Wondering why R65LS starts so well on a trip.

[Barry]

The float bowls are fed from the tank via gravity, if you think the bike is going to stand for a while, could you run the bike with the petcock off and run the carbs dry?

The engine would stop some time before they ran completely dry but they will run down to a surprisingly low level before cutting out. I tend to do it if I know I'm taking the bowls off to clean the jets. It saves spillage.

[mrbuck]

Just takes longer to start after a week and idling without help from me takes awhile.

Sue...You started a great thread with your LRB comments...several good theories and suggestions.  Very timely also since it has taken me 2 days to get the R100 started after an idle summer.

We send best wishes to you and Derrick for a happy and healthy Christmas....and a high mileage 2017!

[suecanada]

Thanks for all the ideas!! This seems to have touched a nerve. Now I always park LRB on his centrestand, turn the petcock off and I always take off his float bowls to drain them when he is to be sitting over a week. I'm anal I know...
But a couple of replies hit a nerve....slow float bowl leak...hmmm.....I will want to try Barry's bouncing method in Spring!
When I think of it I store the bike with drained float bowls and the gas tank is totally removed and drained for storage in winter in the house....sooo, it is totally new fuel in totally dry and clean float bowls in the Springtime first start! I would have to say that LRB starts better on that very first Springtime start than he does after sitting in the summer..except, as said, on daily use long trips.

I like the suggestion of dumping the float bowl contents into the tank or dumping it and allowing new gas to enter the bowls. That makes sense. Also, the float bowl level needs a boo at....and the carb jet that controls the flow of fuel into the bowls may be suspect or water up there
I have had to knocked the bowls once when I got too much gas in the bowl to make the floats work after having them stick. Not happened again...
Crappy gas going bad fast seems like a possible reason and I will experiment next season (After the first Spring start is over and done with) with dumping the float bowl gas into the tank and getting really fresh gas in the bowls. And I mean really fresh gas...BTW I put Sea Foam in the tank too all summer.....just a cold starter syndrome maybe....Good luck MrBuck!