Motorcycle Repair: fixing sticky floats, yamaha maxim 650, gas tank

Question
Hi Chris,
My wife has a 1980 yamaha maxim 650 that has been basemant kept but not run for two years.The other day I took off the gas tank and drained it and put new gas in along with a new battery.I have been able to get the bike to fire but only run for a minute or so.There is a lot of gas coming out of the prime tube. I heve been told that it is most likely a stuck float in one or more of the carbs.Now each time I get it to start it does run better and longer.Are sticky floats something that will free themselves or do I have to get into the carbs to free them up?I would appreciate your thoughts on the matter and look forward to hearing from you.
Best Regards,Paul

Answer
Hi Paul.
 You will never get the bike to run correctly until you clean the carbs and reseal the tank.

 All the time that it spent in storage caused any fuel that was in the system to for a residue that we call "varnish".  This clogs up the fuel ports and gums up all of the works in the carbs.  Resealing the fuel tank will seal out any residue that is left in the tank, thus preventing further contamination of the remaining fuel system.

Good luck.
FALCON