How to check choke plungers?

Could somebody please run me through some steps of how to get to, and what I can do to my choke plungers to see if they are sticking? On a K2 Curvy.

I know I can look it up on the net, or get a manual. I was looking for a simpler, easier, more personal approach, and I've had very pleasant experiences with asking for advice from you guys, so I am keen for some more!

Thanks a bunchle!

[jambo]

In short, the best way to test is to remove them from the carb bodies.

This means:
Rider's seat off
Tank up
Airbox off
Carbs disconnected from inlet rubbers (you may well be able to leave throttle cables & fuel pipes attached)
Remove the choke cables using the cross-head screw holding each one in (there's one for each carb, and a Y piece joins them before they get to the choke lever)

Then just inspect and lubricate the plungers using a little oil, oil the cable and pack the Y-piece full of grease while you're there.

The only potential issue is that the screws holding the choke cables to the carbs tend to get a bit stuck and are made of cheese. Carefully does it, if they won't come out, get the carbs off and do it properly.

Jambo

Thanks! This will be a small adventure!

[Dave20046]

I could tell mine were sticking from 1, it was running crap and 2, the lever movement was sticky and felt very wrong.
What I did was take off the seat et al and lifted up the tank and removed the airbox (couple of crossheads to loosen and pull it off)for easy access, I wanted to avoid taking the carbs off cause it seemed like a sod; so got a long phillips head screwdriver and guided it through the frame on the left hand side to the phillips head on the side of the front (?IIRC) carb ,undid it*, and pulled out the assembly (watch the spring) then undid the other side**. It's pretty straight forward to see how the assembly comes out but basically the screw undoes a plate that holds your plunger & spring in.
When they're both out pull on your lever to make sure both plungers are moving (and you haven't got a snapped cable) then clean up the port and the plunger, cable and spring, I cleaned with a mix of penetrating oil and carb cleaner and lubed everything with the penetrant and then lubed with a thick splodge of grease (didn't do any harm sure others have a better recommendation for the lube), you should also probably swap the screw for a stainless one or at least allen head one but at the very least give it plenty of copper slip, could also swap the spring for brass ones (think I have a couple depending on where you are). make sure you lube the exposed cable well, also find the cable junction box on the left of the bike under the frame (follow it down fromt he handle bars) and open up the top spray it with plenty of penetrant and back it with grease and then lube the cable from the top for good measure. then reassemble your bike.

*this is ofcourse entire fiction, with a lot of penetrant and impact I got the left hand one off.
** biggest exageration ever this was a complete pig the bolt head was made of blamonge and the threads were fused to the carbs. Ended up having to undo the carbs and shift them (not remove them entirely though) could then get in there with a dremmel , cut a proper slot in the head and used a really good long handled flat head screwy to open it up.

[Dave20046]

Oh and yc's got a vid somewhere of the most effective technique of impacting off the carb bolts.

[5hort5]

Funny you should ask

- Take tank off
- Take air box off

i lifted my carbs off but am doing more work so you maybe able to get to them with remove the carbs

- Front one is on the left, back one is on the right and is cable tied to the right side of the carbs frame
- The cable for the rear one is routed under the carbs
- They are both held on with X screws
- They have a small rubber o ring in side, think it was 1.5mm section by either 9 or 9.5mm, picked up a few today from a bearing shop
- The springs on one of mine was rusty, possibly due to water i the tank and carbs or water leaking down the cable

Pics:

The front one on the left:



The front one out



The cable holding the rear one



Both out and carbs on the floor



I'm in the middle of changing a CCT and doing some other bits so good timing to ask.

[5hort5]

A spray of WD and 10 mins got the screws out for me no probs although I had to pick the screwdriver to use carefully the first one I could feel the screw melting under the pressure.

[Dave20046]

Nice pics shorts, the y cable box is the black rectangle visible in the pic of the front carb, fill it with grease . Put a lot of pressure behind the screwy to minimize bolt warping (although this was in vain on one fo my carbs as it was so knackered).
5hort5 if you haven't already, might be an idea to grease some of the other moving bits on your carbs they look pretty rusty.

[5hort5]

yer - I was planning to take them apart on the dinning room table tonight but the misses objected so that'll have to wait for the weekend. I picked up a spare set of carbs from ebay to practise on and see what they are like but those are looking better than mine so I'll have a good look at both and see which is best. That other set only cost me a fiver as well

I'll give the cables a good grease Dave, thanks for the tip.

[5hort5]

I've taken pictures of everything by the way, more to help me put it all back together and put the bolts and screws for everything in separate freezer bags so I know what they came from and labelled cables as you can see from the pics. Not that I'm worried about being able to get it back together or anything