Cooling systems and carb gasket questions

Jul 11, 2010
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I recently got a Honda X4 1300 that had been standing pretty much unattended for two years. I was told that when gasoline was put on the tank - it had been standing dry - gasoline flowed from the carburettors as the gaskets had shrunk as they dried. But a week later, there was no leak at all. My question is, is it possible that as the gaskets got "wet" with gasoline again after this interval, they expanded to their former thickness?

My second question regards the cooling system. This bike has a closed water cooling system, that is to say, there is no radiator cap on the rad. I wonder, after all this time, if some of the cooling water or liquid has evaporated, and if I should detach the upper hose so as to inspect the water level and fill more water on the system. It would probably we wise to do this. Then my question is, with bikes such as this, with a closed water circuit, how commonly should one detach a hose and check the water level? I am all for preventive maintenance, so this question is important.

Best wishes to you all.