Motorcycle Repair: floater stuck?, sportster 883, crank case

Question
Mark,

I have a 1996 Sportster 883. I recently purchased it and it is in beautiful condition with 16,000 miles on it. The only problem I have had thus far: the gas float (?) keeps getting stuck and fuel pours out of the puke valve. I  always give it a full choke for initial start up when the bike is cold or been sitting a few days, but turn off the choke in less than a minute to prevent rich fuel. The last couple times this happened was when it was appx 55 degrees outside. I had to turn off the fuel and let the motor continue to run until it ran out. This morning when we started it, it did the same thing along with shooting black smoke from the exhaust and back firing.

Do you think this is my problem? Does this bike have a floater? And what can I do to fix it?

Thank you for your help.

Cin

Answer
thres a chance that if the float needle in the carb was stuck, or the fuel did not shut off properly, that much of the fuel drained into the crank case. Check your oil level, and smell it. If it seems watery or smells like gas, drian it and clean the carb, especially the float needle. That should prevent further happenings..

Hope this helps!

~Mark