Author Topic: How long can a Concours sit? (Read 6431 times)

VodkaAndPickles · « **on:** July 01, 2012, 11:01:38 AM »

My Concours has been sitting for about 6 months by now. It's had a long list of things that needed fixing, and I have very little time to work on it. I've gradually been getting around to fixing it up. Hopefully I'll have it back on the road this summer.

Should I take the carbs off and clean them, or will riding with some Seafoam in the tank for a while be enough once I get it put back together? Like I said, it was parked 6 months ago, and I've only started it once or twice briefly in the time since then. I didn't put any fuel stabilizer in it back then as I didn't plan on it sitting this long.

connie_rider · « **Reply #1 on:** July 01, 2012, 11:27:12 AM »

A lot of us get into that boat occasionally.
Ride it first. See what it does.
If you have a problem, you know what to do.
If not, add some stabilizer (or 2 cycle oil) and run it until the gas (with stabilizer) is in the carb's.

Ride safe, Ted

George R. Young · « **Reply #2 on:** July 01, 2012, 05:54:53 PM »

Over the Canadian winter, my Concours is regularly parked for 4 - 5 months. As long as the carbs are drained, I've never had any trouble getting it back on the road again.

VodkaAndPickles · « **Reply #3 on:** July 01, 2012, 06:42:12 PM »

Quote from: George R. Young on July 01, 2012, 05:54:53 PM

Over the Canadian winter, my Concours is regularly parked for 4 - 5 months. As long as the carbs are drained, I've never had any trouble getting it back on the road again.

That's the thing, I didn't drain anything or put stabilizer in the gas. It's been sitting as is.

Once I put it back together I'll try the easy way first...

redzgrider · « **Reply #4 on:** July 01, 2012, 07:38:25 PM »

I've got a dollar that says your pilot jets are clogged, and the starter jets not much better. At the minimum, I recommend draining the float bowls and tank, then filling with clean fuel. Mine has been sitting a bit longer, but the sludge that came out of the bowls was truly impressive.

VodkaAndPickles · « **Reply #5 on:** July 01, 2012, 09:05:23 PM »

Quote from: redzgrider on July 01, 2012, 07:38:25 PM

I've got a dollar that says your pilot jets are clogged, and the starter jets not much better. At the minimum, I recommend draining the float bowls and tank, then filling with clean fuel. Mine has been sitting a bit longer, but the sludge that came out of the bowls was truly impressive.

Tank has been drained a while ago and will be getting fresh fuel anyway, as I had to replace the fuel petcock.

connie_rider · « **Reply #6 on:** July 02, 2012, 07:56:53 AM »

Hopefully your not in a place that is as hot as it is here. Gas won't evaporate as quickly.
When you refill the tank, put a little carb cleaner or oil in the fuel. May help clean things out.

Let us know how it works out.

Ride safe, Ted

Ike · « **Reply #7 on:** July 03, 2012, 07:41:43 AM »

What do you recommend for carb cleaner? Mine appears starved for gas after some higher speed riding and chugs or outright stalls. May be a gas cap vacuum issue but I've never looked at the carbs.

Strawboss · « **Reply #8 on:** July 03, 2012, 01:46:48 PM »

My opinion is that if your gas is bad adding stabilizer isn't going to make it "good", stabilizer is added to gas before storing to prevent it from going "bad", no amount of anything I think will improve it save "fresh" gas that will dilute the "bad "gas so you'll have less "bad" gas in the tank. My opinion only, I could be wrong. Now carb cleaner, sure, I can see how that may help added to "bad" gas. Start it up, ride it and see what happens then think about your options. Good luck.

snarf · « **Reply #9 on:** July 03, 2012, 02:42:42 PM »

Quote from: Strawboss on July 03, 2012, 01:46:48 PM

My opinion is that if your gas is bad adding stabilizer isn't going to make it "good", stabilizer is added to gas before storing to prevent it from going "bad", no amount of anything I think will improve it save "fresh" gas that will dilute the "bad "gas so you'll have less "bad" gas in the tank. My opinion only, I could be wrong. Now carb cleaner, sure, I can see how that may help added to "bad" gas. Start it up, ride it and see what happens then think about your options. Good luck.

+1. once gas is bad its bad; kinda like how you can turn bread into toast but it aint never going to be bread again $:-\$

MAN OF BLUES · « **Reply #10 on:** July 03, 2012, 04:56:28 PM »

start simple and cheap, fully drain and empty the tank, remove it, turn it upside down, shake it out, blow it out with air....make sure it is clean and dry.....and thenalso drain the float bowls before refilling the tank........one single drop of water can and will completley plug a low speed circuit in a carb, and stay there untill it is dislodged. re-fuel using a new clean gas can, add 2 gallons of clean fresh fuel mixed with a bottle of IsoHeet. run the bike hard.
this bogging and bucking is very commonly a water thing, and it comes on like right now with little or no warning, not like a degredation of engine performance normally associated with things "going bad". If you didn't do anything mechanical to the bike prior to this occurance to create the instance, my money is on water.

as for seafoam, it works when used regularly, but I have never had success with it removing water as well as IsoHeet, or Heet. adding this stuff doesn't do a thing untill it is run thru the system, and seafoam does NOT bind up water. IsoHeet does, you still have to ride the bike to burn the fuel/water/IsoHeet mixture up....letting it sit in there does absolutly nothing.

the way gas is today, if my bike sat for more then a month, I would completly drain the tank, and start from scratch.... don't even hit the starter...just don't.

worst thing you can do is figure "lets start the bike and see", because that is where you totally gack the carbs up, and nothing is gonna reverse the problem that you created by starting the bike with poopgas.

Strawboss · « **Reply #11 on:** July 03, 2012, 05:36:26 PM »

Of course MOB I defer to your experience

, and your right, no harm in draining the tank and bowls, don't cost nothin. I just never had any of the problems here in NE OH that I read about on the forum. Jeez, if I drained my tanks every time it sat for over a month, that would be all I was doing as I have 5 cars and 5 motorcycles. Maybe OH gas is just better quality.

VodkaAndPickles · « **Reply #12 on:** July 03, 2012, 05:45:05 PM »

Is it possible to drain the float bowls with the carbs on the bike? The inner carbs seem like they'd be a bit hard to get to.

Strawboss · « **Reply #13 on:** July 03, 2012, 06:04:06 PM »

Sure, get yourself a small container, like a glass salsa jar or a jelly jar. Kneel down on either side of the bike, look at the side of the bowls, you'll see a small screw, two on the right, and two on the left, yellowish in color, angled so you can get a long hex head wrench in there. Get a small length of hose and attach it to the small spigot on the very bottom of the bowl you are draining, drop the hose into the jar and open the screw, I think they are hex head, not sure of the size. Drain them out, they won't hold a lot.

VodkaAndPickles · « **Reply #14 on:** July 05, 2012, 05:56:33 PM »

So I just drained the float bowls, and this is what came out.

It smells almost like single malt Scotch.

What says the collective wisdom? Take the carbs off and clean them, or run the bike hard with fresh, heavily Seafoamed gas?

connie_rider · « **Reply #15 on:** July 05, 2012, 06:15:12 PM »

Try fresh gas. But you don't have to put a megadose of Seafoam in it.
It will work, or it won't.

Ride safe, Ted

redzgrider · « **Reply #16 on:** July 05, 2012, 08:11:49 PM »

Try the fresh gas, with or without some cleaner added. If the pilots are plugged, you'll notice it won't run properly at part throttle, but will clear up with larger throttle openings. If they are plugged, you're out of luck.

Strawboss · « **Reply #17 on:** July 06, 2012, 07:09:04 AM »

I'd do what MOB says, you've drained your bowls and brown gas came out, I'm not sure if you mentioned stabilzer before it was stored, if you added it, sometimes it tinges gas, but I'm not sure it would be that brown. Anyway, popping the tank and draining takes all of about 5 minutes. To start it up now with that gas in it may cause some problems so why not drain the tank.

connie_rider · « **Reply #18 on:** July 06, 2012, 09:08:10 AM »

We all agree to that.
FRESH GAS!

Ride safe, Ted

MAN OF BLUES · « **Reply #19 on:** July 07, 2012, 09:05:51 AM »

Quote from: Strawboss on July 03, 2012, 05:36:26 PM

Of course MOB I defer to your experience ,
Maybe OH gas is just better quality.

YEP...THAT'S IT

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Author Topic: How long can a Concours sit? (Read 6431 times)