[MdL]

what I did last year was I bought a hockey puck and ran it through my friends band saw and cut in in half. I keep one half at home for under the side stand and one in my jacket just incase I have to pack in a soft spot.

That is a good idea, never heard of a hockey puck being used before. I've crushed coke cans if I needed them on trips, but at home I just park her on a pice of wood.

[suzukisportrider2004]

i have a small square of ply wood i ussally keep under the seat

[rwcreigh]

man its ruined!!!you need to sell it real cheap to me.LOL i am sure its fine,but i would change the oil due to gas in it.good luck

[tzortn]

BP I am surprised that you would have let soemthing like this happen, especially after a new paint job. Go find an old soda can an crush it flat. That way you have a pad for your kickstand and you are recycling.

[Mojoe]

Is it?
Or are you assumeing?
I assume it is too but I don't know for sure.
Well it's running better..
Knocked up the bar-ens mirrors..
But since they are the good ones..
I just tightened them up..

Other than mud it looks OK..

No, I'm not assuming. I was telling you to go out there and look at you're oil. When you do you will ether see gas ontop of the oil or none at all.

please explain to ALL of us how you will see the gas on top of the oil. Do you have some kinda x-ray vision? if you are talking about seeing it through the little window to check the oil level, then you need to have ALOT to be able to see it.

And for the record, oil will NOT float on the gas.....it will MIX with the gas. Especially since he started it and got it sloshing around. Anyone who has ever owned a two-stroke engine is aware of this. So sorry Mdl, but your advice is not good advice, except for the "change it" part. It may float for a bit, but will eventually absorb into each other. They are variants of potroleum products, and will indeed mix together.

Just change the oil.

[Black_peter]

it definitely sucks having to leave your bike outside. a tip though, go to lowes or home depot and pick up a sidewalk stone. (a concrete rectangle about 18" x 9" x 1" thick. only a couple bucks). place it where you normally park the bike. I dug out a spot so it was flush with the ground. this gives you something solid to set the kickstand on so your bike won't sink into the mud.

I'm in on that..
I''ve been meaning to, time to get off the pot..

tzortn The paint job was after..
In fact.. Just this morning..

[Cheech]

I am just curious black_peter, is there some reason why your posts look like you are trying to bang out a haiku?

Anyway, I think the advice on here is good. Definitely change the oil. filter too probably.

[rowdy1]

i have a small square of ply wood i ussally keep under the seat

I carry a piece of wood with me. It'll fit perfectly under the seat.

[Anonymous]

Sorry man that sucks,

[The CyberPoet]

My action plan:

Pull the hoses from the petcock, drain a cup of fuel out into a glass and check for the presence of water (none? good. Some? Bad -- drain the tank and dry it out, otherwise water will bring on rust).

Next, yank the tank, yank the airbox and drain & wipe clean. Running pods? Wash & re-oil 'em.

Grab the carbs, open up the float bowl drains, drain 'em, flip 'em over, open 'em, and check to make sure none of the floats are stuck. If any are, fix it. Close it back up and set aside.

Do a full oil change, including the cooler (since you already started it), and the contents of the oil filter (no need for a new filter -- just drain the contents of it).

Now put it all back together, and make sure the centerstand works. What, no centerstand? Get one, damn it. Try braadajim or eBay. If you are parking outside during storms, this is the only reasonable answer. A firm kick can knock over a bike on a sidestand -- it take a lot more to rock a bike off a centerstand (think a category 2 or 3 hurricane).

Finally, mark your parking spot and put something there. Concrete, paver stones, etc. make a stone box for the centerstand to rest on. Still hung up on having a center stand? Quit and just get one, damn it. Personally, I'd simply call a concrete company and get them to send a truck out with a cubic yard of premix ready to pour, but if they charge more in your area than in mine, you can get bags of cement cheap enough to make it worthwhile. A little digging, a couple pieces of wood to shore the edges (coat with vasoline to keep the concrete from sticking) and some crete mix and you're done. That still too much work? Throw a couple bags of mix directly into a shallow hole in the ground and leave a garden hose pouring water over them for about 20 minutes, then set something flat atop them and smack hard to flatten the tops perfectly. The contents of the bags will harden up and form your final product without ever leaving the comfort of their bags.

Cheers,
=-= The CyberPoet

[Mojoe]

My action plan:

Pull the hoses from the petcock, drain a cup of fuel out into a glass and check for the presence of water (none? good. Some? Bad -- drain the tank and dry it out, otherwise water will bring on rust).

Next, yank the tank, yank the airbox and drain & wipe clean. Running pods? Wash & re-oil 'em.

Grab the carbs, open up the float bowl drains, drain 'em, flip 'em over, open 'em, and check to make sure none of the floats are stuck. If any are, fix it. Close it back up and set aside.

Do a full oil change, including the cooler (since you already started it), and the contents of the oil filter (no need for a new filter -- just drain the contents of it).

Now put it all back together, and make sure the centerstand works. What, no centerstand? Get one, damn it. Try braadajim or eBay. If you are parking outside during storms, this is the only reasonable answer. A firm kick can knock over a bike on a sidestand -- it take a lot more to rock a bike off a centerstand (think a category 2 or 3 hurricane).

Finally, mark your parking spot and put something there. Concrete, paver stones, etc. make a stone box for the centerstand to rest on. Still hung up on having a center stand? Quit and just get one, damn it. Personally, I'd simply call a concrete company and get them to send a truck out with a cubic yard of premix ready to pour, but if they charge more in your area than in mine, you can get bags of cement cheap enough to make it worthwhile. A little digging, a couple pieces of wood to shore the edges (coat with vasoline to keep the concrete from sticking) and some crete mix and you're done. That still too much work? Throw a couple bags of mix directly into a shallow hole in the ground and leave a garden hose pouring water over them for about 20 minutes, then set something flat atop them and smack hard to flatten the tops perfectly. The contents of the bags will harden up and form your final product without ever leaving the comfort of their bags.

Cheers,
=-= The CyberPoet

CP....that is all great advice and all, but is all of that really neccessary?
There are products out there designed to remove water from gas, depending on how much of course. Maybe it doesn't exist down you way because you don't have the same climate, but up here in quebec, in the winter, humidity can be a big factor in the winter. especially with short stop and go trips. there is this stuff called "dry gas". It is designed to remover water/humidity in the fuel system. And it does work because I have used it often in the past. I am not saying your advice is not sound.....but that maybe it would just be a good idea to toss a bottle of that stuff in the tank before going through all the procedure. To be really sure, just add it to 2-3 fill-ups. It is under $2 a bottle. Up here they sell it in "6-packs".
It is basically just ethonal...which DOES mix with water and makes it "burnable".

and for the record, it doesn't take a torrential downpour to have water in your gas. very hot days followed by fast cooling down...such as desrt climates, let's say, can cause humidity in the tank. it is the same effect as coming in from the cold in winter into a hot home with a pair of glasses. They instantly fog up. it also works the opposite going from the heat to the cold.

[Mojoe]

some links to support my claim:

http://autorepair.about.com/library/faqs/bl677e.htm

http://www.shorechemical.com/Section%201%20Tech%20Sheets/dry_gas.htm

[MdL]

Is it?
Or are you assumeing?
I assume it is too but I don't know for sure.
Well it's running better..
Knocked up the bar-ens mirrors..
But since they are the good ones..
I just tightened them up..

Other than mud it looks OK..

No, I'm not assuming. I was telling you to go out there and look at you're oil. When you do you will ether see gas ontop of the oil or none at all.

please explain to ALL of us how you will see the gas on top of the oil. Do you have some kinda x-ray vision? if you are talking about seeing it through the little window to check the oil level, then you need to have ALOT to be able to see it.

And for the record, oil will NOT float on the gas.....it will MIX with the gas. Especially since he started it and got it sloshing around. Anyone who has ever owned a two-stroke engine is aware of this. So sorry Mdl, but your advice is not good advice, except for the "change it" part. It may float for a bit, but will eventually absorb into each other. They are variants of potroleum products, and will indeed mix together.

Just change the oil.

I know oil will not float on the gas, it's the opposite. The gas will float on the oil. You need to take a sample of the gas because like you said, it obviously can't be checked through the little window. To mix gas and oil is a bit harder than just sloshing it around, yes they are both derived from petroleum but that doesn't make them a match. Even if it did mix through sloshing it around and starting it, the gas would still rise from the oil if you let it sit. The gas is lighter than the oil, this is basic stuff. Happens will all automotive compounds. Go outside and try it. I just did because after I read you're post I thought "hmm.... Maybe he is right" but it doesn't want to combine easily.

Regardless.

Change the oil.


edit: After doing more research, you are right. I was wrong.

[Mojoe]

oops...my post had a typo. I reversed the words. I meant to say that "gas will not float on oil".

I have been running 2 stroke engines pretty much all my like. from moto-x to lawnmowers to outboard motors.....and except for the modern engines, that all required mixing the gas and oil into various ratios. I run my outboard at a 25:1 ratio. And when I happen to run out of two-stroke oil, I will use plain old 10-30 and drop the ratio down to 20:1 or so.

So as close as I am able to agree with you is just that oil will "tend" to head right to the bottom if you pour a bottle of it into a jug of gas, but it mixes in along the way. Put the cap on and a few shakes it is all mixed together. Over time it will sort of seperated, and in the "heavier" ingrediant" in the oil will settle, but the majority will remain mixed with the gas. Giving the jug a few good shakes mixes it right back up.
And starting and engine with gas in the oil is MORE than enough to mix it together thoroughly.

[Mojoe]

edit: After doing more research, you are right. I was wrong.

now if you had of posted that 2 minutes earlier, I could have spared ya with that long winded explanation....lol

anyway....it was just a fact I knew cuz since I was like 8-9, either my dad or my grandfather were always telling me to go mix some gas for this or that.