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I'm really glad I'm not mechanically clueless, like a lot of folks...
I used to work on cars for myself, helped friends with cars, worked in a body shop, etc, did engine swaps, all sorts of crap.
I've always done my own oil changes, and repair work when i can...
which leads me to todays "Stupid Kat Problem"...that I shudder to think what the dealer would have charged to diagnose and fix.
yesterday, rode no problem, today early, no problem, later in the afternoon i decided to hit the local stealership for oil and a filter.
about 1 mile form the house, the bike started choking and sputtering, RPMS dropped, and it wanted to turn off.
at a light, it smoothed out, and I just wondered if my gas was lower than the gauge indicated, so I reached down, switched to Reserve, and headed for the gas station.
Took off from the stop, hit 2nd, was about to shift into third when the bike stuttered and DIED.
Coast to a stop on the side of the highway, and try to start it, no deal.
Pop the gas cap, LOTS of gas.
on a hunch, i switched to PRIME for 10 seconds, and the bike started right up.
great.. either the petcocks blown, or the vac line is bad.
So I head back home with the bike in prime, and park it.
I loosen the fairings up, unbolt the tank, and turn it sideways to check the petcock and vac line.
pull the line, its clear, and free of obstructions. Petcock is good too.
Now I'm thinkin CRAP, i gotta dig into the carbs....but as I bend own to look at the petcock vac port on carb 4, i notice that somethings in the port itself.
i get the tweezers, and pull out a 1/4" long cone shaped chunk of rubber that was blocking the port.
i can only assume that this is a manufacturing scrap from the vacuum line itself, I replaced it when i rebuilt the leaky petcock last fall.
pulled it out, made sure the vac port was clear, reattached everything, and buttoned it up.
Test ride at high Rs in every gear proved that was the issue.
again, i shudder to think what a dealership or shop would have charged me to diagnose and fix that, cuz thats WAY obscure
I used to work on cars for myself, helped friends with cars, worked in a body shop, etc, did engine swaps, all sorts of crap.
I've always done my own oil changes, and repair work when i can...
which leads me to todays "Stupid Kat Problem"...that I shudder to think what the dealer would have charged to diagnose and fix.
yesterday, rode no problem, today early, no problem, later in the afternoon i decided to hit the local stealership for oil and a filter.
about 1 mile form the house, the bike started choking and sputtering, RPMS dropped, and it wanted to turn off.
at a light, it smoothed out, and I just wondered if my gas was lower than the gauge indicated, so I reached down, switched to Reserve, and headed for the gas station.
Took off from the stop, hit 2nd, was about to shift into third when the bike stuttered and DIED.
Coast to a stop on the side of the highway, and try to start it, no deal.
Pop the gas cap, LOTS of gas.
on a hunch, i switched to PRIME for 10 seconds, and the bike started right up.
great.. either the petcocks blown, or the vac line is bad.
So I head back home with the bike in prime, and park it.
I loosen the fairings up, unbolt the tank, and turn it sideways to check the petcock and vac line.
pull the line, its clear, and free of obstructions. Petcock is good too.
Now I'm thinkin CRAP, i gotta dig into the carbs....but as I bend own to look at the petcock vac port on carb 4, i notice that somethings in the port itself.
i get the tweezers, and pull out a 1/4" long cone shaped chunk of rubber that was blocking the port.
i can only assume that this is a manufacturing scrap from the vacuum line itself, I replaced it when i rebuilt the leaky petcock last fall.
pulled it out, made sure the vac port was clear, reattached everything, and buttoned it up.
Test ride at high Rs in every gear proved that was the issue.
again, i shudder to think what a dealership or shop would have charged me to diagnose and fix that, cuz thats WAY obscure
. 
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