JohnMe2

I posted the same problem in two places. Look for the same subject under the other forum subject of Street bikes / Sport bikes. I fixed the problem with two ounces of Marvel Mystery Oil added to the full tank of gas. You can get it at an auto supply store or Walmart (it is in a red bottle - 16 oz) It took three days to work, but it is fixed now. I described what I did in the other forum section. Good luck. I was upset when I first started the bike for the season, but I feel a lot better now that it is fixed. You should be able to fix this problem yourself. Be patient and let the stuff do its job. I didn't have to take anything apart. I had the same problem with the snow blower when I put it away for the season and the Mystery oil fixed that after three days of consecutive running the bowls dry with the gas shutoff and then refilling them.

Oh, by the way. The bottle of Marvel Mystery Oil only cost $4. Well worth trying if you have this problem and if you can fix it yourself in a couple of days. It is better than waiting for weeks for an appointment with a mechanic.

Ok, here you go everyone. The problem is fixed and here is how I did it. I kept trying the tapping and running the bowls dry and re-filling them by turning the line petcock on and off. It wasn't helping. I went back to a product that I learned about 30 years ago. If you have this problem from the crap ethanol gas that they have now, add 2 ounces of Marvel Mystery Oil to the gas tank (5 gallons of gas). Continue to run the bowls dry and then refilling them with the gas line shutoff. I did it twice a day for three days until the Mystery Oil loosened up the needles in the carbs and the leaking stopped. So far it has been a couple of weeks and there is no sign of the leaking. I'd say that it is fixed for good. From now on, I will run that stuff all the time in the fuel at half the recommended amount so I have protection all the time. When I store the bike in the winter, I will add the recommendated concentration to the fuel for the extra protection. This easily saved me $350 minimum if I would have had to have the bike serviced by a mechanic, or $100 in parts and a day of time to do it myself. If you try this stuff, be patient. It will take a couple of days to work it's magic. Run the bike at least once a day to get it circulating in the carbs. After a couple of days everything should be back to working like it should.

I would try e-bay, Craigs list, or judging by your accent, the european equivalent to either of those web sites. You may not be able to buy just the heat shield, but you can probably get a good deal on a complete used exhaust system that someone took off to add an aftermarket one. When you had your first problem with the heat shield, the best way to fix it would have been to have the brackets TIG welded back on. The pop rivet was a good try, but those little guys just aren't that strong and with the engine vibration and chance of the rivet being a different base metal than the exhaust and heat shield, it just wasn't going to be that durable a repair.

Thanks guys, what both of you just said seems to point to a stuck float and/or needle. People I know have been pointing me in the same direction and blame the crappy gas they sell now. So far it has been 100% with the same diagnosis. Your input helped and makes me feel better that it will be an easy fix. I'll give the bowls some gentle taps and still try turning the gas off and running the bowls dry a couple of more times. I'm half a century old and this is my first bike. I have a lot to learn and you have been very helpful.

I just took my '05 V-Star 650 with 2K original miles out of winter storage (garaged). I left the bowls filled all winter (4 months) with the fuel shut off with stabulized gasoline (the 10% ethanol crap that they sell now). It started fine, but there is gasoline coming from the carburetor vent tube that ends behind the air cleaner. I had dripping gasoline and a puddle after it ran only a few minutes. What causes this? The service manual does not give any troubleshooting for carb problems. It only has the instructions for performing the service so I don't know what needs to be done to correct the problem. I tried running the carb bowls dry twice to try to unstick the floats if that was the problem. Both times the same result. Nothing leaked from the tube when the fuel shutoff was in the off position. When I started the bike with the fuel turned on, gas again began leaking from the vent tube. I can tell you that this only happens when the bike is running. When the bike isn't running, nothing leaks from the tube even with the fuel valve turned on. I also tried "burping" the fuel tank by removing the fill cap in case it had some how build up some pressure from temperature changes during storage. I bought the bike last summer used with 1K miles and am new to riding and need help. Is this a repair yourself condition, or does it have to go back to the dealer? The dealer choice could be a pain because it will have to be trailered because it can't be ridden the way it is. I have rebuilt carbs before on lawnmowers and snowblowers before. I don't see that would be much difference here as long as somebody can tell me with some assurance that it will fix the problem. Would a float and needle valve and seat replacement fix the problem? If it is limited to the float and needle and seat, I won't need to re-sync the carbs. Please don't guess. If you have had this happen to you and can say a positive yes, or no, I would sure appreciate the help.

Hi YPVS Tone and anyone else that may know the answer, I just tried it. Acually I tried running the carb bowls dry twice. Both times the same result. Nothing leaked from the tube when the fuel shutoff was in the off position. When I started the bike with the fuel turned on, gas again began leaking from the vent tube. I can tell you that this only happens when the bike is running. When the bike isn't running, nothing leaks from the tube even with the fuel valve turned on. I also tried "burping" the fuel tank by removing the fill cap in case it had some how build up some pressure from temperature changes during storage.

I just took my '05 V-Star 650 with 2K original miles out of winter storage (garaged). I left the bowls filled all winter (4 months) with the fuel shut off with stabulized gasoline. It started fine, but there is gasoline coming from the carburetor vent tube that ends behind the air cleaner. I had dripping gasoline and a puddle after it ran only a few minutes. What causes this? Is a repair yourself condition, or does it have to go back to the dealer. The dealer choice could be a pain because it will have to be trailered because it can't be ridden the way it is. The service manual does not give any troubleshooting for carb problems. It only has the instructions for performing the service so I don't know what needs to be done to correct the problem. I bought the bike last summer used with 1K miles and am new to riding and need help.