Tank Dipping Minneapolis

[CatatonicBug]

The point is you don't need the colortune to set the idle.

True, but only if you have a calibrated ear and know what you're listening for. Personally, I don't trust my own ear enough to know the difference between 2.5 turns out and 2.75 turns out, and how it affects the tuning. I also don't have the patience to keep checking the color of the plugs and adjusting the mixture screws to compensate. By the time I got it tuned, it would be time to take the carbs off to clean them again anyway, and I'd have to start all over again.

For my situation, I prefer a definitive measurement that I can see and verify, and complete the process in just a few minutes. That's just me though.

[DAVINCI]

True, but only if you have a calibrated ear and know what you're listening for. Personally, I don't trust my own ear enough to know the difference between 2.5 turns out and 2.75 turns out, and how it affects the tuning. I also don't have the patience to keep checking the color of the plugs and adjusting the mixture screws to compensate. By the time I got it tuned, it would be time to take the carbs off to clean them again anyway, and I'd have to start all over again.

If you had read what I wrote, the ear has nothing to do with it.


For my situation, I prefer a definitive measurement that I can see and verify, and complete the process in just a few minutes. That's just me though.

Gee, why didn't i think of that? Like use a tach and a synch gauge, now that would be something!

[CatatonicBug]

Gee, why didn't i think of that? Like use a tach and a synch gauge, now that would be something!

There are 3 ways to set the Idle screws (AKA Fuel/Air mixture screws).
1. Colortune
2. By ear, listening for changes as you turn the screw (the tach is nowhere near accurate enough to use as a tuning gauge)
3. Over time, checking the plug color, adjusting as needed until you get a nice tan color on all of them.

The sync tool is a completely separate measurement, and has nothing to do with the screws. Yes, you need to sync before AND after adjusting the screws, but they are two separate adjustments. You CANNOT use just a sync tool and the tach and get any kind of accurate setting on the mixture screws. Just not possible.

[DAVINCI]

you cannot use just a sync tool and the tach and get any kind of accurate setting on the mixture screws. Just not possible.

wrong, grasshopper.

[CatatonicBug]

wrong, grasshopper.

By all means - please elaborate.

[DAVINCI]

There's no way I can teach you in ten minutes what I've learned in 40 years of carb tuning. You do it your way, I'll do it mine.

[Lbrown311]

Why is there an adjustable idle mixture screw if you don't need to adjust it? Running rich or lean can be a preference, but there NEEDS to be some form of calibrating it to the correct setting. Weather you do it by ear, tuner, or plugs. You are calibrating it one way or another. I don't believe, just setting them at 1 1/4 - 2 (or whatever you use) turns out and running it is the correct measure of doing it. That's my opinion. I will use the ColorTune. You don't "have" to use anything on "your" bike, but thank you for your input. There was a purpose for me asking about it tho

[cywelchjr]

By all means - please elaborate.

You're right that the stock tach is not accurate enough to adjust the idle mixture with, but with any one of a number of tach's made for tuning they ARE accurate enough to do the job. As as for the sync gauges, you tune for the highest vacuum reading, this is a simplification, but the basic essence of the matter. You can also do it by ear, having worked for several years as a piano tuner, I can hear the change in RPM's better in many cases than a tach can show it. I personally use a combo of by ear and sync gauges, since I don't have the good tach to use for that purpose yet.

[blkryno]

Hey lbrown311 I had my tank boiled out at a radiator shop it worked great. The guy charged me $100.00 to completely clean out the tank and re-coat the inside, might have been a double coat, anyway that was 5 years ago next month and there's not a thing wrong with it yet. You do have to repaint it though. Here I found my receipt it was 101.30 with tax. As far as I'm concerned this is the way to go.

Rogers Radiator Repair.
11100 County Road 37
Albertville, Mn. 55301
763-497-5203

He's near the Albertville Mall. You can drop your tank off and take the significant other to the mall to spend another hundred to be fair.

blkryno

81 11 SH (83 Venture cct, Tkat fork brace on order )
79 11 SF (83 Venture cct on the shelf for it.)

Semper Fi

[blkryno]

I was just reading the rest of the posts on this page. The symptoms your having sound just like the problem I was having up to week ago. I used the color tune and a set of carb sync gauges. The bike runs and sounds like it did in 1981 . The directions in the color tune say to look for a Bunsen blue color for proper fuel burn. I agree that the color tune isn't needed to set the idle. It is useful to set the air/fuel mixture correctly in each cylinder. Once that is done then you can sync the carbs. After that or maybe during the process you can turn the idle screw up or down as necessary. I'm thinking probably down. The idle adjustment screw is different from the fuel mixture screws. If your tach is good on the bike you can use that to get the idle pretty close. I got mine to within 25 to 50 rpm's of a good idle. Before I checked it with a separate tach. If it doesn't idle properly it's not going to run properly. I accept that there are guys out there that can do this stuff by ear and experience, my previous father-in-law could do that with the big American cars caddy's and Lincoln's. It's just that I don't have another 40 years to learn that so I use the tools that are available.

[oldyam80sg]

Back in the late 80's i used Kreem or Creem-what ever it is called, to coat the tank.I know that it is still available, but for some reason people don't like it.I have never had an issue with it and the coating still is good as i had my Pingel petcocks rebuilt a year ago and looked in the tank.Way lot cheaper than to take it someplace.If you go that route-follow the instructions and you will like the results.Just don't get the prep stuff on paint or breathe it in.

[natemoen]

the reason people don't like tank liners is because they don't prepare their tank properly before they put it in and then tank liner fails and cause other problems.

[oldyam80sg]

Yes but it is all about following directions-The kit comes with MEK to etch the metal in the tank-wicked stuff but very helpful in the process.Pouring the Kreem in the tank is the simple part.I know a shop that uses it to do motorcycle tanks.It does work though.

[natemoen]

Absolutely it works. I have used several different brand liners over the years and never had a problem with any is them. Redcoat and Kream are my two fav brands, I have a redcoat liner in my XS tank now.

[xs11lover]

Ole can fix up your tank for you, He can set your carbs too,...rebuild the bike if you want. He's not too far away. I wish he was so close to me, I'd be over there all the time. He's done more 11 specials than I've ever looked at.
http://www.olesclassicmotorcycles.com/