Carb's are our Friends!

Well, I've been putting off replacing some parts in my '85 XT350's carburetor(s), waiting for warmer weather to "tear into it". A few weeks ago "old reliable" decided to become a "non-starter".

I have been riding to work every day all winter, except the one morning we had some freezing rain. Being without "my ride" was kind of sad, so I decided it was time for some overdue repairs and maintenance. I changed the plug and verified spark and compression, so I figured it must be a fuel related problem - my worst fear - which meant carburetor work :-(

I printed off the pages of the manual that Paul (Bro.) sent me, and the schematic breakdown scared me to death! He reassured me that it "was not that bad" and that I could do it. So I exercised what little faith I had, and began the disassembly, taking pictures along the way in case I forgot how to put it back together :-) I'm sure it took more than twice as long as any competent mechanic to do the job,
but I figured out how to remove the main carburetor, along with its sidekick "wannabe" half-carb.

Then I carefully opened up the float bowl, to replace the needle valve and some o-rings, and give it all a thorough cleaning.

Then I disassembled the main carburetor areas to check for any debris and clean all of the parts with carb cleaner. As you can see, they were a little dirty, but not too bad. (I forgot to take any "after" pics when it was all cleaned up).

Finally I carefully put it all back together, replaced the carb-to-cylinder boots and gaskets, and readjusted the disturbulatormanifolder. Since I was in "mechanic-mode" I decided to clean the air filter (light oil), drain & clean the fuel tank, change the engine oil and filter, replace the fuel lines, add an in-line fuel filter, and change the shift lever shaft seal. What a project-o! I got it all back together, crossed my fingers, and got ready to "fire it up". It coughed and sputtered at first, but finally turned over! I jumped on and went for a ride, and found it a bit rough at first, but after a few blocks it smoothed right out. It runs much better at mid and upper RPM's, but feels a bit "different" at lower rev's. I still need to do some maintenance on both brakes, and get rid of a "hop" in my front rim, but overall it runs much better, and I am just happy to be "back in the saddle" again!

Thanks for the help and encouragement, Paul (& Dad) - I couldn't have done it without you :-) Is it Spring-time YET?!!