Choke curcuit air intakes

[Antonn3]

wondering.. how long can the choke circuit air intake hoses be ? These would be the 4 smaller "vents" pointing down near the carb float bowls.
Can they be too long?

Thanks ,
Tony

[Pat Conlon]

Good question Tony, I don't know. I have mine slightly longer than the stock lines. They run down behind the engine case and are zip tied to my center stand bracket....no problems so far..
I keep the lines individual, 1 line per carb and I like to number or color code the vent lines so if one starts dribbling gas, I know which carb is the offender.
I have been known to rebuild my carbs in my hotel room.....a story for another time...

I do the same with the 2 float bowl vent lines. Keep them individual, However, don't make them too long...
One time, on a long trip, I had a problem with my bike surging...('84 gravity fed)
At 70-80mph, a slight slow down then return to speed....Nothing catastrophic, just annoying. I kept waiting for it to get worse...definitely a buzz kill when you are out in the middle of BFE
My first thought...gas cap.....so I moved my tank bag back and popped the cap open, continued riding and the surge continued....hmmm, what could it be? Gas line routing? No Way, I learned that lesson loooong ago. Fuel tank petcock? Can't be...it's a new petcock. Debris in the fuel? Possible, but it didn't feel like it.

When I got thru for the day, checked in, unpacked, showered, and working on my second O'Douls, I discovered one of my float bowl vent hoses contacted the top on my collector box and melted shut.
A quick snip snip and all was fixed.

Moral of the story: it's hot down there, don't melt your lines.  Cheers Pat