TOPIC:

Fully submerged and swollen: Good to know. This is the obvious reason all the parts need to come out of the carbs before cleaning.

The "seal" on the throttle-shaft would likely be made of the same material as the float bowl drain o-ring so a "Caution" is definitely in order.

Thanks for this !

I have now carried out the carb cleaning and flushing using the thinners as suggested in another post and I am now definite that the carbs are perfectly clean, I completely stripped the carbs leaving nothing fitted to them at all.
How-ever before I fit them I just wanted to check with you all about the carb slides, when I drop the diaphragm in with the carb slides attached they go down very well but once I put the carb tops back on and bolt them down the slides sometimes stick.
I have checked the diaphragms and they are not cracked or split but over the years they have become creased - would this be the problem with the slides not coming back down all the time. I have found some new diaphragms local to me but at £120.00 ($170.00) they are not cheap but if I need them then so be it.
Thanks to everyone who has helped me so far, hopefully I will get to ride the bike before the 2 years are up.

Hi SixPipes,

I had a similar problem a couple of years ago and eventually found that the nylon posts that connect the diaphragms to the slides are pretty particular in how they are fitted. Also I found one that for some reason was bent. I found the problem post by swapping parts back and forth till I identified the one that was always part of the problem. For sure the slides should move up and down by gravity. If they are any tighter than that something's amiss.

Bill

I have tried that and if I swop them around some work and some do not, if I push the slide up as far as it will go then 2 of the carbs will not come down at all. I took the tops off and found that the diaphragms because they have creases in them would not come back down.

Did you assemble the piston valve in the carb body dry or did you put some light oil on them before installing.? I keep a can of Rust Check around when assembling. A light coat on the pistons and a little on the holders where they engage with the diaphragm. Also a light coat on the diaphragm rod before inserting into the carb body. The pistons should fall under gravity. Also, when you go to install the mixing chamber top, you should have the pistons raised and the diaphragm in it's relaxed position (shaped like an inverted cup), so that when you tighten down the top, the diaphragm will be sitting as natural as possible so that it doesn't get locked in place with a slight twist in it, because that will also cause the pistons to not drop under gravity.

I did try light oil although once the petrol starts running through that would be washed off I would think.
I have not tried oiling the diaphragm rod so I will try that, I was hoping someone might have had the same problem and could give me a definitive answer, reason being is that I have to travel quite a way to get the diaphragms and I would need to set off early in the morning.
I think I am getting impatient now as well - I just want to ride the bloody thing.