I need a recommendation for mechanic who knows carberators very well | GTAMotorcycle.com

I need a recommendation for mechanic who knows carberators very well

junk301

Well-known member
I've been having an issue with my carberator and the mechanic told me that you'd need a new one. However I frequent gstwins and they are all saying that the carberators are pretty bombshell. SO that's that so I would like a few more opinions on my carberator issue. If anyone knows a great mechanic who knows carberators very well shoot me a message.

Please and thanks
 
I've heard good things about TO Cycle on Lakeshore and also Pro 6 on Kipling. Never dealt with them personally, but I mostly do my own work on my bikes.

Did he say why it couldn't get rebuilt? Usually a rebuild with fix almost anything with a carburetor unless it's physically damaged.
 
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What possibly could be the problem with your carb that it needs to be replaced?
 
It takes a lot of abuse to actually need to replace a carb. Usually just need a good cleaning and a rebuild kit.

I normally do all my own work. Pro 6 has been the only shop that I have used in the GTA when I was having some issues with my RS125 but they were good to deal with.
 
He told you that you need a new carb? Firstly - back away from that mechanic. Anyone mechanically inclined would talk specifically about what's wrong with it. Diaphragm torn? Jets plugged? Jettted incorrectly? I've been around carbs a long time, and more often than not, if they're not jetted, all they need is a good cleaning from time to time.

Many mechanics don't like working on carbs, because it's time consuming and messy, and sometimes guesswork.

What's the actual problem you're having?
 
Most parts in a carb are replaceable. There are a few places that carry even the most obsolete stuff. Even if the needles and jets were rotting there replaceable as long as you can get them out. I havnt ha many I can't fix. I agree if he wants them replaced he may be avoiding it. Pm me if you need some work done.
 
Well, for some bikes a torn diaphragm would mean a replacement, as the diaphragm/slides would not be available separately from the carb body. Though I don't exactly understand why, because from my limited experience your average CV slide is not exactly a precision fit.
 
Assuming the OP does have a GS500F the carbs can be fully rebuild. As long as to didn't bash the bodies in there is no reason to get a new carb.
 
He told you that you need a new carb? Firstly - back away from that mechanic. Anyone mechanically inclined would talk specifically about what's wrong with it. Diaphragm torn? Jets plugged? Jettted incorrectly? I've been around carbs a long time, and more often than not, if they're not jetted, all they need is a good cleaning from time to time.

Many mechanics don't like working on carbs, because it's time consuming and messy, and sometimes guesswork.

What's the actual problem you're having?

Ok here is the deal. I brought my carbs in and there was no damage whatsoever. The issue was that the bike was running too lean, but mainly the bike wouldn't idle. After replacing a snapped fuel mix screw which I was told was the only problem I get the bike back with nothing fixed...Well it would only run on prime before, so I am happy that it runs on "ON" now. So I am not that dissapointed with the mechanic. The only thing he told me when i picked the bike up is that both cylinders aren't firing evenly..He even said that one of the cylinders wasn't firing at all (however that doesn't seem the case now). So he told me to buy a new set of carbs....I find this very fishy and am unsure if he checked the coils at all...I believe there is an issue lying outside of the carbs..possilbe plugs, coils, cdi ,etc).
 
It takes a lot of abuse to actually need to replace a carb. Usually just need a good cleaning and a rebuild kit.

I normally do all my own work. Pro 6 has been the only shop that I have used in the GTA when I was having some issues with my RS125 but they were good to deal with.

I will give pro6 a try as they are just a hop over the bridge for me...Any secondary opinions on the issue would help...Buying a new set of carbs is costly..I have found 1 for 200 bucks recently but i don't even know if its the carbs that's the issue. And also the bike has experienced a huge drop in power over the past year...My bike has about 33k on it and highway cruising is at 120.......but i have no windshield (naked bike)
 
Like I said, unless your current carbs are physically damaged as in cracked or something like that then you don't need new carbs. If the engine is running unevenly, then there's a whole list of things to check. Additionally, your mention of bike not running on anything but 'Prime' might indicate a fuel flow issue.

Now, I don't know what that mechanic checked so it's difficult to say what the issue is... did he take the carbs apart? Could be a clogged jet. If he did, cleaned and blew out all the jets and everything checked out OK with the carbs, then a compression check would be the next step.

Take it to Pro 6, let them diagnose it from scratch... that's your safest bet. That other mechanic sounds like a quack.
 
An update on my motorcycle..After some tests I have figured out that the right cylinder is recording a psi rating of 35....spec is 150-190!!! This should also be why the left cylinder is running lean since it is doing twice the work. I need to wait till the winter so i can open the bike up myself..unfortunately.but thats that
 
If you're feeling industrious... you can further isolate the problem by putting some oil into the cylinder and then recheck the compression. If it comes up, then you likely have a problem with the rings. If not, the problem is likely within the cylinder head and valves. That'll give you a better idea of how much work you're looking at to fix it.
 
I had a small hole in one of my F2 diaphragms. I fixed it with some goop. The diaphragm from Honda was over $100. I can get an entire carb off ebay for less than that. Sometimes it's just not worth fixing some things if you can get the whole thing for less. Still he should have given you more info.
 
An update on my motorcycle..After some tests I have figured out that the right cylinder is recording a psi rating of 35....spec is 150-190!!! This should also be why the left cylinder is running lean since it is doing twice the work. I need to wait till the winter so i can open the bike up myself..unfortunately.but thats that

I'm reviving this thread. Need to get my bud back up and running. He chopped his yoshi to a stubby, did he need to rejet to compensate? Could be why he is running lean. Next, he's looking for a gasket head because of burnt valves. Could that be the issue and will it help?
 
I'm reviving this thread. Need to get my bud back up and running. He chopped his yoshi to a stubby, did he need to rejet to compensate? Could be why he is running lean. Next, he's looking for a gasket head because of burnt valves. Could that be the issue and will it help?

If it has damaged valves then it will run like crap no matter what, and no messing around with the carbs should be done until that's taken care of. If the bike is running so lean that it burned valves in the first place though, it could be that somebody has already made a major mistake with the carbs.
 
Before doing ANYthing else, reset the valve clearances to specifications and check the compression again. You might be lucky, and the low compression is due to a tight valve clearance and nothing else. If proper compression cannot be achieved then here is what you are in for.

First, the cylinder head has to come off. I suspect that this requires the engine out of the bike (and life will be a whole lot easier doing the following work on the bench, even if the head can be done with the engine in-bike). But it's an air-cooled twin. Engine removal should be simple.

If the real problem is a burned valve, then at a minimum, the valve has to be replaced, the valve guide needs to be inspected for wear and repaired/replaced as necessary, the valve seat has to be re-cut and lapped with the new valve then cleaned up, and the valve stem seal has to be replaced. Then put the engine back together with a new head gasket. This is an air-cooled engine with two valves per cylinder ... this job is pretty close to as simple as it gets. But special tools and know-how are needed in order to repair the valve seats.

Once the engine is back together THEN look at the carbs, and it sounds like they need to be re-jetted.

Most common causes of burned valves:
Neglected (out of spec and ignored) valve clearance.
Overheating - air-cooled engines are susceptible to this.
Carbon build-up due to excessive short-trip driving (engine never warms up), excessive use of the choke, excessive rich mixture due to carb issues.
Carbon build-up because the engine is burning oil because of other problems (rings, valve stem seals, crankcase venting issues).
Carburetion set too lean near full-load. Lean idle and cruise won't hurt it (and helps to remove carbon build-up) but lean near full load is bad news.
Wrong oil, neglected oil changes, etc leading to valve stem and valve guide issues.
 
If the bike is running lean, that's a good root cause of dropping compression in one cylinder.

I agree with what Brian P stated (good description BTW), but I'd take the easy way out and get a used motor. People drop and crash GS500's all the time, should not be difficult or too expensive. Would strongly advise doing a compression test before buying, or buying a 'guaranteed' good motor from a reputable wrecker.

This brings back painful memories for me... there's a reason my current bike is injected.
 

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