Progress report

[Crazcnuk]

It's been a while, as I have been 'shaking' things down now for about 2,000kms.

I had a float stick and had to clean the carbs again, but they are much cleaner than before. The filters are picking up most of the crap coming from the tank.

I set the floats at stock height and ran the bike for a month and checked the plugs. the plugs are a nice light tan, with #2 being tan, but just a bit lighter than the other 3.

The idle mixture screws are: 1 and 4 out about 1-1 1/4 turn. 2&3 are out 1/4-1/2 turn. If I close them, the engine drops noticably.

I synched the carbs using 2 vacuum gauges, 3-4, 1-2, then 1-2 to 3-4.

I set the p/u coil gap, wondering if I need to recheck the timing when you do this?

The bike now bogs badly, sometimes, below 2,000rpm. It will also pull quickly to redline in 1st and 2nd gear only. 3 and 4th each take longer, and I can't get anywhere near redline in 5th.

I top out around 180kph (112mph) right now.

The bike is going through lots of oil. About 1 liter every 200kms. I know I am losing some through the cam chain tensioner but the rest is burning. I get carbon on the outer ring of #1 sparkplug indicating it is the one with the oil issue.

After doing all this I can't use the choke, or it just floods. This may be because the weather is warm now, and it simply doesn't need the choke, but if I set the idle when cold now, it wants to idle between 2,000 and 3,000 rpm when it warms up (maybe 3 blocks down the road). I never had idle issues before.

The bike is now also hard starting. I have to hold the throttle part open (1/2?) and crank it till it catches. This also was never an issue until after I synched the carbs. It used to start right up and idled almost immediately.

I had to fix one of the p/u coil wires.

I have got the fuel mileage into the low 30's at least...but my freinds still claim I am running rich enough to make thier eyes water, even though the plugs show otherwise....

Any ideas?

PS: I am running BPR6ES (resistor) plugs as I can't get the BP6ES locally w/o special order, was wondering if anyone has had any luck running BP7ES which are readily available? Thes are one setting hotter and should, if anything, run a bit cooler?

[Stralya]

Iridium plugs

G'day Craz,

My carbs are all over the place sync wise yet since I installed iridium plugs there has never been any issues with starting or idling. The bike bogs down like yours but not as bad and I can easily redline in all but top gear.

Sounds like your carbs are syncd better than mine but not spot on. Iridium plugs are a bit pricey but make a world of difference with starting.

Might be worth a try.

Dan.
Ignore everything I say.

[bikerphil]

NGK plugs

I'm pretty sure NGK plug numbers are backwards. Lower the number, hotter the plug. Higher the number, colder the plug.

[DiverRay]

I would check for vacuum leaks first. Use propane or spray WD40 with the straw around some of the caps, and between the heads and intake boots. check your plugs after about 10 minutes of LOW RPM riding, to see if maybe you are rich. If so you may need to run the floats up .5mm. I WOULD check the timing, as you may be off just a little bit.

[Crazcnuk]

I am using platinum plugs, right now, I believe.

I had no hard starting until I synched the carbs. It used to start at the touch of the button.

I put clips on the vacuum lines to the petcocks, as they get loose when they heat up. I changed all the vacuum hoses and fuel lines as part of the refurb process.

As for numbers, I thought the numbers went the other way too, but I was looking at my Honda Shadow Manual and it says to use the higher number plug for hot weather riding which leads me to believe the higher number is a hotter plug ie; cooler running?

I had set my timing before, I was just wondering if changing the p/u coil gap changes the timing at all. I don't have a timing light, or I would have just checked it.

[TADracer]

Dump the resistor plugs if you can. BP-7ES is one range cooler and BP-5ES is one range hotter. The 5's transmit less heat through the insulator to the head keeping the chamber temps higher. I know for NGK plugs, each number equals around 150 degrees of chamber temp difference.

[81xsproject]

You can set the timing statically by hand. Get the bike near some kind of radio and turn the radio on to some AM static. Then with the key on rotate the engine by hand. When the plugs fire, you will hear it through the AM radio.

[Crazcnuk]

Heh, I have access to a timing light, I just don't own one myself, since mine died!

[Crazcnuk]

I reset the floats again, and now the bike is running nicely. The bike just feels 'lighter' when you don't have to twist the throttle as much!

It also seems smoother and quieter on the highway, and my freinds tell me thier eyes arn't smarting from the gas fumes, now.

I still have an idle issue when it's cold. I turned the idle down to get rid of the high idle problem.

The choke seems to over fuel now, but it may only be because it's warm enough out that it doesn't need to choke. However, when the bike is cold it won't stay idling on it's own for the first few minutes.

It's funny how only 1/2 the carb functions will ever work at a time!

[Crazcnuk]

I'm pretty sure, now, that the idle issue is just a slight out of synch with Carb#2. I think it is opening slightly earlier than the rest, causing a vacuum rise, pulling the adv. mechanism on.

We've ordered a proper carb synch tool, should be here Friday.