FloridaSilverBird

I understand how the petcock works now and after some testing it looks like it works just as its supposed to. Although when there is no vacuum and it is closed with fuel on i can blow into the gas entry and it takes quite a bit of pressure to get it open, but i can clearly feel that the rubber seal is good. So, rubber seal is good and petcock works. At least now it does. Edit: I got her to run just fine now . We will see if something happens again :icon_wall:

Hm. Well I just went and opened the petcock cover and the diaphragm looks very nice and clean, and nothing wrong with the spring. Perhaps instead of eating away at the diaphragm, it got stuck in some position? On the other hand, when i bent the vacuum hose leading to the diaphragm from the engine down, it leaked out gas, so it looks like you are on the right track when you say fuel is leaking into the vacuum line system. Or perhaps this is due to gas overflowing the carbeuretors all the way up the drains. I'm not sure. Anyways, I did a little dusting, reseated the diaphragm, and put it back together to see if this is still happening--although maybe it will only happen again after i turn her on and back off.

Not really. I purchased the fuel screen with o-ring from ronayers and didn't receive a spring, and I don't see an item listed which would include the spring. It looks like there might be shown a spring or something inside the fuel screen no the fiche, but it is unclear.

That actually sounds like it might be exactly my problem. I had to replace the fuel screen but I do not remember anything about a spring either when i took the old one out or when I put the new one in. I did not receive a spring with the fuel screen (ordered from ron ayers). I have thought that the problem was with my tank because it continues to leak gas into the carbs, clearly explaining why it is filling up. It's also leaking all over the place when i take it off the bike. So, is there supposed to be a screen inside the fuel screen for a 98 bird? Maybe it fell out while taking out the old fuel screen and it is somewhere in the tank...

Gas has been leaking out of the air vent lines leading into the carburetors so I opened the airbox and to my horror this was because gas was filled up the brim, even into the airbox on the left side (was on the side stand). Any ideas on why is this happening? It seems to be a problem with the tank/petcock because gas is slowly going through the gas tube even when the tank is off the bike. My petcock is all the way on and I have recently replaced the fuel screen and cleaned the carbs. Lastly, in my troubleshooting I turned the throttle and all the gas in the carbs drained. Did all that gas just pour into the cylinders? Will this be a problem when I start it up again? Thank you.

Thanks Hank.

I am installing a stator on my 98. The stator does not have a plug so I am clamping on female spade ends, but how do I know which ones go where? Is it correct to assume that since the wires are all yellow and that stators seem to be often sold without plugs that they all hold the same current and can be plugged in any way? Thanks!

I've been trying to get the carburetor assy off the engine for a long while now. The bottom clamps are completely off but I am afraid that using any more force to get it off the engine will completely break the assembly. I've been using a crowbar for leverage on each side, putting pressure on the aluminum casings. It will rock front to back but it is not budging at all. The reason I am trying to get it off is for cleaning which I am almost certain is needed. I am thinking the only way I will be able to do this is to destroy the insulators somehow so that I can get them off and just buy new insulators. Any advise?

I'm trying to clean the carbs, and so I want to take the whole assembly off the engine. Here is a writeup for a different bike: http://cbrforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=96888 There are two clamps for each cylinder, one facing forward and one facing backward. The ones facing backward which are underneath the floats are easy to get to. The ones facing forward and are underneath the vacuum chambers have almost no clearance. I have loosened all the ones facing back and the one facing the front on the far left cylinder. The other three clamps I do not know how to get to. I can wiggle the assembly but I don't think I can pry it off without loosening the other three cylinders.

I'm refering to the four black covers which house the vacuum chambers.

Till loose enough to turn by hand? I couldn't get my 2 year old niece's hand to fit between the carbs and the engine. Only the bottom clamps are accessible from under the float bowls, and so they are easy with someone with small hands like me to get to. The ones I am having trouble with are beneath the black covers. I can only access the one on the left side of the engine. Oh dear, I was hoping you would have forgotten by now :icon_silenced: Good to see you anyhow, Red.

The bird has been sitting for about a year and a half. I tried starting it up and it was having trouble but after about 30 seconds I noticed that it was spilling a huge amount of gas right out of the overflow pipes leading to the carbs. I suspected a stuck float or the jets were completely gummed up so I started to disassemble them, but I have no idea how to reach the boot screws facing forward as there is only about 2 cm of clearance and I would have to unscrew it at about a 45 degree angle at best. It looks like I would have to take the engine out of the frame to reach them? Also, when draining the bowls one of them looked to have normal gas, two had neon green gas, and the other looked like it may have been contaminate with some oil.. Any advise or directions to pertinent threads would be appreciated.

+1 The pin on my left lower cowl ALWAYS used to pop out, drove me crazy until I just bolted it on.

Yeah I don't think the US model has such a plug underneath the headlight. A few weeks ago I switched lenses with a headlight I bought online for cheap. If you put the whole headlight assembly in the oven (set it on top of a cloth cooking pad of some sort that doesn't conduct heat well) at 170 degrees F for about 20 minutes and when you take it out the sealant glue is soft enough to where you can almost pull it right apart. Do what you need to do and put the lens and backing in the oven again until it heats up and you can pop them right back together without requiring extra sealant.

Thanks, i'll keep you in mind if I run into trouble. It is my hope to be able to produce more than my own set of bodyparts. A Blackbird probably isn't the best to do it with because few people have one, but thats the bike I have so we'll see how it goes