Leaking gas from 1 carb

I knew this was going to be a project, but I didn't expect it to start this soon. My garage reeked of gas the night I brought the bike home. Day 2 I ride to work - about 15 miles. I check my bike about 3 hours after I get there and there is a puddle under the bike. Brown fluid smells like gas. I look around and see gas dripping pretty good from one of my carbs (#2 from the left side). The brown was the gas picking up oil and dirt from the engine and lube from the chain on the way down.

I shut the gas to the middle selector on the petcock, fire the bike up and try to burn off some from the carbs. It seems better. I ride home, shut the gas from on to the middle point about 1/3 of a mile from home. It seems good but still smells horribly of gas. The next morning, I check the bike and there is, once again, a puddle under it of gas. All from that #2 carb and it is leaking out of the back of the pod.

Any ideas? Short of a rebuild and tapping the carb with a screwdriver to loosen anything that may be gunking up the float (That, I am trying tonight).

Also, since the stock airbox is ugly and gets in the way and pods don't seem to work well with this bike, is there anyone running either different carbs or a fabricated, slimline airbox that fits more flush under the seat area?

It is probably your petcock. It may just require a rebuild or you may not be using correctly.

I shut the gas to the middle selector on the petcock

What bike and year ? What does it say on the "middle selector " ?

I have a 750/4 which has a vacuum petcock. At 3 o clock it says On, at 6 o clock it says Prime and at 9 o clock it says Res. It is meant to be at On for normal running. I have 2 hoses coming from my petcock. One goes to a vacuum nipple on carb #2 and the other delivers fuel to a T between Carbs 2 and 3. We need more information before we can help.

Its a 78 650 SR.

I think the middle is prime (If you are looking at the petcock from the side of the bike, 6 (down) is On, 12 is Reserve and 3 is Prime. I thought it might be off. But in either the 3 or 6 position it leaks.

I don't know where the hoses go to - I can check when I get home tonight.

I was thinking it was either a stuck float or a petcock issue.

OK
Let us know

Prime is only for when the bike has been sitting and you need to get gas in the carb bowls. If you leave it on Prime it's likely to pee gas all over the place. Some may dissagree but those tiny carb float valves are just not up to holding back the presure of a tank of gas.

Hope your solution is as simple as that.

If you go into your profile there should be somewhere where you can put your bike model and year in your signature.

Good luck

It was leaking when it was in On also. I put it to Prime in hopes that it would stop. I will put it back to On, run it a bit then check again.

It definitely sounds like a float issue with the #2 carb. I have a 79 650SR with a manual fuel valve and with the gas on the carbs don't leak fuel.

I got home and had to run some errands. I did flip the petcock to reserve instead to see if it stops flow of gas. It's raining now - not much I can do until tomorrow.

I'm not used to a Primer stop on a petcock - I'm so used to On/Reserve/Off I didn't even check it. Oh well, live and learn.