mixture into the case The piston moves up more blocking the exhaust and compresses the mixture When the piston reaches the top of the stroke the spark plug fires and ignites the compressed mixture Forcing the piston back down closing the reed valve and starting the process over again

Episode 17: Valve Adjustments Let’s talk about valves. Well, listen to the start of the episode…not valves exactly, but valve adjustments! This is a critical maintenance item that often gets overlooked or put off, because you don’t know how to do it. To a newer rider/home mechanic, valves and valve adjustments can often seem like black magic.  However, it just takes a little bit of understanding how the system works, and why they need adjustment to get up the courage to attack this job yourself.  Make sure to listen all the way through, and refer to this post for the examples we mention.  I’ll post all our notes from the episode, so you can easily follow along. Why adjust valves? As metal heats and cools, it expands and contracts.  The specified gap is to allow for the metal to expand. Tight valves: too little clearance between the valve stem/shim/bucket and the cam/rocker -Valves won’t fully seat on the valve seat in head -Valves expel most of it’s heat from the valve seat, if the valve is not fully seated to the head it could cause a burnt or melted valve Loose valves: too much of a clearance between the valve stem/shim/bucket and the cam/rocker -The valve train components will hammer on the valve every time it opens -Ticking sound/noise Getting to the adjustment: -Remove gas tank -Remove spark plugs (optional, but recommended) -Remove tappet covers/valve cover/rocker boxes -Rotate crankshaft or flywheel to Top Dead Center (TDC, T, 1-4 T) for that cylinder on the compression stroke -Check if component is loose Rocker Arm Type – Nut and Tappet -Check clearance between screw adjuster and tip of the valve stem w/ feeler gauge, record gap To adjust: -Loosen locknut -Slide in appropriate feeler gauge -Adjust screw adjuster til the feeler is snug -Tighten locknut -Double-check the clearance – the adjuster can tighten gap as you tighten the locknut Shim Type If you need .10mm and you have .05mm clearance with a 270 (2.70mm) shim, you will need to replace that 270 shim with a 265 (2.65mm) shim. The 265 shim is thinner so that would add .05mm to your current valve clearance to give you .10mm clearance. -When removing the valve cover, be careful not to tear the paper gasket. -While on TDC on the compression stroke, measure the clearance of each valve between the cam lobe and the shim/bucket. Intake and exhaust. -Some shim type systems have what looks like a rocker arm, in this case they are called cam followers. -Write down these measurements down in relation to each valve per cylinder. Removing Shim Over Bucket Type Rotate the bucket til the notch is facing outwards Rotate crank til the cam lobe presses down on shim and shim bucket Use shim tool to hold the edge of the shim bucket in place Rotate crank again til the cam lobe is out of the way With a thin flathead screwdriver, pop the shim out of the shim bucket Write down the shim size & the corresponding valve (ie: cylinder 1, Intake) Shim number will be on the bottom. If not legible measure with calipers: 2.70mm = 270 shim Be careful not to force anything. If it feels like it’s binding, it is. If it doesn’t need to be adjusted, don’t remove it. After all shims are removed, do the math to replace them with the appropriate shim number. Example: Clearance Specified: .10mm Clearance Measured: .05mm Current Shim: 270 (2.70mm) Difference: .05mm Replacement Shim: 265 (2.65mm) Formula to calculate Shim Needed: (all numbers are in mm, except for Shim Needed, which is in shim number. ex: 270) Shim # Needed = [ [Current Shim (mm)] – [Clearance Spec (mm)] – [Clearance Measured (mm)] ] x 100 Example decreasing shim with numbers: Clearance Specified: .10mm Clearance Measured: .05mm Current Shim: 270 (2.70mm) Difference: .05mm Replacement Shim: 265 (2.65mm) =[2.70 – .10 – .05] x 100 =[2.65] x 100 = 265 Shim Needed Example increasing shim with numbers: Clearance Specified: .10mm Clearance Measured: .15mm Current Shim: 270 (2.70mm) Difference: -.05mm Replacement Shim: 275 (2.75mm) =[2.70 – .10 – (-.15)] x 100 =[2.70 -.10 + .15] x 100 =[2.75] x 100 = 275 Shim Needed Shim Under Bucket Style Same process, only cams have to be removed to remove shims Where to get shims Where to get shims Unused shims Mechanic shops/ swapping shims Buy new at various retailers ALWAYS DOUBLE CHECK YOUR MEASUREMENTS & MATH!

Episode 16: All About Triumphs NOTE: Massive apology to Trophy Motorcycles in San Diego about the confusion caused in this episode. This episode now has a section edited out consisting of a rant by Evan (after a few beers) about a bad experience years ago at a local shop, mistaking their name with the amazing Trophy Motorcycles.  Evan & Motorbike Mondays has nothing but  great things to say about Trophy, and highly recommend them. The original comments have been removed from the episode, as they are really irrelevant to the Triumph discussion at hand. Sorry guys, it can be very easy to say dumb things with a microphone in your face, please accept this humble apology! Hey MM’ers, whats going on!? We’ve got an awesome episode for you this week.  You all know we normally focus on Japanese bikes. We figured it was time to get some details on Triumphs, so we invited some friends over to help.  Episode 16 features Jon & Dom from Close Fabrication.  Both guys have extensive knowledge of vintage Triumphs, and we go into some detail learning about the models, engines, frames and more. If you’ve been looking to learn more about Triumphs, you don’t want to miss this episode!  Post up any comments or questions you have about Triumphs here and we will have Jon & Dom answer them for you. We mention some bikes the guys have built, and here are pictures and info on them: Jon’s 1951 Triumph T110 Stock front loop, Rear is 2″ drop 3″ stretch from stock 21″ front wheel 19″ rear Stock tank narrowed 2″ Leaf spring seat Dom’s 1966 Triumph T100 I’ll have Dom update soon with details on this build. This bike was a show winner, and has lots of custom Close Fab machined pieces.

Episode 15: Regular Maintenance Hey MMers! Episode 15 is all about regular maintenance items. Not alot of description needed here, or notes, just take a listen! We cover all the regular things you should check, adjust, and do to keep your bike in good working condition. Let us know if we missed anything or you have any other ideas.

  Episode 14: Carburetor Tuning Episode 14 is the second part in our series on Carburetors. If you haven’t listened to Episode 13, I would recommend doing that first.  Assuming you are familiar with all the different components in your carburetor, and it’s general operating principles, going through these steps will help you tune your carbs and get your bike running perfectly. Here are our notes for the show below. These are the most important points to follow for tuning the carbs correctly. Make sure to check out the General Jetting Guide here for killer info on jetting your carbs for mods. Carb Tuning reasons to rejet/tune *modified intake and/or exhaust *change in cylender bore or stroke *head work -Rich comditions: *backfire when accelerating *black to dark brown plug color *engine noise is dull or muted *worsens when choke is on *worsens when engine gets hot *strong fuel odor *smoke from exhaust -Lean conditions: *backfire when deaccelerating *engine runs hot *improves when choke is on *poor acceleration *white to light brown plug color *lack of power -Prep *make sure ignition timing is set *make sure valves are set *make sure carbs are synced -1st- -Float *Parts: *Tang *Float *Float needle *Float seat *With carbs upside down measure top of float to carb gasket surface *make sure the spring is not compressed -2nd- -Main jet -3rd- -Needle -4th- -Pilot jet -5th- -Mixture screw *When the engine is warm, set idle speed higher than desired speed *Start at 1.5 turns out *Make adjustments .25 to .5 turns at a time *Set to the highest RPM position *Set idle speed back to desired speed *Repeat previous steps *Adjust idle to desired speed **If mixture screw is more than 3.5 turns out or seated, replace pilot jet with a larger or smaller jet  

Episode 13: How Carburetors Work Yo! We’re back with Episode 13, all about how carburetors work.   This is part one of our series on carburetors. Once you know how they work, we can get into tuning them to get your bike running properly and at peak performance. Now, while we all understand the basics of carbs, we’re not carburetor scientists.  Hopefully listening to this podcast will bring you much closer to understanding them, or at least getting the courage up to take yours apart. After you can recognize each of the basic pieces on all carbs, you can take apart/clean and inspect pretty much any of them.  Let us know what you think, and if you have any questions! Here is some of the material we used in the podcast, looking at these drawings might help you understand how these work: Throttle Opening vs. Jets: Carburetor Components:

Episode 12: The One Moto Show Hey MM listeners, thanks for checking out Episode 12! Jarred an Brady are just back from the One Moto Show with their CB550’s, so we spend the episode discussing the show and their top bikes. Below are some photos from the show, and of the bikes we discuss.  David Patri from Seaweed & Gravel joins us on this podcast to talk about the show! Check out Dave’s blog post about the show here for more pics and info. First off, the guys bikes:  Brady’s CB550 Jarred’s CB550 The Airhead: (I’m trying to find more pictures of this bike) The Yamahauler Awards

Episode 11: Front End Swaps Hey MM’ers. Episode 11 is up and all about Front End Swaps. This podcast is mostly led by Brady Young, our resident expert on front end swaps. I’m going to post our outline below so you can follow along with the show: Steering Stem: Option 1: Press out stems and swap stock to new triple tree. Might involve stretching. Option 2: Bearing swap. Need to know ID of new stem & OD of stock yoke, top & bottom. Check out All Balls racing bearing database: www.allballsracing.com Rim swap for spoked 19″ wheel 1999 Harley Narrow Glide Rim Dual flange for dual disc Single flange for single disc For 1″ axle swap ball bearing on rim for 1″ ID Other option shaving axle to fit 3/4 ID of Harley hub Fitting rotors to rim: 1: drill Harley bolt pattern on new rotor. Shim if needed. 2: make conversion mount. If offset needed, make mount to Harley hub and mount rotor to mount with right offset.

Episode 10: Cleaning up the Triangle Welcome to Episode 10! This show is all about Cleaning up the ‘Triangle’. If you’re building a custom cafe or bobber style bike out of a 70’s or 80’s Japanese bike, chances are you’re going to want to clean out the Triangle. The Triangle is the shape formed by the steel frame of these old bikes on either side behind the engine. The Triangle is generally where the battery, fuse box, ignition box, air filter/air box, regulator, rectifier, wiring connectors and other components are mounted. To really get the clean look of a nice custom build, you need to commit to cleaning out the Triangle area. There is quite a bit involved in this, from figuring out a new battery location, modifying the wiring harness, swapping to cone air filters, and many other considerations. Hopefully this show will give you some ideas on what goes into doing this successfully. Here’s an example of a cleaned up Triangle:

Episode 9: Custom Wiring Harnesses And….we’re back! Hey guys, sorry for the long break. We were all super busy and/or out of town for the holidays at the end of December, and had a delay in recording Motorbike Mondays. We’re now back up and running and on schedule. Episode 9 is all about building custom wiring harnesses. We’ve discussed wiring harnesses in the past, mainly related to deciding whether or not to modify/repair and use your old original harness, or build a custom one. We had alot of feedback from that show, asking for more details about building a custom harness in depth. This show trys to cover that situation in depth. Episode 9 assumes that you’ve already made the decision to build a brand new wiring harness from scratch. We discuss the tools and components you’ll need to begin, and then go into the process of planning out your build.  Please let us know any questions or comments you have so we can help. I’m getting the show up now so you can listen to it. I’ll be collecting and posting materials to help you out building your wiring harness over the next couple days, so keep checking this page!

Episode 8: Ignition Systems Hey! Welcome to Episode 8, all about Ignition Systems.  In this episode we discuss how Breaker/Mechanical Points & Digital/Electronic Ignition systems work.  Then we discuss troubleshooting and testing various components.  We also discuss setting point gaps and static timing. The points system description can be kind of difficult to follow listening to a voice description, so I’ll find some resources to post here showing how these things work. Here is a page from RaceTech Electrics tech support section on ignition systems: http://racetechelectric.com/ft-752-pulser-coil-ignition-systems.html Here’s a decent video showing setting both sets of points on a Honda CB360 twin: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjPOnYkNuTI

Episode 7: Wiring Harnesses Episode 7 is all about wiring harnesses.  We discuss inspecting the wiring harness on your new to you (old) bike, and how to decide whether to repair or modify your existing harness or build a new one from scratch. There are pro’s & con’s to both ways.  A brand new harness custom made to your bike and the components you will be using can save a lot of space and look much better than the original. However, reusing and modifying the original can be much simpler since you don’t have to start over. We can go into much more detail about building a new harness from scratch, let us know what you think and what else you’d like to hear about!

Episode 6: Stators, Rotors, Voltage Regulators – Charging Systems …….and w’ere back! Sorry for the delay guys. With Thanksgiving we were all super busy and it was hard to find time to get together. Now we’re back on schedule and will be trying to stick to releasing content on Mondays from now on.   In other news, we have finally acquired some real equipment! I hope you guys can tell the increase in sound quality. We finally got some new mics (Shure SM48), a nice new Yamaha mixer, and cables. Pretty stoked to have some nice stuff. I can already tell how much better things sound while editing the show, I hope you all think so too. Anyways, on to the show today. Episode 6 is all about motorcycle charging systems. We discuss in depth stators, rotors, and voltage regulators, specifically for the 70’s-80’s Honda CB’s, Yamaha XS650’s (similar systems), and then the more common style used today, with a Suzuki GS750 used as an example.  Here is my show notes so you can follow along with the outline. If you’d like more detailed information, please visit the Tech Support pages at RaceTech Electric by clicking here. Below are the links to specific sections: Stators Voltage Regulators Rotors Pulser Coil & Ignition Systems Also, download the charging system troubleshooting flowchart PDF here. Show Notes: Stators      Ring/Outer Stator (Honda CB750 style)      Standard Stator (Suzuki GS750 style, modern bikes)      Single Phase windings      Three Phase windings      Stator test procedure Rotors      Field Coil      Slip Rings/brushes Voltage Regulator Rectifiers      Rectifiers (diodes)      Regulator (control circuit, SCR [Silicon Controlled Rectifiers]      Regulation system for field coil rotor bikes I’m also going to put up a new post with general charging system test procedures so you can have it all on this website.  

Episode 5: Tools Welcome to episode 5! This was recorded over a week ago, and was meant to be posted last Monday 10/25…but of course I got busy with Thanksgiving coming up and forgot to post it!  So sorry for the delay guys, we’ll be back on our usual schedule of 1 show a week starting next week.  We are trying to get on a schedule for posting shows on Mondays, however it will probably be the second week of December before we can get enough audio recorded ahead of schedule and stick to it. Anyways, on to tools.  This podcast discusses all the types of tools for your home or small shop. We tried to make a pretty comprehensive list, but I’m sure there are plenty of things missing.  Listen through the show, look through our notes, and let us know if you have any questions or comments as always! Thanks, Evan Show Notes: Episode 5 notes: TOOLS beer pizza notebook worklight/flashlight magnetic wand shop towels/rags/tshirts gloves (mechanic or rubber) Standard tool set -screwdrivers -needle nose pliers -Adjustable pliers -C-clip pliers -C-clamps (calipers) -Vise Grips -sockets (metric) -Allen set (sockets and wrenches) -Hammer/mallet -wrench set -Crescent wrench -multimeter (cheap or autoranging) -center punch -Breaker bar -3/8 drive attachment for drill -Battery charger -Test light/bulb -Timing light -Feeler gauges -Spark plug gapper -Wire brushes -Scotchbrite Others -Impact screw driver -torque wrench -Impact driver – air, hand -drill -soldering iron -Heat gun -Torch -Bolt extractors – dril bit type & socket type -Drill press -Ratchet type wrenches -Welder -Angle grinder -R/o sander Motorcycle specific: -Chain breaker -cable luber -Carb sync tool -Flywheel puller -Compression tester Chemicals: -Carb cleaner -Degreaser -Chain lube -Grease -Oil -Coolant -Starting fluid -Fork oil / ATF -lube/WD40 -Penetrating oil -Anti-seize -Locktite  

Episode 4: Cleaning Carburetors  Hey! Welcome to Episode 4 of Motorbike Mondays. This show is all about cleaning carburetors. If you’re new to bikes, or just picked up a bike new to you, you’re going to have to learn to clean carbs. Hopefully this show will guide you through it. There’s alot to it, but it’s also no that complicated. Listen to the whole show and I bet you’ll be ready to rock! Here’s our pre-show notes to walk you through our discussion: Tools Needed: Philips and flat-head screwdriver Socket or wrench set Wire brush Jet cleaner tools Compressed air Carb rebuild kit (optional)   -Stage 1   Shut off petcock and drain float bowls   Remove carb(s) from bike   Prep work surface   Remove float bowl   Remove jets, mixture screw, float, float needle, and float needle seat   Soak brass in carb cleaner – no rubber   Remove slide cover   CV style Remove slide and clean needle and adjust or replace if needed Check rubber diaphragm for cracks/tears Clean slide and cylinder walls on carb body. make sure it slide freely   Slide style Remove slide – by bolt or unscrewing cap with throttle cable clean/adjust/replace clean slide and cylinder wall on carb body. make sure it slides freely   -Cleaning jets   Remove jets from carb cleaner   Spray carb cleaner through jets and blow out with mouth or preferably compressed air   Check if you can clearly see through jet opening   If still not clear use jet cleaning tool to clean out junk   Spray more carb cleaner and check if clear   Do this for each jet and jet holder/emulsion tube. Make sure any holes on the sides are clean as well   Clean off float, float needle, float seat, checking for excess wear and make sure its seats properly   -Cleaning ports on carb body   Go through every port/hole on the carb body and make sure it has good flow with no blockage   Blow compressed air through each port/hole   -Stage 2   If carbs are heavily varnished, soak in cleaner   Chem-Dip- make sure no rubber is on while soaking   Pine-sol – remove all brass or go back and remove residue Wash with hot water after soak   Blow compressed air over everything including ports/holes   -Reassembly