how do you drain the carbs?

86 vf500

want to drain the carbs for the winter. it was running great after squirrelman cleaned my carbs, but then it for some reason unknown to me it stopped running. don't want to ruin all the work he did on the carbs - and i can't run it until the gas runs out now.

so i found these 2 pictures from bikebandit showing the carbs, if someone could point me to the drain screw because i don't want to go touching things that are adjusted properly.



thanks

 

there are screws om the bottom off the bowls.use a flat tip turn them fuel will drain out
good luck...

 

The screw is near a small nipple at the bottom of the bowl. You can slide on a clear plastic tube to drain the fuel in a jerrycan and put it back in the tank. Ensure petcock is closed.

 

second drawing #4.

Or tip bike upside down and shake vigorously.

 

+1 just what he said #4

 

You only need to unscrew about 2 turns to drain, don't need to remove the screw.

If i remember correctly, i painted the drain screws RED so you could find them easily.

I'll PM you Michelle to help you get it running again.....

 

thanks. i'm not sure what happened it was running, i went off to a work trip for a couple of weeks, and i come home and its not running =/

i thought it was the battery, but i bought a new one and had the dealer charge it, and its still not starting. figured i better get the gas out of there before it gets gummed up. i had put stabi in it, but might as well have them empty.

 

I will cross the line and suggest another path. Given the age and lack of parts, would it not be a better choice to mark a date on the calender to start and run your bike once a month? Throw it on the battery tender for 24 hours once a month? Storage of older machines is the thing that spring time threads are made of. This is the choice for me and I know all my bikes will start when needed. Please do not hammer me too hard but I do think this is a better plan and it does bring you, your bike, and a beer together during the foul month's. For older bikes at least.

I am on the floor in a fetal position, kick me at will.

 

i won't kick you, but if you read what i wrote you'd see that it already doesn't run that's why i want to drain them, until spring when i can take it to a shop to find out why it doesn't run. and since squirrel went to all the work to get the carbs in a+ shape i want them clear for the winter. I would take your route if it were running. actually, living in AZ i'd just take it for a ride a couple times a month over the winter.

 

IMO carb draining works better than starting once a month. It's too cold here in MN to start any kind of machinery unless you have too. Besides, if you can't actually ride and 'heat soak' the engine, you just end up running too long on enrichener circuits, flooding combustion chambers, catalytic converters (if applicable) and fouling spark plugs. Actually, the climate is so cold and dry here that fuel keeps amazingly well in the Winter without doing anything at all. I'd say the 'start once a month' storage method creates as many problems as it fixes.

Michelle@AZ...most effective carb draining...after the fuel is done dripping out the carb bottems, leave the drain screws open and try to start your bike for several seconds (that is unless your problem is the starter won't turn the bike over). You'll probably get a few more drops out, and the vacuum from the engine helps 'suck' any residual fuel left inside the jets themselves. You're in good hands with Squirrelman, he's very knowledgable.

 

ANOTHER useful pre-storage tactic --useful on bikes that have difficult to access drain screws-- is to turn petcock to OFF ( or disconnect the vaccum line ) and run the engine until it drains fuel from carbs and quits running.....then use the choke to get the bike running again ( usually less than 10 seconds) and you've sucked all fuel from carbs and through jets.