🔍 Why cleaning frequency matters

Carbs accumulate varnish, residue, and deposits inside jets, float bowls, and passageways, especially if fuel quality is poor or the bike is stored for long. When this happens:

• Idle becomes rough or inconsistent (why won’t my bike idle)
• The engine struggles to start (bike won’t start)
• Carbs might flood due to stuck float valves
• Performance and fuel economy drop

These problems often lead to more time in repair than if you’d cleaned them before issues escalate.

🕒 Recommended intervals

While there’s no one-size-fits-all, here are general guidelines:

• Every riding season: For bikes in moderate use, clean at least once per season.
• Annually: Even if you haven’t noticed issues, an annual inspection and light clean is wise.
• After storage: If your bike sits unused over winter or long idle periods, clean before riding again.
• Under heavy use or dusty conditions: More frequent cleaning (every few thousand miles or even before each season).

🛠 DIY vs Professional

Light cleaning (spraying, checking float bowls) can be done at home. But for symptoms like persistent flooding, starting issues, or bad idle, you’ll want a full carb rebuild or professional ultrasonic carb cleaning service. Replacing gaskets, checking float heights, ensuring jets are clear is part of this. Relying on cleaning alone sometimes isn’t enough.

⚙️ What “cleaning” should include

A full carb service should cover:

• Stripping down the float bowl, removing old fuel varnish
• Checking and cleaning jets, idle passages
• Setting float heights correctly
• Replacing seals, O-rings, float valves where needed
• Ultrasonic cleaning for those hard-to-reach internal passages