Took her for the first ride today....

[Giggity]

Last week I wired up the fuse block and put on the carbs which the PO said he rebuilt. I did the wire tie sync and got all the hoses and lines hooked up correctly.

She starts immediately but after riding around the neighborhood for 10 min or so I get white smoke out of the left pipe.

Also a few drops oil where the 1&2 headers
connect at the clamp. Sounds like a carb is "coughing" once in a while.

Plugs 1 and 2 have some carbon on them. 3 and 4 look fine. All were clean before I started her.

The shifting was perfect, which was a relief.

Acceleration in first and second gear was nothing to write home about but third took off like a raped ape.

I have yet to do a compression test. Where should I go from here?

Thanks

[dbeardslee]

I would do a proper synch first off. The bread ties are supposed to get you close, but you really need the guages to do it right. I'm also a big advocate of colortuning carbs. The way I do it is to connect the synch guage and adjust all 4. Then I colortune one cylinder and resynch, adjust another and resynch, and keep going until they are all done. Some adjust their carbs with an auxiliary tach, but I've never been able to get good results with that method. Doesn't mean it doesn't work, just means I can't do it .

[wingnut]

I agree with the vacuum sync. Also did you do a bench check on the float levels? Do the carb slides drop like a rock with the hats off? No binding ect. I don't have much faith in PO's carb rebuilds so I would want to verify everything. The smoke issue could clear its self up as the rings re-seat. The drops are from the valve cover gasket most likely. Get the carbs right and run it awhile. Also check the pickup coil wires and make sure your plug wires & caps are in good shape. You will know that they are right as the acceleration in first and second will pull your arms out of their sockets

[Giggity]

I'd like to sync the carbs and colortune them but do not have the funds to buy the tools at this time. I did not check the float level. Seems pretty easy though.

Do the carb slides drop like a rock with the hats off?

What does this mean. I looked at the diagram of carb parts and saw neither slides nor hats listed as a part name.
Do you mean diaphragm assembly and diaphragm cover?

Thanks for the help!

[bikerphil]

I think he means the piston lookin' thingies with the needle on them (slides). The hats would be the covers on top of the diaphram.

[dbeardslee]

Giggity - If you do some searching on the site, there have been a number of members who have built their own synch gauges pretty cheap. You can also accomplish a synch with a single gauge - it just takes longer. Harbor Freight sells a combination gauge that will work - http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=93547. You also need something to damp the hose so the needle doesn't bounce. A $0.79 cable tie works well (looks like a little tiny muffler clamp). If they aren't properly synched you can wind up with all kinds of wierd symptoms.

[Crazcnuk]

He is just asking if you checked the slide/vacuum diaphragm operation.

I've never checked them with the carb covers off, but if you look on the back of the carbs, where they go into the intake manifolds, you will see a half moon (sort of) hole at the top. If you reach in the front of the carb and gently lift the slides to the top, then cover that hole with your thumb, the slides should stay up, or come down very slowly, until you move your thumb, at which time they will drop 'like a rock'.

is the 'cough' you are getting at idle, or while the bike is under throttle?

If it is at idle, then I would adjust the idle screws for the two cylinders that are black, sounds like they are idling rich. Try turning those two in a bit.

[Montreux_Blue]

This is the carb slide.

You can see part of them in the carbs here.

[dbeardslee]

TC posted a cool video on Youtube that shows the slides working under load.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tR63vrfhwr8

[Giggity]

I hear the cough at idle and under throttle.

[Crazcnuk]

The cough at idle is probably idle screw adjustment, but the under throttle one is it a 'pop' 'hesitation' or maybe a backfire?

Each indicates a different problem. Too lean can cause a pop, especially when shifting gears when you let the throttle of for a second.

Hesitation can be too rich, so the bike hesitates a bit before it takes off, often has a sputter or pop when you apply the throttle

Backfire can be too rich or too lean or even an ignition problem.

there are others here more knowledgeable than me on the road tuning part, maybe they will pipe in here.