Low Fuel Economy - Running rich, not sure why

[Water Warrior 2]

Don't know if this would apply to the GZ carb but a mechanic friend told me this years ago. If the float itself is a piece of material that is supposed to float it can sometimes start to absorb gas and result in it starting to sit lower in the float bowl.
Might be worth throwing a new float in there if you can get one without having to acquire a whole carb.

[ds1506]

Well, I checked out the float height adjustment, ande. it was WAY off. I just finished adjusting it to somewhat close to what it should be, I don't really have any of the tools to do the fine tuning. But with the amount it was off, I think this should help at the very least, let's see if that solves the problem.

EDIT: The bike seems to be bogging down when I let off the throttle. I might try to adjust the fuel mixture in the morning to see if that helps.

[JohnC]

Some of the jets have tiny holes on the sides of the "holder". If they are plugged it will run real rich.

If the float is hollow, submerge it in a pan of hot water. If it is leaking you will see bubbles.

Not sure what you mean by "bogging down when I let off the throttle." I'd say that's what it is supposed to do...

[ds1506]

I'm not sure if the float actually has to be replaced at this point, I checked it again and it floated fine, then I checked the adjustment of it and saw that it was way off.

As far as the bike "bogging down," maybe that's not the right words for it. The bike idles fine, accelerates fine, but when I get off the throttle, the bike jerks a bit as it slows down. Deceleration is not smooth.

[Water Warrior 2]

Does the bike jerk more than once or just once when you let off the throttle? Did it jerk prior to making the carb adjustments?

[jonathan180iq]

Smooth acceleration and the smooth feel of a bike on the road are dependent on maintaining speed. If you're just letting go of the throttle and it's whipping back into the zero throttle position, I would think it's normal for the bike to feel like that. These are really basic machines and they don't coast the way a car or a fancier bike would (unless you've pulled in the clutch or something)

Maybe I'm not understanding, but feeling like you are lurching forward a bit on decel is normal.

[ds1506]

Originally Posted by jonathan180iq

Smooth acceleration and the smooth feel of a bike on the road are dependent on maintaining speed. If you're just letting go of the throttle and it's whipping back into the zero throttle position, I would think it's normal for the bike to feel like that. These are really basic machines and they don't coast the way a car or a fancier bike would (unless you've pulled in the clutch or something)

Maybe I'm not understanding, but feeling like you are lurching forward a bit on decel is normal.

Ok, I think this might be the jerking issue then. I wouldn't say I'm whipping back in to zero throttle, but this would explain it. I guess I just didn't notice it as much before I started messing with things and looking for something wrong.

Anyway, on my ride from my house to campus, the gas smell was definitely stronger than before, so I guess I'm going to have to lean the mixture out again when I get back home.

[jonathan180iq]

With open carbs and a straight exhaust like that, you're going to naturally smell more of the combustion process... It shouldn't be overpowering but it won't be as toned down as a factory set up would be.

That is another option, by the way, should you want to go that route. You can put the stock parts back together, reset the carb to the factory setting and go from there. But I'll tell ya the exhaust is expensive unless you find someone who wants to part with theirs.

Do you have bike buddies who could give it a ride and see what they think? I don't know how much of what you are experiencing is an issue or if it's a result of overthinking due to lack of experience, and I don't say that negatively. Sometimes it's just better to have a second set of eyeballs...noses...whatever

[ds1506]

Originally Posted by jonathan180iq

With open carbs and a straight exhaust like that, you're going to naturally smell more of the combustion process... It shouldn't be overpowering but it won't be as toned down as a factory set up would be.

That is another option, by the way, should you want to go that route. You can put the stock parts back together, reset the carb to the factory setting and go from there. But I'll tell ya the exhaust is expensive unless you find someone who wants to part with theirs.

Do you have bike buddies who could give it a ride and see what they think? I don't know how much of what you are experiencing is an issue or if it's a result of overthinking due to lack of experience, and I don't say that negatively. Sometimes it's just better to have a second set of eyeballs...noses...whatever

Alright, I think the gas smell is a bit strong, I'm going to give it some time and see if it's really an issue.

I would like to restore some of this stuff to stock, but that's going to take some time while I save my pennies and locate the stuff I need.

As far as bike buddies go, I've been the one leading the charge on the motorcycle thing as far as my friends go and unfortunately out of all my friends nearby I'm the most mechanically inclined. So I'm a bit out of luck until I can get this thing down to Fort Lauderdale where I do have a couple sets of experienced eyes and noses to show the bike to.

As far as the lack of experience thing goes, I wouldn't really take that negatively, I know it's just a matter of me getting out and learning and doing. You guys have been super helpful and patient with me and my lack of knowledge, and I know it's hard to troubleshoot anything over the internet. So thank you all for helping and dealing with me. I'll keep you guys in the loop if I have any updates or questions.

[jonathan180iq]

It's all good, man. Each of us started somewhere.