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This weekend I disassembled my bike's fuel system (1997 Suzuki Bandit) intending to clean and sync the carbs, adjust the throttle cables, etc. The bike has 44k miles, and while I know the last owner took good care of it, I have no idea when the carbs were cleaned last.

Unfortunately I couldn't get the carbs apart. The screws holding the float bowls on were frozen and WD-40 didn't help. I'm not sure what I should do about this... I'm thinking it might behoove me to cough up the dough to have a bike shop clean it, since they can more easily replace screws or seals if they break them in the disassembly process. Thoughts?

My other issue involves the throttle cables. The throttle jumps a bit (to about 3000 RPM) when I turn the handlebars to the extreme left or right and there's no free play at all in the throttle handgrip. Naturally I wanted to adjust the throttle cables, but when I inspected them, the adjustment screws are all the way out on the handlebar side. The throttle pull cable is also adjusted all the way out on the carburetor side. If I change the adjustment at all on any of the four adjusters (throttle pull and return, handlebar and carb sides), the throttle will stick and not return automatically. Do I need to replace the throttle cables, or do you think some grease could help? When I had the carbs off, the throttle valve spring action seemed pretty firm (unscientific analysis), so I don't think that's the problem.

Thanks in advance!

For the float bowl screws, try giving them a good soaking in penetrating oil, then let them sit overnight. Also, tapping the end of your screwdriver with a light hammer can often break them loose.

If your idle rpm increases when you move the bars, and the cables are adjusted all the way out, there are a couple of possibilities. 1. Somebody put the wrong cables on the bike and you need to get longer ones. Or 2. The cables are not properly routed from the bar to the carb.

Well, first I'd say that you need to lube up your throttle cables, both feed and return... Then you need to check the routing. If it's making the idle jump after you turn the bars it's routed wrong in all probability.
As for the screws, get a dremel and use a large flatblade screwdriver to break them loose. If you have to ruin them it's ok, they're brass and designed to deform into the aluminum of the carbs and make a better seal. You can go out to get new screws from the local hardware store with the same size and pitch of thread, doesn't matter if they're brass or not, just make sure to make them tight. Also make sure to check your float needles and all of your rubber seals.
Wrider
PS If you need me to check the throttle cable routing, let me know and I'll look at the service manual for ya!
Wrider

Well the throttle cables are fairly short in length and take a very direct route. However, it's possible that they could be wrong since this bike originally had a front fairing which the first owner removed for a naked conversion.

Is lithium grease okay for lubing the cables?

Oh, so they did a naked conversion on a Bandit S? I dunno, I can still check routing for you though, I'll do that tonight.
As for lube, a lot of my instructors will take a the cable, put it through a hole in the bottom of a ziploc bag and zip tie it so it won't leak, then use a liquid lube so it travels down the length of the cable, usually takes about 2 or 3 hours to go all the way through by itself.
Wrider

Wrider wrote:Oh, so they did a naked conversion on a Bandit S?

Correct. From the looks of it they didn't change the cable routing, though.

As for lube, a lot of my instructors will take a the cable, put it through a hole in the bottom of a ziploc bag and zip tie it so it won't leak, then use a liquid lube so it travels down the length of the cable, usually takes about 2 or 3 hours to go all the way through by itself.

Hm, I'll give that a try, thanks!

mattb wrote:

Wrider wrote:Oh, so they did a naked conversion on a Bandit S?

Correct. From the looks of it they didn't change the cable routing, though.

But they probably did change the bars and bar mounts to a non-'S' type, which is tall and wider than the faired version and uses a longer cable from stock. If they re-used the original cable..... well, there's yer problem.

Basically on a Bandit you're supposed to run the throttle cable through the forks between the triple clamps then through the frame to the carbs... If it's run that way then yeah, your cable is too short, get yourself a stock length one for a Bandit non-s and it oughta be fine! Plus you won't have to lube it!
Wrider

BuzZz wrote:But they probably did change the bars and bar mounts to a non-'S' type, which is tall and wider than the faired version and uses a longer cable from stock. If they re-used the original cable..... well, there's yer problem.

Ah, good point, you're right. The bar mounts are the same, but the handlebar is indeed different from stock.

Does anyone know where I can source suitable cables from? Insofar as I'm aware, there was never a naked pre-2001 model of the Bandit 1200 sold in the US. I think the 2001+ models use the same type of throttle linkages, but I'm not 100% sure... In the mean time I'll oil the cables I have and see whether that affords me any adjustment latitude. I'll just use motor oil unless someone knows of a reason I shouldn't...

Thanks!

Well I managed to get the carbs apart after a lot of fighting with the stuck screws. I had to pretty much destroy the heads of the drain plug screws, so I'll have to order some new ones. Actually everything was pretty difficult to disassemble...

I had extra trouble trying to remove the pilot jets; I can't get them to budge from their place and I already started to chew up the metal on one of them so I know I can't apply any more torque without destroying them. I think I'll just leave them in place, any thoughts?