If the bike is stored indoors in a garage with minimal temperature fluctuations, you could probably go a bit longer between starts.
However, if it’s parked outdoors exposed to rain and wind with significant temperature swings throughout the day, you’ll want to be careful.
If direct sunlight is beating down on it, you’ll definitely need to take precautions.
The fuel tank heats up and condensation forms inside, which causes rust to develop easily. Plus, gasoline in the carburetor evaporates more readily, leading to clogging and corrosion.
But if it clogs up, an OH will fix it, right?
You might think so, but here’s the thing: during an OH we can check whether the passages are open or blocked. However, we can’t verify that everything flows at the original rate and uniformly throughout.
Lately I’ve been thinking that maybe we’re entering an era where we need to check flow rates with something like a mass flow meter during carburetor OH work.
Especially the air passages—the air jets are press-fit and the passages are narrow.
The reason technicians get frustrated is that the work doesn’t deliver the performance it should. The results don’t match expectations.
Once everything’s assembled and you realize something’s wrong, you end up doing the job twice, three times, and eventually it gets labeled as some mysterious gremlin—and we want to avoid that, right?
An older bike likely has a history of carburetor clogs and other troubles. If you own and ride something vintage, you’ve got to factor in those risks and still enjoy your motorcycle life with that in mind, you know?
