Soaked stock air filters

[f_noggle]

Today as I was installing new BikeMaster air filters, I noticed the filter for rear cylinder was pretty deteriorated. The front was not too bad. Both filters were wet with fuel. The rear was pretty soaked, and the front just wet. My concern is, what would make them fuel soaked. It hasn't even been cranked over in a close to 2 years. The bike ran when it was parked at my in-laws barn, we noticed a leak from the clutch slave cylinder so no one has messed with it for some time. Now I'm trying to get her back on the road. Any insight to the soaked air filters?

[hillsy]

Today as I was installing new BikeMaster air filters, I noticed the filter for rear cylinder was pretty deteriorated. The front was not too bad. Both filters were wet with fuel. The rear was pretty soaked, and the front just wet. My concern is, what would make them fuel soaked. It hasn't even been cranked over in a close to 2 years. The bike ran when it was parked at my in-laws barn, we noticed a leak from the clutch slave cylinder so no one has messed with it for some time. Now I'm trying to get her back on the road. Any insight to the soaked air filters?

There's only really one way you can get fuel in the air filters like that - it has to leak from the carbs (IE: overflow). Which means the float valves are leaking or the o-rings on the seats are perished. Either way, you will need to remove the carbs and inspect / clean / probably renew the o-rings.

Your fuel pump might need replacing as well.

Make sure you check the engine oil for any fuel entering the engine. If the carbs have overflowed then it's likely the fuel has gone into the cylinders and leaked past the rings. You can take off the oil filler cap and smell inside - if it smells like gas than it's leaked past the rings and you will need to dump that oil.

While you are in that deep you may as well take off the fuel tap and flush it out as well as the tank. New fuel lines would probably be a good idea as well.

Old fuel sitting in these bikes for 2 years or more can make quite a mess but it's usually fixable.

[Lechy]

Yep!