Post Shop Woes.......Gurgling Engine

[bamarama]

Well as I had posted earlier, I got my bike back from the shop (plastics repaired, new paint job, header gasket replaced, plus more). The bike had been knocked over by a pizza guy and was at the shop for 2 months. Now for the current problems:

The bike sporadically operates poorly. By this I mean the engine will make gargling sounds (as if it's not firing on all cylinders) and tend to cut out coming up to a stop unless I keep it revved (and it still sounds gargly). Going to high rpm's sometimes ceases the gargling, but not always, and performance of the line is shitty with me having to rev it high to keep the engine from cutting out. CP suggest the following to me:

1. Run fuel system cleaner through.
2. Oil change since fuel could have gotten in there.
3. Replace spark plugs.

I've added the fuel system cleaner and it ran OK yesterday, but this morning started the gurgling and quitting again.

I'm going to do the oil change and replace the spark plugs tonight if i can. My question is does the problem sound like it will be fixed by oil change and new spark plugs? Should I pull the carbs off and clean them while I've got the fairings off? The sporadic nature of the problem makes it seem as if fuel supply is getting clogged and unclogged at certain parts of the engine randomly. Any advice is appreciated. Thanks.

[tzortn]

Could it be a vacuum problem? If there is a vacuum leak could that cause the petcock to close?

[bamarama]

I wouldn't know how to test for that. The engine still runs, so I wouldn't think the petcock is closing (wouldn't that shut down all fuel supply?). I didn't have this problem before the incident. The main thing I thought it would be is gunk in the carbs from sitting there for 2 months, but I figured the fuel system cleaner would take care of that. And since the problem leaves and comes back randomly, I would think that something getting clogged/unclogged, or certain spark plugs are firing for a little bit then deciding not to fire.

[macgyver]

sounds like a clogged jet in the carbs. mine does the same thing every once and awhile. shine a flashlight in the tank and look for tank rust and debris.

[FloridaKat]

Just curious, is this randomness occuring after the bike is warm? Is the problem predictable/repeatable (meaning that even though it's random, you see the exact thing happening around similar times)?

I'm wondering if the problem's thermally related.

[bamarama]

It's a brand new tank installed by the shop. The old tank was rusted and when it got knocked over a hole busted through the tank. So the new tank is clean (or it was when I gave it to the shop). I was thinking that it might be the carbs clogged from gunk in the fuel since it sat for 2 months. The problem doesn't seem to happen at specific times. Sometimes it's like that when I crank it up cold, other times it cranks fine and then after riding a bit starts acting funky. I've never pulled the carbs before, would it be an easy job to pull them off and clean them to make sure they're degunked?

[FloridaKat]

It's a brand new tank installed by the shop. The old tank was rusted and when it got knocked over a hole busted through the tank. So the new tank is clean (or it was when I gave it to the shop). I was thinking that it might be the carbs clogged from gunk in the fuel since it sat for 2 months. The problem doesn't seem to happen at specific times. Sometimes it's like that when I crank it up cold, other times it cranks fine and then after riding a bit starts acting funky. I've never pulled the carbs before, would it be an easy job to pull them off and clean them to make sure they're degunked?

I wonder if it is a clogged/dirty fuel filter that is circulating particles that SOMETIMES get oriented to cause the "gurgle"? That's not thermally related and would explain the randomness right?