Clean Your Carburetors With Killswitch Queen

Until now, my understanding of how work has been a misquote of Jeremy Clarkson. "Air and fuel go into the carburetor, witchcraft happens, and you go faster."

Although fuel injection moves the witchcraft inside a computer, which is relatively easy to program and control, the vast array of jets, ports, needles, and slides inside of a carb has always baffled me. It's even worse when two, three, or four of them are linked together. The thought of going inside them has terrified me, because the bike may well never run again. Thanks to Killswitch Queen, my fear is now gone.

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The carburetors in question are a set of four from a 2003 Suzuki Bandit 1200. This is a similar configuration to many sportbikes and old s like I used to ride. What you see here can be applied to any engine configuration, though. The theory is the same. This just happens to be four independent carbs bolted into a row and synchronized with each other.

The video starts with the basics, like removing the float bowl and cleaning it out. Olivia then goes step-by-step through the entire process of removing and disassembling each part. Some come out easier than others, and you get to see some things to try when it goes not so smoothly. She explains tips and tricks for removing the old parts and seals, how to clean them up, and how to put them back together again, preferably with no missing parts. This process is split across three videos since it's rather long, but the details are important and it's all covered here.

 

 

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My own Kawasaki KLR 650 has a single cylinder and a single carburetor. The previous owner did a great job maintaining it, and it will not be in need of a cleaning anytime soon. Eventually, it will be. Thanks to these videos, I'm no longer afraid to dive into it myself. To quote Jeremy Clarkson again, "How hard could it be?"

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