Hi everyone, this is my first posting on the HD forum site! To start I have a 1991 Sportster 1200 that was my grandpas when he was living. I found the guy that bought it and now I'm the proud owner. It was having carb issues when I bought it. Sometimes it would leak gas but if you tapped on the carb it would stop leaking. This year it pours out if the fuel is on. My brother and I took it apart and gave it a good cleaning and it stopped leaking for a bit but went right back to dumping lots of fuel soon after.

I have a video and picture of the leak. It starts out by dumping out of an overflow hose (pictured)..then it starts dumping out of a hole in the carb (video)..I'm not sure where that leads.

If someone could give me an idea of whats going on and how to fix it I'd greatly appreciate it. I know I need a rebuild kit but I'm wanting to know where to focus my attention.

 

I just realized the picture I included of the carb is upside down so I'm reposting the picture. The hose just runs to the bottom of the bike. Must be an overflow hose or something.

 

The fuel level is too high, probably due to a damaged or dirty float needle, which should shut the fuel supply off. Remove the gas tap from the tank and clean the filter on it, also make sure there is no dirt, loose paint etc in the tank, flush it clean if necessary. That should stop any further problems getting through to your carb.

Buy a carb repair kit, then strip, clean and rebuild your carb. The kit includes a new float needle and other critical O rings etc. If you don't have one, but the factory service manual, which gives stacks of useful info on your bike, including the carb.