Flooded motor

[gartrade]

Since my motorcycle has been in the national motorcycle museum for the last 10 years, it's had a few issues. I got the water pump taken care of where coolant was coming out of the seep hole.
It was running just fine and then it suddenly died on me. I pulled the spark plug and it was drenched with gas. I unhook the fuel line to the carburetor and let it sit for a while. I plugged the gas tank line so that it wouldn't put more fuel in the carburetor and the bike started up and ran just fine with the fuel that was in the carburetor. I turn it off. Hooked the fuel line back up and restarted it and it fired right up but only ran for about 3 seconds and then was flooded again.
Since it ran good for several weeks, I'm guessing that it wasn't the float in the carburetor. So my question is could it be the diaphragm maybe has a hole in it?
I'm open to any and all suggestions.

[timpa136]

Sept 24, 2022 13:55:15 GMT -5 gartrade said:

Since my motorcycle has been in the national motorcycle museum for the last 10 years, it's had a few issues. I got the water pump taken care of where coolant was coming out of the seep hole.
It was running just fine and then it suddenly died on me. I pulled the spark plug and it was drenched with gas. I unhook the fuel line to the carburetor and let it sit for a while. I plugged the gas tank line so that it wouldn't put more fuel in the carburetor and the bike started up and ran just fine with the fuel that was in the carburetor. I turn it off. Hooked the fuel line back up and restarted it and it fired right up but only ran for about 3 seconds and then was flooded again.
Since it ran good for several weeks, I'm guessing that it wasn't the float in the carburetor. So my question is could it be the diaphragm maybe has a hole in it?
I'm open to any and all suggestions.

You may be right about the diaphram. You might block off the vacuum port to the intake, or if you see gas in the vacuum hose, you found it.

Nice bike from my earlier visit.

Tim

[quawk]

gartrade, Is the national motorcycle museum you speak of in Anamosa, Iowa? I'm guessing there are more than one museums using that title. Museums with RE5s on display were discussed in recent posts. If it was the museum in Anamosa, Iowa I was there earlier this year and several times in the past. Nice bike. If it was the museum in Iowa, have you removed your bike from display? If so, do they now not have an example of an RE5? If that is the case I may contact them about putting my bike on loan. Let me know. Thanks.

[charles]

gartrade --

I'm late on responding to this.
I always carried a spare spark plug and a multi-wrench with me for flooding issues.
If/When the bike would soak the Plug, I would pop the wet Plug and replace it with the spare.
The bike would fire and I would be on my way.

Frustrating at times but it was easier than considering some of the more exotic solutions.
'N remember: Hand tighten the Plug plus a teeny tiny bit of extra only!

Best,

CW