not sure where to ask this,but i am a polaris guy so here i guess,
the problem is my cycle, i have a 2001 kawasaki vulcan 800, it ran fine last year, i stored it over the winter, it ran fine when i first started it, for maybe 60 miles, today i started it fine,ran down the street and it started dieing,it would pop bad if i gave it any rpms, i could only putt along at a bare idle
i did have it on prime,the gas switch i mean, but i turned it off and kept trying to clear it out, i went around the block, came home and kept trying to get it to rev,but it would pop and not get over a certain rpm, i only have 15 miles on the gas in the tank,could it be the gas? or did i mess it up with the primer on? i put a little sea foam in to try and help if its bad gas, i suppose i could try and siphon it out and replace the gas
any help or ideas?

 

If you haven't already done so, change the plugs. It's a cheap, easy thing to try and I've seen it work in similar circumstances.

 

good idea, maybe having the primer on messed up the plugs, i wish i had some extras here

 

Did you add fuel stabilizer when you stored it? Because gas can go bad after about 3 months, i believe. Also remenber to run the carb out of gas or drain it. Or you can start it up every once in a while to keep the carb from gumming up. But I would probably check the plugs and maybe either add some octane boost or drain the gas.

 

Hey BigBad, I used to think the same thing, but I have learned that running the carb dry or draining it is bad to do, you can never really get every single drop of gas out of the carb, and when there is that tiny bit in there, it will dry out much quicker and varnish up. The best trick is to put in fuel stabilizer and run it for a few minutes to get the stabilizer in the carb, then leave it, it will be good as new in a few months. Also, I have heard that gas can start to go bad immediately, within a week it starts to lose octane and within a few months, it is very bad off, so everytime I fill up, I use fuel stabilizer, just in case and good insurance. Just my opinion.

 

NC, you know, my dad told me that you should run the gas out of the carb. However, I never did it this winter[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-shocked.gif[/img] I like to get out there about once a week and hear her purr.[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img] Plus I has to take it out and snow bog and do some ice donuts, right!!![img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img] But I did run it with Stabil as well as filled my spare gas with it. If I have gas sitting around that I forgot to so put stabil in then I will add some octane boost. I like the Stabil stuff because it also has stuff in it that cleans out the fuel system and carb. Good stuff

 

Yep, I use the same stuff. I have learned with my jetskis over the winter's all about how to store them and what to do about the gas, and this method has worked great so far. I think it is a big myth to drain the bowl or maybe that is what they did back in the day when gas was leaded or something, but I can see where they say not to drain it because it will gum up much quicker, they also say that filling the gas tank and oil tank before storage (if oil applies) is good insurance too as it cuts down on the chances of condensation building inside the empty part of the tank and causing the gas to go bad also. Just something I thought I would post and pass along. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

 

You know, my service manual even says to drain the float bowl before prolonged storage. Intersting[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-disgusted.gif[/img] I wait until spring to change the fluid in my scram. I figure, it will let any condensation or particles drain out easir than if I change them before storage. Am I right in my reasoning?

 

That Polaris service manual is not worth the paper it is written on!! [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img] They tell you that so you will gum up your jets and other various small carb openings so you can go see the service man and pay 50 and hour to get the carb cleaned out. LOL Since your bike is a 4 stroke, I don't think there should be alot of danger from your oil or many other fluids to become contaminated. Most other things are not vented like the gas tank and carb are, except for oil injection tanks, so I would agree with your reasoning on that one, but it should be fine to do those anytime.

 

Does stabil dillute your pre-mix ratio? I've never tried it so I don't know how much you use per gallon.