update: greenhorn versus the $tealer$hip
- From: c <smalltalkingchicken@xxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 24 Oct 2007 15:49:43 -0000
For those of you just coming into the story, I bought an '01 Suzuki
Volusia (13k mi) for dirt-cheap since it was scratched up something
awful. Dropped it off for inspection and tuneup and had them look into
what felt like a throttle "lag" problem. Also it took forever to warm
up and would stall sometimes. I asked people to call their shots.
Got the bike back after 8 days. Yeah i know you want to hear the
punchline but figure it like a story and that's the ending/payoff.
Anyway, yeah, 8 days to get new tires and the fluids checked and
changed. Explain that one. I phoned them on the 6th day to say i
wanted to just take it home and finish whatever they didn't do
myself*, and they said it wasn't ready. Each person i spoke to had a
different story about what was going on with the bike's progress. All
agreed, though, that because i didn't say when i wanted it back, i had
no right to complain. A week though? Give me a break. I will *never*
go back to that $hop again.
So yeah, monday. Nice day too here in NY. I'm actually rocking the flu
right now so i let my brother tear around on my precious to make sure
everything was alright. From the $hop, he rode right to an auto store
and threw in some valvoline carb cleaner. Ran it through. Rode around
town, no beef in 1st or 2nd gears - then he put her on the taconic and
flew around at 90 and said she ran great.
Ok, so... the verdict. The bike had been garaged (improperly, i bet)
for 2 years (05-06), and the guy i bought it from showed me his bill
from march (07) from the same $hop i ended up bringing it to - he had
them get it in running condition and spent about $800. So imagine my
surprise when the shop called me and asked to take apart my carbs to
clean them. Luckily i happen to network with some fine folks (that's
you!) and veto'd right quick. Said i'd take my chances with some over-
the-counter solution and return the bike to them if nothing improved.
They told me none of those solutions would work and that there was
ethanol in my fuel and that when moisture evaporated, it left behind a
milky white residue.
The cheap valvoline cleaner did the trick. Bike's running flawlessly.
I suppose the only issue is whether that was a temporary solution; if
there's some chance of the problem repeating itself. I imagine there's
some fuel-additive i can use to keep the system clean if the
occasional run-through goop doesn't make for good maintanence. My MSF
instructor said after he rides he tops off the tank because that
leaves no room for condensation.
So thanks all for the tip about the carb cleaning, i'm sure you saved
me a ton of cash. You all were dead-on. And the (*) above - i finished
reading my manual the day after i dropped off the bike. If i would
have finished it sooner, i would have tried to do almost all that tune-
ups require on my own. Probably would have saved a lot and learned a
ton. Oh well, 'least i know now if anything's wrong it's not my fault.
Now all i need is to get over the flu. And i should probably wait
until i get my license. But yeah, the flu, figure if i can't stand
straight i best not ride.
-c
.
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