Motorcycle Repair: 1994 Honda Shadow VT1100C, tom huff, overflow conditions

Question
I just rebuilt the carburetors on my Shadow, fired it up, and gas is leaking from the little nipples beneath the float bowl on both carburetors. Does this indicate the floats are stuck or the carburetors are flooding?

Thank you,
Tom Huff


Answer
Tom, yes, the overflow tubes on the carburetors are there to release excess fuel if the float valves stick open.

Often, when you put carburetors back on the bike with empty bowls the floats hang way down and the needles get cocked in the float valve seats causing overflow conditions. Shut the fuel off and try firing the bike up and shaking it side to side and/or tapping on the bowls with a screwdriver handle to jar the needles back into place.

As I recall the needles have to sit into little slots on the base of the float, which physically keeps them in place during open and close cycles, so if assembled properly, the problem is probably just a temporary dislocation of the needles in the seats.

Bill Silver