Stop the bike dying in winter

[Slippy]

So I have had my fzs600 for 4 years now and after very winter when it doesn’t get ridden much, it won’t start it’s basically always the carbs so I taken them out give them a spray and it starts.

How do you stop this happening ? Feel like riding to work tomorrow and I can’t because the fucker won’t start again.

In all fairness I’m tempted to get rid as it has been one problem after another for the past 4 years and now I don’t really trust it, which is sad

[BBROWN1664]

what do you give them a good spray with ?

[Slippy]

Carb cleaner

[unfazed]

Drain the carbs when it is idle for more than a month, stops the fuel evaporating and gumming up the carbs.

[Slippy]

Is there a nice way to drain the carbs without removing them? The drain bolts on my carbs are completely seized

[darrsi]

Is there a nice way to drain the carbs without removing them? The drain bolts on my carbs are completely seized

The drain screws are the nice way. They're also made of cheese, so don't force them and make sure you use a perfect fitting screwdriver.

[unfazed]

Is there a nice way to drain the carbs without removing them? The drain bolts on my carbs are completely seized

Unfortunately not, remove the float bowls (Carbs off again) Using a lefthand drill bit and drill into the centre of the drain bolt  about 5 to 10 mm. If the screw does not turn, stop drilling. Use a hack saw to cut a slot in the head of the screw and try with a flat blade screwdriver. The heat from drilling should have helped loosen the corrosion. Usual works for me. Drilling first is easier to center the drill on the bolt head than if you shear it. Good luck

[dave8204]

Fuel goes off very quickly these days,if you leave your bike with petrol in the system for more than a few weeks you're going to get trouble with any bike.

[robbo]

Fuel goes off very quickly these days,if you leave your bike with petrol in the system for more than a few weeks you're going to get trouble with any bike.

This is when products like Sea Foam and Sta-Bil are your friend when laying up a bike for long period.

[midden]

Fuel goes off very quickly these days,if you leave your bike with petrol in the system for more than a few weeks you're going to get trouble with any bike.

I've never had a problem, even after a year.  I must be the lucky one




Do the float bowls empty when engine's run with fuel tap turned off?

[darrsi]

Fuel goes off very quickly these days,if you leave your bike with petrol in the system for more than a few weeks you're going to get trouble with any bike.

Sorry, but that's simply not true.

[darrsi]

So I have had my fzs600 for 4 years now and after very winter when it doesn’t get ridden much, it won’t start it’s basically always the carbs so I taken them out give them a spray and it starts.

How do you stop this happening ? Feel like riding to work tomorrow and I can’t because the fucker won’t start again.

In all fairness I’m tempted to get rid as it has been one problem after another for the past 4 years and now I don’t really trust it, which is sad

Plenty of choke, but the main trick in really cold weather when the bike's been sitting about is hold the clutch lever in when starting it. Makes a big difference.

[dave8204]

Fuel goes off very quickly these days,if you leave your bike with petrol in the system for more than a few weeks you're going to get trouble with any bike.

Sorry, but that's simply not true.

We'll have to disagree on that mate,from personal experience and from hanging around my mate's Bike shop/workshop for years I'm seeing more and fuel-related problems with customer's bikes, usually around this time of year when many are using them for the first time since last September or so,mostly older carb'd bikes.


https://monomotorcycles.co.uk/how-can-modern-fuels-damage-motorcycle-engines-how-to-prevent-this/

Most relevant part is this:

Here is a shocking fact. Modern ethanol fuel starts to go off the moment it goes into your fuel tank. A sealed petrol can kept in a cool dark place can last 6 months before it starts to degrade, however in your vented motorcycle fuel tank, it can be as little as six weeks before you could start to see issues.

[darrsi]

Fuel goes off very quickly these days,if you leave your bike with petrol in the system for more than a few weeks you're going to get trouble with any bike.

Sorry, but that's simply not true.

We'll have to disagree on that mate,from personal experience and from hanging around my mate's Bike shop/workshop for years I'm seeing more and fuel-related problems with customer's bikes, usually around this time of year when many are using them for the first time since last September or so,mostly older carb'd bikes.


https://monomotorcycles.co.uk/how-can-modern-fuels-damage-motorcycle-engines-how-to-prevent-this/

Most relevant part is this:

Here is a shocking fact. Modern ethanol fuel starts to go off the moment it goes into your fuel tank. A sealed petrol can kept in a cool dark place can last 6 months before it starts to degrade, however in your vented motorcycle fuel tank, it can be as little as six weeks before you could start to see issues.

Everyone on here has a carbed bike, and there are probably more rather than less that don't use them all through winter, but the forum doesn't get swamped with non starters due to bad fuel every year. If it did i would've noticed and know a lot about the subject as i've been on here a long time now, but it's never really been an issue. My own bike sat around doing nothing in very warm temperatures during the first year of covid when i was furloughed and the bike had no fuel issues whatsoever when i went back to work. Although to be truthful back then i would only use 97 RON fuel, and now bounce between 97 Super and ESSO 99 which has zero Ethanol in it (it's marked as "Up To 5%" on the pump for legal reasons). 

[Frasier]

I  experienced bad behaviour on all my carbed bikes, even after 2 months of storage. My lawnmowers and other household gas-powered appliances were even worse, no idle, etc. (manufacturers recommend draining the fuel if you don't use the mower for a couple of weeks - maybe they're onto something). Disassembled the carbs multiple times,  there were greenish residue in them, cleaned with ultrasonic cleaner. Most of the brass parts (jets and others) looked heavily eroded under magnifier. This was on normal E95 with 5% ethanol only, now the standard is 10% ethanol. Since I realized all these problems were caused by the ethanol, I changed to 100 octane premium gas with MTBE (?) additive instead ethanol, and my problems are disappeared. I don't live in the UK, for your reference. However the Fazer has the eroded brass parts in it, somewhere in the future I have to replace everything, ouch. It runs OK after carb sync, but it's bugging me...
A small amount of 2 stroke oil can be mixed in when filling up with gas, it helps to coat and lubricate the parts of the fuel system, useful in winter storage.
Regarding "nobody has starting problems on ethanol fuel" well, I guess the 4 cylinder bikes are forgiving, they run even if there are small problems. Try to kickstart my TT600R thumper with ethanol ruined carb... that's a different story.

[agricola]

The jury's still out on this one, I think it'll run for a while more yet too. Mines FI, but I wont put E10 in it, Ill ride around till I can fill up with ethanol free or at worst E5. Why? Because I can feel the bike does not pick up as cleanly when opened up, and I have read that there is a slight loss of bang for your buck too. Personal choice. And I have a deep mistrust of governments and multi nationals regarding the agenda for diluting down fuel.

[fazersharp]

The jury's still out on this one, I think it'll run for a while more yet too. Mines FI, but I wont put E10 in it, Ill ride around till I can fill up with ethanol free or at worst E5. Why? Because I can feel the bike does not pick up as cleanly when opened up, and I have read that there is a slight loss of bang for your buck too. Personal choice. And I have a deep mistrust of governments and multi nationals regarding the agenda for diluting down fuel.

Nope I do not trust the Gov either and will not put E10 in my bike and now also I am alternating E10 and 97ron in the car and I am sure I get more MPG with 97ron in the car than the E10. Not sure if I get more mpg with the bike as I do not ride my bike to save fuel.