[Yank50]

I've had my VTX in storage for the past 5 years, now it's time to get it back on the road. What recomnendations for maintenace should i do for rhe bike and for safety. I do think my carburator might be gummed up from the ethanol gas, so how should I handle that issue? Besides changing oil and filter, are there any other fluids I should change or check? My VTX has been garaged so it's been protected from the weather... thanks in advance for any suggestions.

 

[wgmallery]

Did you leave fuel in the tank?

 

[07Blackcherry]

I do think my carburator might be gummed up from the ethanol gas, so how should I handle that issue?

Carb Cleaning 101 | Honda VTX Forum (vtxoa.com)

 

[Yank50]

Did you leave fuel in the tank?

Unfortunatly, yes. My plan was to keep up with starting the bike every month, but i lost charge on my battery and that was the end of that idea. I knew better than to leave gas in the tank. So now I have to pay the price of stupidity. Where's the best place to pick up a rebuild kit for these carburators?

 

[Vinish]

Do not buy a rebuild kit yet. Drain the old gas from the tank and the carb. Clean the carb. Add fresh fuel and see what happens. If it starts but runs rough, add double the recommended amount of Seafoam to the fuel and run two tank fulls of this through the bike and see if that helps.

Change ALL fluids - fuel, oil, brake fluid (both reservoirs and bleed the brakes), coolant, rear "differential" oil, and blinker fluid

 

[Yank50]

What do you meam when u say clean the carb? Should i pull it and open it up? The last time i ran it the idle jet was rough. I had to pull the choke out more that usual to keep it running. Do u suggest i pull the jets and try clean them ? What would be the best way to clean the jets?

 

[Vinish]

Start by trying it without cleaning anything and see how it runs. Diagnose any problems with running and go from there. You can find lots of info on cleaning carbs here on the Cafe by searching.

 

[Yank50]

As a followup to this post, I ran a tank of 93 octane gas and a full can of sea foam. Took a bit to get it to idle and I did that by spraying some starter fluid in the cylinders to help draw the fresh gas into and throught the carburator, After about 8 times I finally was able to idle the bike on high Idle and it cleaned itself out after about 20 minutes. I;ve run several short trips close to home just in case, and so far its running great. Will finish this tank out with the sea foam and run a straight 93 Octane gas for the next tank and see how it does. Did not pull the carburator, and all seems to work fine. Changed out all of the fluids and lubricants.Thanks for all the suggestions and it saved me alot of time with not pulling the carburator.

 

[Vinish]

Do not run 93 octane. Just run plain old 87 octane (N. American method for measuring octane of (R+M)/2 and not the European method for measuring octane). The only benefit to higher octane fuel is that it is harder to ignite (higher auto-ignition temperature) so it resists premature ignition caused by heat of compression. VTX engines are low compression and NEVER need higher octane than basic 87.

Sure, higher octane will not hurt anything other than lightening the weight of your wallet.

If you have to buy high octane in order to get ethanol free for winter storage, that would be the ONLY reason to buy higher octane than basic 87. I have always been fine with 6 months of bike storage using 87 octane with 10% ethanol but I add double the recommended dosage of Stabil to the tank prior to storage.

 

[Yank50]

Thanks, I'll go back to 87...