Carburetors and my rite of passage

Carburetors have always frightened me.

They're all metallic with hoses coming out from everywhere and all these moving parts and little doo dads inside that actually have to be adjusted! Yikes!

So, I managed to go my entire life without ever looking into the raw innards of a carburetor, this despite tearing down motors to replace blown head gaskets, installing starters, water pumps, once putting a new clutch in an old VW.

But carburetors ...nope. I guess I just figured if I ever shoved my clumsy fingers into the guts of a carburetor it would mean certain death for the vehicle involved.

Then I bought my motorcycle.

By the way, this is what my bike looked like when I first bought it.

Since this photo was taken, I've replaced the headlamp, added a small windshield, installed some side panels, and the end caps on the engine.

Anyway, in preparation for a ride to California, I decided it was high time to replace my intake boots, which looked like this: They're cracked, old, pretty much just falling apart.

Well, getting new boots was pretty easy. And, actually, installing them was simple, too. The only tough part was removing the old screws. I used a Dremel tool to cut a deep slot and an impact driver to break them loose.

But getting to the boots meant removing my carburetor! OK, not a big deal. But, my brain decided that since the carbs were off, this would be a good time to tear them apart and clean them - each and every single little part. And so, for the past two weeks, that's what I've been doing.

Here's what they looked like separated, but at one point, they were in so many pieces, I needed baggies to keep them in order. I soaked everything in Gunk cleaner, a process that took almost a week in itself. I wiped the parts down, blew compressed air in the various openings, and some carb cleaner. It was just today, I finally got them back together. Inside, there are new rubber O-rings, new gaskets for the float bowls, and some new screws that I had to replace 'cause I mangled some of them trying to remove them.

Tomorrow, I hope to get them installed on my bike. If everything goes like it should, I could be riding again in a warm Saturday in the Pacific Northwest!

I gotta say, I'm pretty proud of myself for trying this.

I really wasn't sure I could do it, but I guess it's like anything else - you take on one challenge at a time, and each one you succesfully meet gives you the experience and the confidence to take on the next.

Ride safe.