03-24-2015, 12:41 PM
Well.
Got the Eliminator 125 home. There were issues; but easily remedied.
I wanna say it had OEM gas in it, but actually it had about 2300 miles. So it had maybe ten tankfuls....but that gas in there was GRODY.
It wouldn't idle. The owner had it warmed up - I don't wanna know how, maybe damaged the starter in doing it. It wouldn't go above 32; and then shot up to 45 - which was as fast as I wanted to go on that road.
We closed. I loaded; and took it 75 miles home.
It wouldn't start at the other end. I was using a local Harley shop's lift to get it out of the truck...they were helpful. I think they were amused. We had to crank that thing for ten minutes, with a jump, to get it started.
The Harley mechanic suggested the carb was trashed from gummy gas.
Well...before I ripped the carb off, it was time to try the easy cure. Fortunately, this thing is old-school - no in-tank fuel pump; no soldiered-on lines. I popped the fuel line and drained the tank. Then got some fuel-system cleaner - Red Line SI1. And some good, non-ethanol gas; and - travesty! - a can of ether starter spray.
Back after it sat four hours. A shot of ether in the air box had it starting like a new machine. Of course it started choking on the rotgut gas in the carb; but I did run it dry.
Add the fresh gas, and the Red Line...and fire it up. And...wonder of wonders...IMMEDIATE improvement! And running it for half an hour, around the neighborhood...it just kept running better.
Total cost of this "repair": $17. I'd have ridden it more; but after three months of an early spring....we had a blizzard move in this afternoon. It didn't last; but it DID accumulate, a slushy mess that lasted three hours. And of course the melting agents - they don't use salt; but what they do use is less corrosive but still damaging.
Maybe tomorrow I'll get some miles on it. I'd have pics up, except that the camera battery was dead.
Got the Eliminator 125 home. There were issues; but easily remedied.
I wanna say it had OEM gas in it, but actually it had about 2300 miles. So it had maybe ten tankfuls....but that gas in there was GRODY.
It wouldn't idle. The owner had it warmed up - I don't wanna know how, maybe damaged the starter in doing it. It wouldn't go above 32; and then shot up to 45 - which was as fast as I wanted to go on that road.
We closed. I loaded; and took it 75 miles home.
It wouldn't start at the other end. I was using a local Harley shop's lift to get it out of the truck...they were helpful. I think they were amused. We had to crank that thing for ten minutes, with a jump, to get it started.
The Harley mechanic suggested the carb was trashed from gummy gas.
Well...before I ripped the carb off, it was time to try the easy cure. Fortunately, this thing is old-school - no in-tank fuel pump; no soldiered-on lines. I popped the fuel line and drained the tank. Then got some fuel-system cleaner - Red Line SI1. And some good, non-ethanol gas; and - travesty! - a can of ether starter spray.
Back after it sat four hours. A shot of ether in the air box had it starting like a new machine. Of course it started choking on the rotgut gas in the carb; but I did run it dry.
Add the fresh gas, and the Red Line...and fire it up. And...wonder of wonders...IMMEDIATE improvement! And running it for half an hour, around the neighborhood...it just kept running better.
Total cost of this "repair": $17. I'd have ridden it more; but after three months of an early spring....we had a blizzard move in this afternoon. It didn't last; but it DID accumulate, a slushy mess that lasted three hours. And of course the melting agents - they don't use salt; but what they do use is less corrosive but still damaging.
Maybe tomorrow I'll get some miles on it. I'd have pics up, except that the camera battery was dead.