Motorcycle Repair: 2 stroke 1971 90cc suzuki, overflow tube, cause havoc

Question
hi, i have a 1971 2 stroke suzuki 90. when i got it,it ran fine but i have owned it for a couple of months and there is three problems with the motor. 1. when you go to start it you have to have it in full throttle in intill it starts and shortly after. 2. when you ride it for a few minuts it leakes a lot of gas out of the overflow under the carb 3. goes threw spark plugs pretty fast. help!
                    thanks,
                          brandon

Answer
Brandon,
 Sounds like all 3 symptoms are related to one problem, flooding.  You most probably have an overfilling float bowl.  This will cause "liquid" fuel to enter the combustion chamber and foul the plug, require alot of air to counteract the amount of fuel (full throttle) and leak fuel from the overflow tube.  You either have a sticking or leaking needle valve that controls the flow of fuel into the float bowl and/or an improperly set float hieght or sinking floats (i've seen this a couple of times when the floats spring a leak, fill with gas and sit at the bottom.
Heres some basic info on cleaning and adjusting your carburator:
Disassemble, clean all jets and orifaces with solvent and COMPRESSED AIR ONLY, use NO wire or picks to clean holes/airways. Rebuild carbs with new gaskets and make sure your floats are set correctly. . Do not overlook the float level, be very sure you are not starving for fuel or allowing too much to enter (there is a hieght setting for these in the manual). Inspect the needle valve for smooth operaration and any wear and debris. In relation make sure fuel flow is unobstructed and use a good in-line fuel filter from the tank to the carb. Even tiny particles in the fuel can get logged in critical areas and cause havoc.

Hope this helps, Mike

PS also be sure you are not premixing to rich,  for saftey though, a little too rich is better than a little to lean.