At the first traffic light today, I noticed a puddle forming fast and big under the bike. When I stopped the engine, no dripping. When I started the engine, more dripping, but not always/all the time. Can't see where it is coming from but the lower end of the bike is drenched with gas.

What is going on?

The 97 Savage was sitting with drained carbs for about 6 weeks indoors. Otherwise never any problem.

I agree it was probably a stuck float.  They can stick down when drained and sitting dry for a while.  In the spring I always keep my trusty screw driver handle close by to rap on them when I first fill them and fire up the bike.


I had an odd one last summer.    I thought I was going to burn up my last project moments after it was done.  I had ridden it to work.  Came out that night to go home an same thing.  Fired it up and gas everywere!  I tried the knocking on the float bowl and no help.

I hauled it home in the back of my truck and pulled the carbs.  From what I could tell the float pivot had stuck against the edge of the float bowl.  That particular carb has only two screws holding on each bowl and you could slide the bowl forward and back a little bit and I think I had it pushed towards the pivot.  I reasembled it pushed the other way and no problems since.

I asked the suzuki mechanic at the dealership I used to work at if he had ever run into that on the 1100's and he just looked at me with this big grin.  I asked him what caused it and he just shrugged his shoulders and said he never has figured it out!

go with the screw driver handle rap first.  then if that doesn't work pull the carb and check the float and needle & seat.  Obviously it was not shutting off the gas flow and it was overflowing the carb. (assuming you didn't have a hole in the tank or fuel line) It can only be one of two things.  A float stuck down or a needle & seat that is not shutting off.  It is possilbe to get a little debris in the needle & seat and continue to flow gas even with the float fully up.

Good luck!

Savage_Greg wrote on 12/31/69 at 16:00:02:



You've been around enough to know stranger things have happened!

Savage_Greg wrote on 12/31/69 at 16:00:02:



You just really don't like that contracting air theory do you!  That's fine..we'll let it lay.

Thank you all for the advice. Tapping the carb (with a rubber mallet) seems to have done the trick. In any case, not a drop of leak since then.

Thanks again!

Martin wrote on 12/31/69 at 16:00:03:

Stuck float then?

smokin_blue wrote on 12/31/69 at 16:00:03:

Thousands of tapped carbs?  You've got me beat, but it would only take a 1/2 dozen or so for me to be convinced