drewski

In all seriousness, how hard is it to rebuild the carbs and sync them if you have never done it before? I think that might be my problem, looking to tackle it over the winter. Never did anything this involved before, is it a cheap enough job that it is easier to pay the shop than doing it myself and maybe having to re-do it once or twice? Any help/advice is welcomed.

sjscicluna

I'm interested in this question also and is there any guides available... don't shoot me i have not looked yet but will shortly

E.Marquez

It is time consuming so big $$$ at a shop.
It has many intricate parts
It is best done with a heated sonic tank and the proper cleaner something most do not have or have access to.
You will need a carb sync tool for after.. buy or make one.
Get yourself a impact screw driver or be ready to ruin and replace the float bowl screws

Other than the tools mentioned above it takes only what I consider basic tools.

There is no "kit" for service parts, you will have to inspect each and every one be able to recognize wear or damage and then order the parts.

With a service manual, digital camera many small parts bags, the internet and time..plus a good basic understanding of mechanical work Id say a first timer with no self imposed time limit could get it done.

7moore7

Mr. Marquez has better experience than I, but I do want to add on slightly to his suggestion: A heated sonic tank is really the only way to truly clean all of the vents and flow ports, but you can do a cleaning without one. Don't let that be the thing stopping you.

Other than that, I agree; what helps most is having time and not having a sense of urgency ("must finish by tonight so I can ride!"), but also a desire to finish the job. It's all just little parts. You can kind of get a sense for the job in this post:

https://www.superhawkforum.com/forum...69/#post293808

But in carb cleaning generally you won't need to remove the needle/diaphragm (the middle row of pics)

drewski

Thanks guys. A little back story......about a week ago she started bogging down bad between 3 and 4K RPMs.....eventually starting to bog down all through the range and now she won't start. I drained the fuel and replaced, still the same. She turns over but won't catch. I have spark and the kill switch looked like it was operating correctly when I opened it up. When I opened the airbox, I noticed that the two rectangular blocks that are over the two areas of packed foam had come off and there were bits of orange foam all through the airbox, leading me to think the carbs are blocked/fouled. At the very least, I've had her for four years and haven't done any carb work in the 11K I have had her, so I figure she is due. Again, any advice is very welcomed.

drewski

great link 7moore7, thank you. The pics will be a great help. I only have about half the foam in those blocks now in the corners of the airbox, will that be an issue? Do I need to repack those?

CruxGNZ

Yes, you need to put foam back at those locations. If not, some dirty air will bypass your filter and get sucked up into the airbox via those areas without foam.
It's very easy to replace. You can get new foam at Ace Hardware, Joanne Fabrics, Home Depot, etc. Cut to fit and viola!

E.Marquez

Or for a $1.55 each you can not go shopping, not go hunting for just the right foam, not trace out and cut a hunk of foam....and have them delivered to your door.

17254-MBB-000
FILTER, SUB-AIR CLEANER
Honda Motorcycle Parts 1998 VTR1000F A AIR CLEANER Diagram




Not hard to do, but not worth the time more so as you will likely be ordering other repair parts for your rebuild, ie new air filter, jets some fuel or vac line perhaps, some screws, ect.

drewski

Thanks guys. You have me convinced that it's an acceptable DIY project. Looking forward to tackling it in Spring.

smokinjoe73

Drewski, I recently rescued a ZX6 rider broken down with similar problems roadside. I got him going by just draining the fuel tank with a borrowed hose and refilling it with new gas and tectron fuel cleaner. To get it to fire I used starting fluid spray.

This sounds too simple but no matter what this is the REAL first step. Cleaning your kitchen doesn't help unless you close the front door where the mudslide is coming from.

BEFORE you dive in do what I described. You should really remove the tank after its syphoned and shake it upside down. This is WAY less work than the carbs and again has to be done anyway.

Also, start with the cleaning and leave the sync for a bit later. The reason being you need to isolate problems with one fix at a time. (juggle ***** not chainsaws)

The guy I helped rode his bike and said it ran better than "before it broke down". Don't overdiagnose.