Why does my bike idle high after a ride?
A hanging or high idle after a ride can make your bike feel unpredictable and annoying to ride. When the revs take ages to drop, or sit at 2,000–3,000 rpm before settling, it’s a sure sign the mixture is lean.
This lean condition usually happens when there’s an air leak around the carb rubbers or vacuum caps. Cracked intake boots, missing O-rings, or worn throttle shaft seals can let in unmetered air, causing the idle to rise as the engine heats up. Dirty or sticking slides can also delay throttle closure, especially on bikes with CV carbs where the diaphragms control slide movement.
A high idle might also appear if the carbs are out of sync, or if the pilot mixture screws are set too lean. Many riders try to adjust the idle screw to compensate, but that only hides the issue rather than fixing it.
At The Carb Shack, we fully strip and ultrasonically clean the carbs, replace aged rubber components, check slides and diaphragms, and synchronise everything so your throttle and idle return exactly as they should.
If your revs hang or stay high after a ride, don’t keep adjusting screws blindly. Book your carburettors in for a full clean, rebuild, and sync and get your idle back under control.
