spacesuit6
Training Wheels
Hi -- welcome to spring. I'm very anxious to get the riding season started! So here's the thing. While the bike (2001 Connnie, blue) was in storage over the winter (outdoor storage, PVC cover, STA-BIL added, battery inside on trickle-charger) I noticed evidence of a gas leak. Never actually saw dripping gas, just noticed the congealed residue of a gas leak on the pavement, the PVC cover, and the engine and pipes almost directly under the left side petcock and carbs. So, who knows what the leak is from. Could be that petcock (which looks stock but was listed as aftermarket by the shop that sold it to me), could be the carbs, could be something from a season of using Murph's Heat Shields. I noticed the gas before the hard cold, so I don't think it's freeze-related. Anyway -- the mechanic will deal with that. Here's what I need some advice on. When I start the bike (in Reserve now, b/c all the 1 gal of main gas presumably dripped out), when it warms up there's tons of steam-like fumes coming off the engine and mostly the pipes just under the carbs. I assume this is oily, congealed buildup of gas drippings. Of course, the pipes are covered here, so I can't check or clean them. So, knowing all this, I think it's obvious the bike needs to go to the shop to have the fuel leak checked. But this steam/smoke/fumes off the pipes ... do you think I should just let the bike run and see if it all burns off? Could it be dangerous? Could it catch fire? Should I try and shoot some degreaser in there? Sould I just get on and try to ride it to the shop? Opinions, please!