I am looking to buy a motorcycle, but it needs the carbs cleaned, how easy is it to do?

Question

I am looking to buy a motorcycle, but it needs the carbs cleaned, how easy is it to do? Is it better to get someone else to do it? If so how much will that cost. and if so, where would I go to have this done?

Answer 1

A 'motorcycle' carb is simple, easy to clean, do it yourself in 20 minutes on BMW/2.  Takes 1/2 day getting on and off honda 400, still basic afterward.  Since you don't tell what motorcycle- because you don't know yet how to maintain and ride probably- take it to the dealer and pay $500.00

Answer 2

easy job, remove the carbs flip em over remove screws so the float bowls come off. now unscrew the main jets and pilot jets and remove the float.drop all the above in a carb dip which you can buy at any auto parts store.do not put anything rubber in there it will swell to 3 times its size and be un usable. Use compressed air to blow out all orifices in carbs.put back together using new gaskets reinstall carbs and synchronize them. If you dont have tools for this take it to a shop or invest in the tools if you are serious about riding and doing you own maintanance.

Answer 3

i would bring it to the dealer for several reasons;

1) what if you need gaskets when its gets taken apart

2) sometimes their corroded, a dealer will know if it needs replacing.

Figure $100 to 200 dollars.

Make sure that the seller signs something saying they will pay if repair is above a certian dollar amount.

Answer 4

It depends on the design of the bike and your skill as a mechanic whether or not you should try it: Get a shop manual and see if you understand the job. If it doesn't scare you, buy some good tools, gaskets, seals and carb dip and do it. You'll need to rebalance multi-carb set ups. You can do that by ear, but vacuum balancers are best- as long as you don't rev the engine and suck the mercury down the engine. If there are more than 2 carbs, I'd say cough up the money to a good shop to have it done and save a few days for riding a well tuned bike. You could try spay carb cleaner on the bike and see if it fixes it. If the bike sat for years and the carbs gummed up, they may or may not clear. A few bucks to test isn't too much for an experiment.

When a used vehicle is for sale and the seller mentions one complex problem, you may not know of many smaller problems caused the one big one.  

Answer 5

it's not that hard...but you need to know what you are doing. My husband does that "on the side" and he usually charges about $40 per carb, so if it is a v-twin, he would charge $160. I have seen him do it so many times, I did one this past Sunday. Just take it to a motorcycle repair shop and ask them to do it. Good luck- a shop will probably charge you around $250-300

Answer 6

you see many motorbikes listed for sale reading "all it needs is a carb cleaning"  in other words, "i've tried everything i can think of without spending any real money on it, and i'm too cheap to bring it in, and really have no idea what's wrong with this bike, so i'm giving up on it and it can be the next guy's problem"

cleaning carbs is not difficult, stay away from those sorts of listings, there is no good reason a seller shouldn't have done it himself to help it sell and make himself more money.  it may be worse and more expensive.. like worn cam lobes or low compression that's making it not run right.  only problem is, you don't know that till it's YOUR problem

Answer 7

based on the wording of your qeustion I would safely say that you ahve no mechanical knowledge when it comes to this task. That said, don't even tackle this job on your own. EVEN if the engine Gods are on your side ( and they never are) and this really is the only problem with the bike, this job , though relatively simple and inexpensive, is not one that shold be done by the inexperienced or non-mechanically inclined...Your question infers that you are both of the above...Again if the engine GODS are sitting ono your shoulder and this indeed is all there is between yourself and a swell running bike then go to the experts, pay  couple hundred dollars and get it done right. It will pay off in miles and smiles immediatley...RIde safe