Bike finally running and on the road!

[manshack_one]

Yeah, at first I thought it was just a gunked up window. I didn't realize it was so full of oil that it covered the whole thing!

Well, I'm back for the day at the house because my daughters stomach disagreed with the cafeteria tacos. So while she was watching tv I decided to go check it out again. So I put the tank and seat back on, put some gas in her and fired it up. Started off smoking but then cleared up for a minute but came back. I figured it was about time for a little road test so I backed it out of the garage, put on my father's day gift helmet, and headed off down the street. Boy am I wobbly! I'm glad it's a quiet street because I stared at the speedo and tach almost the entire time. I just went down the street, cut over to the next parallel street and then came back down it and pulled back into the house. Was all of maybe 3/4 mile. What I noticed though was that when it was going I didn't see the smoke. I'll go on a longer ride later and have my wife behind me in the minivan to check whats coming out of the tailpipe. I don't have any turn signals so I don't want to go too far without the person behind me already knowing my route. I didn't even break 30 mph on this little jaunt. One other thing I noticed was when I was trying to come back down from second to first it was like it kept sticking in neutral so I just left it in second. When I stopped at the house it went back to first fine. Anyways, I've got a few hours till the wife gets home and can follow me around the loop a little bit. Time to get my chores done so I can ride again later!

[AlanB]

Hi Manshack,

I said it before; what you see at the pipe is irrelevant until you have had it PROPERLY hot a couple of times.

You have been passing gas down into the crankcase, and pumping the gas/oil mix back into the cylinders. All of that has now been dumped into the pipes. Once you start getting it hot, all of that will leave out the back....as smoke!

Each time you get it a bit hotter, the pipe warms up a bit further back, so expect to see heavy, oily smoke out of this thing until you have had the pipes hot to the end.

"Get it running, get it out, get it hot and burn all the cr@p out of it" isn't "attitude", it is basic, sensible advice!..... This bike is going to be a serious air polluter until it has been hot a couple of times!......

Enjoy getting it hot!

Glad to hear you have it running OK.

AlanB

[manshack_one]

I hear you Alan. And I did just that. I just got back from a 12 mile trip down a little highway and back. Bike runs smooth. Wife said she's only seeing smoke a little when I stop. She was following in the minivan.

Now, the problem I'm having is that it won't come back down from 4K rpms. I have to feather the clutch and brake to make the engine bog down to a manageable rpms to take off at every stop. But to my surprise my blinkers started working so that's a bonus!

What I learned from my first trip over 1 mile and over 30 mph, I need a windsheild of some sort. It's not really the little bugs that bothered me that much. It was the wind whipping around my glasses watering my eyes up. I was constantly blinking. Also, I was wearing a helmet but need a jacket of some kind. My big ol' hawaiin shirt was whipping in the wind and bugging the crap out of me.

But all in all, I can see what everyone is talking about when you mention power in the same sentence with this bike. Maybe when I have a windshield or even a faceshield I'll get up to speed but for now 55 is about right my speed.

So back to my point, I need to get the bike to back down to idle when I pull the clutch in. I have a little too much play in the throttle cable but the throttle lever on the carbs is going right back where it's supposed to. It idles at 1K when it's cold but as soon as you break 4K it doesn't come back.

[TopCatGr58]

Hey Manshack,

That's awesome news!!! BUT....IF you found that much GasOIL, then you'll really want to be sure your petcocks and carbs are working properly. You don't want to have fuel leak into your oil again, otherwise, you could end up destroying your engine very quickly! Gas is not a good lubricant, and you can burn up bearings quickly! I would get into a habit of turning OFF your petcocks when you park it just to be on the safe side, and not just rely on the vacuum control valves or the float needles!

A missing exhaust gasket will cause a cylinder to run lean, and that can also throw off your synch causing a high idle! SO...you need to fix your exhaust leak first, then you can get on to tuning the carbs.

Like Alan said, don't worry much about the smoke right now, you just need to get the bike running properly so that you can then take it on some better longer runs to get the rings reseated, burn off the excessive fuel and oil that's in the pipes, carbon in the head, etc.! Once it gets a few hundred miles on it, then you can check the compression levels, and you'll probably find that it will have stopped smoking almost entirely!

You're getting there.....get ready to HANG ON!!
T.C.

[manshack_one]

I'm totally ready for a hundred miles or so! Just let me get a faceshield first.


I think most of the gas came from a PO leaving it on prime for several days. I go through FINE-C that I learned in class every time I get on the bike.

I was going to order the missing gasket from partsnmore but then I noticed the $35 minimum. It's almost 10 bucks incl. shipping for ONE from bikebandit. I saw z1enterprises has them for less but I'm not sure about the site.

I'm going to Austin this weekend so I might try and locate a walk-in parts store that might carry it. Even if I have to go dealer I'd rather have it fixed now than wait any more on shipping! I bet that gasket being missing is what's making that pipe run cooler than the rest. It sure doesn't feel like it's missing any cylinders during the 3 or 4 seconds it takes to get to 55!

Is there anything I can add to the oil that might help seal it up if it is something that the gas ate up?

[AlanB]

Hi Manshack,

High idle; Throttle cable too tight? (All open!)
Carb synch out? (one held open!)
Air leak?... Vac lines or boot to head join are favourites.

For revs to rise, air has to get in; it is either passing the butterflies (one or more!) or getting round somewhere else.

After the work you have done, you will find it easily.

Great news on the run!

AlanB

[manshack_one]

Hopefully tonight I'll have some time to look at the bike again.
I did receive a package in the mail today with my faceshield and exhaust gasket.

Here I am, faceshield installed and grinnin' like the fool I am!
(camera phones take shaky pics)

[manshack_one]

What would your bike be telling you if you could start it without the choke pulled out?

I just put another 12 miles on the bike putting around the park practicing slow turns and riding through the half circles in the expo center parking lot. When I started it up at the house I didn't have to pull the choke out at all. It fired right up to idle at 1K rpms. Once the engine warmed up it just refused to drop the idle and everytime I pulled in the clutch the engine went up to 4K rpms and sat there. I'd have to bog it down by staying in 2nd and using the friction zone and brake to bring the rpms down.


On another note, I'm not sure I'm ready for the speed this thing is capable of. I took it down one long stretch and opened it up at about 25 and pulled back at 55 because everything starts looking like a sci fi movie when they hit hyperdrive. It may have just been the narrow road. I did notice that at speed it did seem to be missing just a little bit. I meant to come back and immediately pull the plugs and check some things out but the kids started a fight as soon as I pulled up while they were getting out of the minivan so I got distracted. They're going to bed so maybe I can sneak out to the garage and poke around for a few minutes. I really need to adjust my throttle cable. Way too much play in it.

[manshack_one]

Yes it's me again!

Repair Report 10-18-07 9PM CST

Got out to the garage and started looking over the bike. First the seat came off, then the tank was rotated 180. Reset idle mix screws again. Trying to think in my head where the air leak would come from. I'm almost out of WD40 so I didn't want to get crazy with it. Was looking at the #2 since it's a little different from the rest. Vaccuum line seemed ok. But then I noticed another one of the PO's little inventions. Since the #2 intake boot nipple had lost it's cap he made one himself, out of a 4 inch peice of insulated hose with a 10mm bolt screwed into the end. pulled it off, inspected it, then when putting it back, i realized it seated a lot more than it had been previously. Light bulb goes off in my head. Start it up and it runs up to about 2500 rpms. Better I think. Then I start turning out the idle screw between 2 and 3 carbs. Idle is dropping like it's supposed to. Hmm....could it be that easy? Apparently so. Bike now idles at right above 1000 rpms. While starting it up I kind of forgot about the muffler mend I'd put on the right side pipe so it blew out and splattered some cans on the floor next to it. No biggie. Patched it again.

Then I took a look at the rear brakes. It seems the pedal scrapes into the pipe. Either these slip ons (that's what they appear to be) aren't the right ones or they weren't installed right. Either way it had no fluid in it so I put some in. Didn't seem to help much. At least the front brake works.

Then I took apart the throttle on the handlebar and found the cable had unseated or more likely wasn't seated after I put it back together last time. move it out towards the end of the handlebars about 1/2 inch and seemed to pull some slack out of it. Now there's not so much play.

And lastly, I was walking past the front and looked down at the rotors and notice my rotor on the left side is rubbing against the inside of the slot on the forks. Why do we have those? Anyways, that will require finding a washer since it's apparent I lost one when I changed the tire.

Checked all the plugs and they're fouled up bad from all that bad gas/oil that was running through. I'll pick up a new set today. I think I might start my weekend early and skip out at 330 today. That way I can get the bike ready so when the wife and kids get home we can get to the park a little earlier so I'm not practicing in the dark this time. Since my idle never moved after it warmed up like before I hopefully have that problem licked. We'll find out tonight!



P.S. Hope I'm not boring anyone. Nobody even poked fun of my picture. You have to be able to laugh at yourself sometime.

P.P.S If anyone is within an hour or so of me or could meet in the middle I'd love to get my carbs synced proper. Should be good driving weather this weekend. Sunny and 85! Help a brother out!

[skids]

Take that long flat-tip screwdriver to adjust the idle!

[manshack_one]

My idle screw is really more like an idle knob that I can reach with my fingers and twist. Carbs are off a 79 special. I know others point down, have a flat head tip on them, etc. The mixture screws use a flat tip if you're talking about those. Right now I need to replace the plugs because they're so fouled out from burning 'gasoil'. Maybe then my idle will smooth out a little and I can dial it in better.

[wingnut]

Brake Rotor

Man, you didn't lose a washer when you put the wheel on maybe you just didn't know about the proper way to put it back together. You have to center the rotors by pushing or pulling on the fork tubes to center them in the slots befor you tighten up the pinch bolt. I found that if you messure the rotor thickness, messure the slot, subtract the rotor with from the slot with and then divide by 2 you will get a number that corisponds to the thickness of the feeler gage you need to slip inbetween the rotor and the slot on the side thats rubbing. then tighten up the pinch bolt. That puts the rotor right in the middle where it belongs. Makes the brakes on a special work a bunch better. Clear as mud right?

[manshack_one]

I'm gonna have to let that soak in for a minute. I had everything in order on my workbench so I could reinstall it right but I think one of the kids may have swiped a washer while I wasn't looking. The rotor on the right side is lined up perfect in the middle.

[DiverRay]

You DID NOT lose a front washer. You DO NOT have the axle on properly!
Please follow these simple directions, and everything will be good.
1.) put the bike on the center stand, and hang some weight off the back, use a jack, or something too lift the front tire just off the ground.
2.) loosen the pinch bolts, the axle bolt, the 4 fender bolts, and the triple tree pinch bolts. Be careful with the last, so the fork tubes DO NOT slide out of the tree.
3.) Starting at the top, line up the fork tubes, tire, and triple trees, and tighten the pinch bolts on the trees.
4.) Move down to the bottom, and tighten the AXLE BOLT ONLY, NOT THE PINCH BOLTS!!
5.) Tighten the 4 fender bolts, and THEN the two pinch bolts at the bottom of the axle.
You only need to loosen the bolts about 1 1/2 turn, so things will slide around a bit. The rotors should now be lined up with the calipers, and the front end will be properly aligned.
You can check the "tech tips" from the MAIN page for more information. Enjoy the ride

[manshack_one]

False alarm. The rotors are close but when I put the flashlight on it I was actually seeing the brake pads on the rotors. Now it makes sense that I wasn't hearing a grinding noise when I fully expected to. Those are great instructions though Ray. I had the wrench in my hand when I thought twice about it and grabbed a light.

Time for another test drive! Muffler Mend held, no more smoke, and an idle under 2K. First stop, parts store for a new set of plugs!

Later!