almost there

[greatwhiteshark]

well I finally got my beast on the road (1980 xs 1100 special) and she's runnin pretty good but I still have some issues that hopefully some of you will be able to help me with . I had some earlier posts about backfiring. I had some exhaust issues at the time so I thought I would get that sorted out first , since then I have installed a set of harley mufflers which look great by the way and had them all welded up so there is no exhaust leak at all . I also went and visited ken (ratbyk) in sooke and we spent an afternoon working on it , he did a compression test and 1,2,4 were all at about 170 and number 3 was about 155 and when doing a spit test on the header pipes number 3 is a little cooler than the other ones when I pull the plugs after a good ride all the plugs are a nice tan colour . the main problem seems to be that there is still backfiring coming from the right side but it's not as bad as it was before but the engine seems kinda of boggy and gurgly under 3000rpm once I'm over that it seems smooth and goes like a rocket . Has anyone had this type of experience before or have any ideas on what the cause could be, the mechanic that rebuilt the carbs had told me he thought that number 3 had a burnt valve. Anyway any help would be much appreciated............thanks..........mark

[ratbyk]

Bogging Below 3000

Mark, it is not a Harley. If it is happy from 3000 up, run it there. I know on mine that I very seldom am below 3000 unless I'm in 1st gear.
It could be that eventually you will have to pull the head for a valve job. But until then, ride it and stop fussing. These things love revs from 3000 to 7000, no problem., In fact it is likely better for the engine to run free, "up on the cam".
Ken?Sooke
78E Ratbyk
82 FT500 "lilRat"

[chevy45412001]

I have to agree with ratbyk after rejetting my carbs late last year i also developed i pop in the exhaust note.My bike is an 82' xj 1100.Aftermarket pipe and pod air filters.I think it might be just a tad of unburnt fuel that ignites from the heat rather than a spark.But i could be way off base on that idea. just my thoughts.Needless to say it does run fine with a little more top end than it used to have.