April 2021
The Kwaka came back.
Once again it had sat for long enough that the carbs had gummed up with old fuel and much flooding was happening.
At least I had been here before and could remember the necessary sequence of events.
As can be seen, the carbs sit above a valley in the crankcases, which unfortunately does not drain anywhere, so pools of fuel sitting in there make one feel a tad insecure.
Despite cleaning all the jets and taking care with the float needle, the carbs would still overfill, one at a time in odd intervals. The only treatment that made sense was to lower the float levels slightly, which had the required effect.
The float needles in these carbs have a shaped needle with no other measures to seal the fuel flow than to have a neat fit between taper and jet. Over time the tapers have worn to the point that they will not always seal.
A further strip involved using a fine emery paper to try and smooth the surfaces of the tapered ends to effect a more perfect match, but it seems that replacement float needles are now needed.
Not sure where to find these parts, but the bike is usable until they are located.