Hey Fellas,

Hopefully this isn't some question that's been asked and i've missed it. I know there have been some like that - but believe me when i say i've used the search function and didn't come up with exactly my question. So - here goes:


To start off, I have an '04 600 GSXF;

Not too long ago i put a new front tire on and with that i tightened my chain to spec. Nothing to serious, but still, this little difference changed the ride from what i was used to and like a noob i dropped the bike when it came to a more sudden stop than i was expecting.

The bike seemed fine for the time being and rode away well enough, but i noticed that it had leaked some fuel from the petcock and down the side of the fairing. The petcock was loose, so i figured that would just be an easy fix, since i've had to rebuild my fuel switch before due to a bad diaphragm allowing it to leak. Well, i have yet to rebuild the petcock since after that one day of leaking it never did it again and was riding okay - so i figured i had time to find an actual petcock rebuild for my exact bike (since the last kit i got was for a pre-kat; and i couldn't use ALL the parts in it. I sort of wanted to get ALL new parts - but the only kit i've found is just too expensive in my opinion - i'm open to suggestions on where to find this as i'm sure some of you have encountered this)

So the petcock has NOT been rebuilt but is no longer leaking - at least not on the outside as it was before. The mother of the problem now is that i have fuel in my oil.

What brought me to check this was from reading around in the forum about what i originally thought was the problem. Which was: i thought i just needed to adjust my idle speed or something, because when i ride it doesn't really start right up like i usually does and when i do get out and about, it almost wants to die out when i'm gearing down for a stop. Even when the bike it hot it wants to idle too low and die. I sort of fiddled with the idle speed/adjuster knob but was having issues with that because the knob itself doesn't actually make any full rotations - i go to turn it left or right and it just snaps right back to the position it was in - so this got me wondering. Long story short I came across the information that suggested to check the oil for fuel - i did and it reeks of gas.

This is my only ride, my main gal; so as you might figure I don't have a lot of room for TOO much down time with my bike, i can't be out of commission for very long. So the least amount of waiting is necessary.

I'm wondering, will i have to tear apart all my carbs just to fix this, or could it be as simple as mending the petcock?

I have looked at the cost of rebuild kits and they can get pretty pricey for carbs. I have watched and read all the carb 101 and 102 posts and as awesome and informative as they all are, they are also a bit intimidating. I am just hoping i won't have to tear it all apart to solve this problem - but i know i need to do something SOON.

All help is appreciated - thanks for reading my post and getting back to me!

Also, if anyone knows of a cheap petcock rebuild kit then please let a brotha know. I'm taking deep breaths and keeping calm - but know, i am freaking out a little inside, and riding as little as possible since i know gas in the oil is terrible. There's just little else i can do about it (as it's my only ride to and fro)