Motorcycle Carburetor Cleaning Tips

Motorcycle carburetor cleaning tricks that can bring an old bike back to life.

Got an old bike that’s not running right? The carburetor may very well need a cleaning. The carb is tasked with supplying the engine with fuel and air in a very precise ratio, and to do that it relies on numerous small passageways and orifices. Sometimes though, those little holes get clogged, and when they do your bike may have a hard time starting or may not want to idle. When that happens, it’s time to give the carburetor a good cleaning.

In this video from the MC Garage, Senior Road Test Editor Ari Henning takes you through the motorcycle carb cleaning process. It's not terribly complicated and it doesn't take any specialized tools, but it does take attention to detail! So put on your safety glasses and rubber gloves and get to it.

And while you’ve got your bike in the garage, make sure you lube your chain (click here for How To Lube Your Chain), and take a few minutes to give your bike a thorough safety check (see Safety Check here). And why not lube your control cables (see How To Lube Your Cables here), too? We show you how to do it all in our MC Garage video section.