Why does carb ice form?
In order to understand carburetor ice, you have to understand a bit about how a carburetor works. One of the key principles of a carburetor is the venturi, a constriction inside the carb which causes air to flow faster. This drops the air pressure in the venturi, which allows fuel to be sucked from the float bowl through the jet system. The drop in pressure also lowers the temperature of the intake air. This temperature drop is aided by the evaporation of gasoline, which is being atomized by the carburetor to burn in the engine. (Note that fuel injection systems do not have a venturi, instead relying on some variety of pressurized system to atomize fuel. This is the main reason FI is practically ice-proof.) This temperature drop just past the venturi can be pretty amazing. In airplanes, carburetor ice can form up to 90° F ambient temperatures, and a carburetor can theoretically drop the temperature by up to 100° F. (Fortunately, the Ninja 250 doesn’t seem to be anywhere near as prone t
