Due diligence part 2
Posted: Fri Feb 19, 2021 6:35 pm
This is a followup on the original article, Due Diligence.
A fellow contacts me, asking if I can repair the threads in his carburetors. Of course I can. I buy 4mm Timeserts practically by the pound. Pre-1980 carburetors are very susceptible to pulled threads. I give him the price, very reasonable. And then this rider, who has spent thousands of dollars on such "important" things as head porting and racing pistons and cam, tells me, "Oh, well, I guess I'll just jam bigger screws in there, that ought to do it." W-What?
What is wrong with people? I will never understand the logic of chrome, red spark plug wires and spendy high performance parts on bikes whose steering bearings are loose, brakes, chains and tires are unsafe, valves badly need adjusting and carburetors have never been synchronized. And the sheet metal screws holding the carburetors together. What exactly drives this?
Some customers call me three years after a rebuild to get their carbs repaired after they have broken them in an attempt to rebuild them themselves. Two things. Why did they not use fuel stabilizer, and why didn't they contact me before destroying their carburetors? It's puzzling. As near as I can tell, folks apparently believe having their carbs rebuilt each season makes more sense than properly treating them with Sta-Bil. I don't get it.
Sta-Bil works! Its effectiveness claim is two years, and I have proven it. On my own bike, I simply run it full-time so it is always in the carbs' circuits. Then if I don't ride for three or more weeks, when I want to ride again all I do is crack the drain screws and open the petcock to flush out the float bowls and I'm ready to go. Bike starts right up and idles great. This after 18 months sitting last season. For planned storage periods, same thing except draining the bowls beforehand eliminates that need on starting. How hard can this be?
Due diligence. What a concept!
A fellow contacts me, asking if I can repair the threads in his carburetors. Of course I can. I buy 4mm Timeserts practically by the pound. Pre-1980 carburetors are very susceptible to pulled threads. I give him the price, very reasonable. And then this rider, who has spent thousands of dollars on such "important" things as head porting and racing pistons and cam, tells me, "Oh, well, I guess I'll just jam bigger screws in there, that ought to do it." W-What?
What is wrong with people? I will never understand the logic of chrome, red spark plug wires and spendy high performance parts on bikes whose steering bearings are loose, brakes, chains and tires are unsafe, valves badly need adjusting and carburetors have never been synchronized. And the sheet metal screws holding the carburetors together. What exactly drives this?
Some customers call me three years after a rebuild to get their carbs repaired after they have broken them in an attempt to rebuild them themselves. Two things. Why did they not use fuel stabilizer, and why didn't they contact me before destroying their carburetors? It's puzzling. As near as I can tell, folks apparently believe having their carbs rebuilt each season makes more sense than properly treating them with Sta-Bil. I don't get it.
Sta-Bil works! Its effectiveness claim is two years, and I have proven it. On my own bike, I simply run it full-time so it is always in the carbs' circuits. Then if I don't ride for three or more weeks, when I want to ride again all I do is crack the drain screws and open the petcock to flush out the float bowls and I'm ready to go. Bike starts right up and idles great. This after 18 months sitting last season. For planned storage periods, same thing except draining the bowls beforehand eliminates that need on starting. How hard can this be?
Due diligence. What a concept!