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**ross** · 09-28-2008, 07:21 PM

hot pipes......

hey there Ryan Stanley......welcome to the world of air cooled engines.....yea, they get hot when you are sitting in traffic.....as far as the idle jumping so dramatically needs to be looked into....(yea, carb cleaning)....i know i have mine set at 1100 rpm idle and when i do a long run, she really wants to hang around 1500 rpm.....it seems like when you do some distance on the highway at 80+ mph....she just don't want to slow down....have talked 2 others in hotter climates and overheating is really not an option.....also i might suggest 6k shifts thru all 5 gears as that will force more air thru the motor.....if you are feeling brave, shift at 7k......hehehehe...hope this helps....talk 2 ya later...ross

**Ryan Stanley** · 09-28-2008, 07:29 PM

Ok, thanks. I kinda figured that's all it was, but since it had never done that before, I thought I'd ask about it to make sure it's nothing I need to worry about.

**mro** · 09-28-2008, 08:21 PM

Just curious...
Got gold or blue header pipes?

mro

**Ivan** · 09-29-2008, 07:21 AM

Where do you guys find these custom gold and blue header pipes? Blue is my favorite color, but gold would go much better with my red tank.

**psycoreefer** · 09-29-2008, 07:54 AM

Re: hot pipes......

Originally posted by ross
hey there Ryan Stanley......welcome to the world of air cooled engines.....yea, they get hot when you are sitting in traffic.....as far as the idle jumping so dramatically needs to be looked into....(yea, carb cleaning)....i know i have mine set at 1100 rpm idle and when i do a long run, she really wants to hang around 1500 rpm.....it seems like when you do some distance on the highway at 80+ mph....she just don't want to slow down....have talked 2 others in hotter climates and overheating is really not an option.....also i might suggest 6k shifts thru all 5 gears as that will force more air thru the motor.....if you are feeling brave, shift at 7k......hehehehe...hope this helps....talk 2 ya later...ross

I hate to disagree but shifting at higher RPM's isn't going to cool the motor. Maybe you can explain how the point at which you shift effects the air flow over the motor?

The way I see it is that regardless of where you shift the airflow is based on your forward speed. The faster you go the more air you get, but if the speed limit is 45 lets say then it won't matter if your doing 45 in 1st gear at 7k or 45 in 4th gear at 2k you've still got a 45mph breeze over the motor.

Actually I think a higher shift point would be worse, if you feel your approaching the "danger" zone for heat then you should keep the RPM's as low as is reasonable for any given speed. More RPM's means more heat for the same amount of cooling.

Finally just to translate what MRO and Ivan are implying is that your bike is probably lean causing it to run hotter then it normally would. Have you got aftermarket pipes or air filters? If you do you may need to increase the jet size in your carbs to restore the proper mixture. Several things can indicate a lean mixture including blue or gold colored header pipes, engine running hotter then normal, and the best indicator is if the ends of your spark plugs are white instead of tan or gray.

**tarzan** · 09-29-2008, 08:32 AM

Psychoreefer-I bet when ross is bangin gears at high r's hes not going that slow. I also think he said that tongue in cheek.
Hey Ryan-Are you going from two different elevations?JAT,If you are almost to the lean side to begin with and then change altitudes it could possibly lean your bike out and raise idle.
I know mine runs about the same idle speed after long rides.However it can get hot.Mine will get rattly when its hot.Then when it cools down everything is fine again.
I agree with the others you need a little adjustment.You may or may not need to go inside the carbs.

**webbcraft2150** · 09-29-2008, 08:38 AM

Overheating in traffic is common on any aircooled engine. Unfortunatley, our rigs have no temp gauge so "overheating" is a matter of feeling out the bike. When my job was across town, I had to quit riding in the summer months because of prolonged low speed riding in stop and go traffic on the way home. We are talking 5-10mph for over an hour in 98-102 degree weather. My first clue my XS was building up a sweat was an increase in engine noise (rattling) and the idle would become erratic. More than once I pulled off under an overpass to let things cool off and let traffic die down. This is the primary reason I would change oil every 1000 miles in the summer.

A couple of times, I even had the watercooled bikes join me cause they were in the "red" zone.

**Ryan Stanley** · 09-29-2008, 08:54 AM

Well, as far as the headers go, there's no significant coloration. Possibly a slight gold color, but that's arguable.

Yes, I did just recently remove the stock intake and install pods. I have someone who is going to adjust the carbs for me soon, though, so I don't have to mess with that.

**psycoreefer** · 09-29-2008, 10:00 AM

make sure who ever is going to adjust your carbs is someone with a good rep that you can trust. Stories here are many of people taking the bike in and having it the same or worse when they got it back. I'd also recommend you ask for the "old" parts back so you at least have a reasonable expectation that the jets were indeed changed out for larger ones. You should do a bit of reading, tweaking the carbs isn't very hard, you will find you can do it yourself for less then a shop will charge.

**Ryan Stanley** · 09-29-2008, 02:53 PM

So what all would I needto do it myself? Four main jets, four pilot jets? Anything else?

**DiverRay** · 09-29-2008, 05:21 PM

That should be all you need, other than a way to sync the carbs. Buy the jets from mikesxs.com. Just order the "large" mikuni main jets, and the #45 pilot jets. They come in pairs, as the site is for the 650 twins, but they ARE the real mikuni jets. Start with the mixture screws out about 1 turn, and go from there.

**Ryan Stanley** · 09-29-2008, 05:26 PM

Alright. Uhhh... I'm a bit of a newbie, so how does one sync carbs?

**79XS11F** · 09-29-2008, 05:29 PM

Sync the carbs and reset the idle when the bike is HOT like that and the idle issue will likely correct it's self. Too often the carbs get synced when the engine is not up to full true operating temperature. These settings are best done when everything is fully hot and EXPANDED.
Rob

**ross** · 09-29-2008, 06:21 PM

see what you started.....

hey there Ryan Stanley.....boy, did you ever open a can of worms......please excuse me for one sec....

hey tarzan.....i've done a couple runs shifting at 6k and trust me even after 3rd gear, you are MOOOOVING.....not sure about putting my tounge in someone's cheek, but yes, i was just giving ryan some food for thought......

hey psycoreefer....i didn't know i was the kind on here to be quoted....but i was just giving ryan something to think about.....but using your example of air flow, think about the air flow he'll get in 5th gear about 7K.....something like 110 mph or so....hhmmm....

(oh sh*t!)....ryan, sorry dude, was following up on the post....so are you confused yet....i do agree with psycoreefer that you gotta trust the person working on you bike....i do most my own work, but when i last had someone else do it, i was watching them like a hawk.....as far as "sync-ing" the carbs.....(no, you can not just say "sync the carbs" and it happens....this is not a ford).....go to the search page and type in what you are looking for....you will have some reading to do....and here ya thought these bikes ran themselves.......if you aren't doing the wrenching, ya might wanna stop by your local dealership at closing time....and as each mechanic comes outta the garage, hand him a 6 pak of beer with your name on one side and a picture of your bike on the other......and a pizza.....(trust me this works.....now, they want to be your friend).......i have done mine and it really was not "impossible"....ya just gotta have some common sense and luck and beer and smokes and stippers and.....whoa, sorry, i got carried away.....the way i look at it, if ya can ride it, ya can fix it.....but thats just me.....let me know if this helps....talk 2 ya later.....ross

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