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My '93 Gixxer is in the shed for winter. I had it fully tanked, the shed is (moderately) warm, and every couple of weeks I attach a trickle charger to its battery.

However, I know that there is still old fuel in the motor. My (late - hence this question, R.I.P.) dealer-mechanic let off the carburetors last year, but I'm sorry to say I did not entirely get what he was saying back then (my fault). I distinctly remember him unscrewing something deep in the machine's bowels, but I didn't see what that was exactly - nor do I have such a long screwdriver, by the way.

What are my options now? What screws exactly did he fiddle? Or could I just let it run with the fuel switch off until it stalls? Will that leave enough fuel in the tank to prevent corrosion?

Edit: actually, silly me: of course the tank will remain filled if the fuel switch is off. :-) But the question remains: which is technically better?

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  • You can always top of tank after you ran the carbs dry.
    – Timo Geusch
    Commented Feb 7, 2012 at 1:29
  • True, but are there any technical differences to both approaches? Also, the bike is indoors and stashed, and I don't really want to have it run inside, nor get it out just for this reason only.
    – Ruben Tavernier
    Commented Feb 7, 2012 at 9:52
  • The effect should be more or less the same - running the carbs dry might not remove all fuel but should take care of enough of it. That said, as you mentioned running it indoors isn't such a good idea...
    – Timo Geusch
    Commented Feb 7, 2012 at 17:10

1 Answer 1

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The drain screws for the four carberetors are located at the bottom, outboard side of each carburetor.

The drain screws are item #23 in this parts diagram.

You can drain them by removing the side covers, placing a rag underneath the carburetor and with a reasonably long Phillips screwdriver, unscrewing the drain screw until fuel flows out and into the rag. Be careful not to drop the screw. When no further fuel flows, tighten the screw back into place and move on to the next carb.

Draining the carbs is to avoid gum-like residue that forms in the carbs when the fuel evaporates. It generally takes more than few cold months for the fuel to fully evaporate, so assuming you'll have it out early in the spring - don't worry about it this year.

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