Mileage, distance per tank, etc

[strom]

A friend had a FJ1200. In stock condition it gobbeled up bout 8l/100km. Fitted with K&Ns and a dynojet stage 1 kit, it did bout 5l/100km. Go convert in mpg, it's too late and I'm too tired to do it now.
Does anybody know if there's a dynojet kit avaliable for the XS?

LP

[Bill__Woods]

Hey xs'ers
what is this about pipes turning gold if everything is good. i have never heard this before. can someone fill me in on the "pipes turning gold thing?"
thanks

[Robert Haller]

dynojet kit, pipe color

There is a dynojet kit for XS1100s.

Aftermarket headers will often change color. Blueish if the fuel mixture is lean and goldish if the mixture is rich. Lean mixtures tend to run hotter than rich mixtures, and hotter is usually not a good thing.

[Mike Hart]

dyno-junk kits

IMNSHO, dynojet kits are a PITA. It's a "show me" thing - every bike I've ever seen with one didn't run right/better than stock. Not a scientific sample, but still. Maybe it was just the installer? hmmm... nah.

My NSHO will not change til I see before/after dyno printouts that prove me wrong. LP, got dyno sheets on that FJ1200?

Bandit, VMax I know for sure are almost impossible to get to run well with dj kit. Factory Pro - don't know if they make a kit, I do know they make some good parts for Bandit (needles).

If you are at altitude or have changed your airflow signficantly,
better to go with this tried-and-true jetting guide proven to get an XS where it needs to be.

[strom]

Mike, I had the printouts somewhere... I'll try to find them. Just remind me.
I'm not interested in a power increase, just a better milage per tank without a significant power loss.
It's good to see another oppinion, tho...

LP

[Don Hughes]

Gas milage

Ken,
Interested in your milage. Last weekend Herb Johnson and I rode just over a 1000 km.
I got 52 mpg in Imperial gallons. Could not believe that was right but that is what it worked out to at the end of the day. 45.? in US gallons.
I have a 78 E. Do your 81's have a biggar tank. Mine is supposed to be 20 litres?
Don

[Ken Talbot]

Don, your 52mpg (imperial) is pretty close to what SWMBO has been getting with her 'H also, it's not very common but it can be done. The tank on both of our 'H ('81 standards) are 24 litre according to the supplement in Clymer's.

[Don Hughes]

Milage

Ken,
Interesting. Did not know later models of the standard had bigger tank.
Herb set my carbs to much leaner and installed the Harley muffler repair last fall and the two have really improved milage.
Will be nice to meet you on the 30 th.
Don

[Robert Haller]

Re: dyno-junk kits

Originally posted by Mike Hart
[
Bandit, VMax I know for sure are almost impossible to get to run well with dj kit. Factory Pro - don't know if they make a kit, I do know they make some good parts for Bandit (needles).

If you are at altitude or have changed your airflow signficantly,
better to go with this tried-and-true jetting guide proven to get an XS where it needs to be. [/B]

How does a dynojet kit differ from changing out specific jets as mentioned in the guide? As I've mentioned before, I want to optimally tune my bike but not change anything I don't have to.

[Mike Hart]

Re: Re: dyno-junk kits

Originally posted by Robert Haller
How does a dynojet kit differ from changing out specific jets as mentioned in the guide? As I've mentioned before, I want to optimally tune my bike but not change anything I don't have to.

Smart. DJ has a complicated offering of Stages, and maybe if you choose the right kit, things will work. But I've seen dj kits that have needles, springs, and other things that get you into a big can of worms fast. When it comes to carbs, changing just one thing at a time saves you time in the end. Maybe two, like main and pilot, but if you guess wrong on one of them, you don't know which it is, or even if it's both

Do the mains first, get it right at WOT in the power band. Then if it's soggy down low or doesn't idle well, the pilot, then the fuel screws. That usually does it.

If your carbs are clean, well adjusted (float height, butterfly/synch) and don't have any bad parts in them, following the Jetting Recommendations tip should get you where you want to be more simply and less expensively. Maybe even in one try!

With the K&N filter and 4-into-1, you're likely a bit lean at top end, not a good thing. But with the mileage you're getting, you're certainly not far off. IMO, dj kit would be overkill.

[Mike Hart]

Mikuni jets vs Dyno Jet jets

Forgot to mention this earlier - Mikuni and DJ jets do
not compare directly. On a VMax website (I forget which)
there was a chart of various jets, and some interesting info:

Mikuni jets (and most other OEM jets) are chamfered
on the inside opening at the threaded end while Dynojets
have a machined flat surface.

Also, a Mikuni 150 means it has a flow rate of 150cc/minute,
while a DJ 150 is the size of the opening, 1.50mm.

The size numbers wind up being close, but could be
confusing. The physical differences will never allow an
exact comparison, as the flow characteristics are different.

YMMV

[kenkrieger]

Mileage

Much like the first post here I too have just now gotten a good idea of my 81 Specials fuel performance. Mostly due to the first post. I posted earlier here that the best I could do was 30 mpg. Alot of highway driving at what I thought were moderate speeds.

I recently took along ride through the Virginia countryside,,all on back roads. Out to the Blue Ridge mountains and back. I ran the first leg in the 45-60 mph range, with no stops till fueling. I was very surprised to have gone 110 miles and still had not seen my red light. I got around 37.5 mpg on that tank, the next tank was much the same,same speeds,,,same result. On my last tank back I was able to get up over 65 a few times and mabe hit 70 once on some whooop de do's but stayed in the 60 area,alot of twisty roads out there. The results were around 36 mpg. My next tank running to work and back run at speeds between 60 -80 yeilded my regular 30 mpg. So it seems the only work I had to do was get off the gas. This machine gets thirsty with those throats open aye. But its so good to hear it roar. YMMV

[strom]

My 78 has a 24 liter gas tank....

LP

[Dennyz]

[Bill Wrote:

QUOTE]Great stuff, for sure! I saved it and started working it into a tech tip. JP thought maybe it needed some pix or review from the original author. However, last I contacted DZ he didn't seem interested in getting involved with the group. Who knows, maybe the forum would be more to his liking?[/QUOTE]

Bill,

I am here and really like the new forum. I am no longer doing the 8-5 and don't spend as much time in front of a computer. I find myself buzier than ever, but always willing to contribute to the XS/XJ mission.

Mike wrote:

Bill, IMO, adjusting floats is a tweak, and the last thing you do.

Got to disagree with you on this one, Mike. While I agree that float levels can be used to fine tune each carb, The floats are the reference point for all carb adjustments. Each time the floats are changed, the whole adjustment cycle starts over.

[Mike Hart]

You're right of course, Denny. I was thinking in terms of starting with floats that are initially good, which in that case was not a known thing.

Speaking of which, on the 81 and 82, the manual does not give a float measurement!!! They use the 'fuel level' method. Indy Rick & Ken Talbot's tip shows this, and points out that even on 78-80 carbs, adjusting the tangs for correct float height does not guarantee correct fuel level.