ninjette.org - View Single Post

Yarhj · February 18th, 2014, 06:27 AM

I'm completely unmechanically-minded, and the first time I cleaned out my carburetors it took me about 2 hours to get the carburetors off the bike, and about another 2 hours to clean them out. It took about 3 hours and a lot of swearing to get the carbs back ON the bike (and a lot of swearing at the boots). I strongly recommend doing N4MWD's battery box mod before you take the carbs off -- it takes 30 minutes, and reduces the time required to take the carbs off and put them back on to about 20 minutes each way.

I've heard some people say that they used guitar string for cleaning out the jets, but I'm not sure if it's thin enough for the passageways in the carb body. Just be sure to use something pretty thin, and softer than brass (to avoid scratching anything inside the jets or passageways). I didn't have any copper wire laying around, so I went to home depot and asked them for a foot of some 14-18 gauge copper wire, which cost about $1, and has served me well. Read through the directions here and here for the process before you start, and take your carbs apart somewhere outdoors (so you don't inhale gas fumes all day), and somewhere where you won't lose things if they fall on the ground (especially the little o-rings and washers in the mixture screws).

It is a good idea to do a carb sync after you do anything that affects the intake and engine (carb cleanings and valve adjustments being the most common). Check out this page for directions on how to do it, and how to build your own carb sync tool.

Syncing the carburetors is much simpler than the carb cleaning process, so by the time you need to do it you should have no trouble! The sync process takes about 15 minutes, all told.

One last note -- be extra careful about keeping track of which bolts came from where in your top fairings. On the pregen the top bolts are shorter than the bottom bolts, and if you mix them up you can puncture the tank.

February 18th, 2014, 06:27 AM	#6
Yarhj ninjette.org member Name: Will Location: Atlanta, GA Join Date: Feb 2013 Motorcycle(s): Ninja 250 (2001) Posts: 135	I'm completely unmechanically-minded, and the first time I cleaned out my carburetors it took me about 2 hours to get the carburetors off the bike, and about another 2 hours to clean them out. It took about 3 hours and a lot of swearing to get the carbs back ON the bike (and a lot of swearing at the boots). I strongly recommend doing N4MWD's battery box mod before you take the carbs off -- it takes 30 minutes, and reduces the time required to take the carbs off and put them back on to about 20 minutes each way. I've heard some people say that they used guitar string for cleaning out the jets, but I'm not sure if it's thin enough for the passageways in the carb body. Just be sure to use something pretty thin, and softer than brass (to avoid scratching anything inside the jets or passageways). I didn't have any copper wire laying around, so I went to home depot and asked them for a foot of some 14-18 gauge copper wire, which cost about $1, and has served me well. Read through the directions here and here for the process before you start, and take your carbs apart somewhere outdoors (so you don't inhale gas fumes all day), and somewhere where you won't lose things if they fall on the ground (especially the little o-rings and washers in the mixture screws). It is a good idea to do a carb sync after you do anything that affects the intake and engine (carb cleanings and valve adjustments being the most common). Check out this page for directions on how to do it, and how to build your own carb sync tool. Syncing the carburetors is much simpler than the carb cleaning process, so by the time you need to do it you should have no trouble! The sync process takes about 15 minutes, all told. One last note -- be extra careful about keeping track of which bolts came from where in your top fairings. On the pregen the top bolts are shorter than the bottom bolts, and if you mix them up you can puncture the tank.