Dr. Stefani is Called to Surgery: The Patient? An Ailing Carburetor

By Owen Edwards, Peter Belanger, Eli Mikiten

Since modern motorcycles use fuel injection systems instead of carburetion, fixing an old-school, mechanical carburetor has become almost a lost art. *Photo by Eli Mikiten.*

Motorcycle owners, especially if they ride old bikes, often try for better performance by doing their own customizing. While that sometimes works, it can cause “knock-on effects” that make the repair more challenging. Stefani says. *Photo by Eli Mikiten.*

When Stefani gets a bike that’s been tinkered with, it always makes him wonder what the owner was trying to achieve. “Manufacturers spend millions to create a well coordinated system,” says Stefani. *Photo by Peter Belanger.*

“Every bike has a different personality,” Stefani says. With the old mechanical bikes, their central nervous systems are relatively simple. But they can still require some brain surgery from time to time. *Photo by Eli Mikiten.*

Ever since California outlawed the use of solvents as cleaners, Stefani has had to resort to a soap-based solution in the shop’s parts washer. The process is slower, more of a hassle, but safer for the environment. *Photo by Peter Belanger.*

After a thorough cleaning, and a few new float valves and gaskets, these carburetors are ready to make the owner’s 2000 Yamaha YZF-R1 run like new. *Photo by Peter Belanger.*

Owen Edwards has been arts editor of Saturday Review, executive editor of American Photographer, managing editor of Cosmopolitan, founding editor of Parenting, and a columnist for GQ and Smithsonian.
Peter Belanger is a commercial photographer based in San Francisco, California.
Eli Mikiten is a Berkeley, California based photographer whose work includes sports, architecture, portraiture and the performing arts.

© 2020 Owen Edwards, Peter Belanger, Eli Mikiten. All rights reserved. Under exclusive license to Craftsmanship, LLC. Unauthorized copying or republication of any part of this article is prohibited by law.

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Dr. Stefani is Called to Surgery: The Patient? An Ailing Carburetor

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