Need help tuning the xs11

[flyingdakota]

Ah the pods!

Ok! Yes the 'PODS' do have ridges on them! That never occurred to me....I will fix that for sure! As for cleaning the carbs....yes I took them COMPLETELY apart soaked them and each peice...inspected all the diaphragms and did each one seperately and used compressed air and can cleaner to thoroughly clean them. I agree about cleaning them again the same way. Thank you! So' I pulled the plugs and they are all white...I'll try to attach pics. Jets in carb were already installed when I bought the bike but that doesnt make them the correct ones. As for genuine stock I will have to verify since I left them at my shop. But I don't recall any markings besides the numbers.
Cheers!
Tim
Ps...how do you post pics anyway? Lol

[flyingdakota]

So what about the fuel nowadays?

So what about the ethanol based fuels nowadays? Could this contribute to this issue? Back in 2000 when I did all this work ethanol wasn't used year round. Just a thought.
Cheers!
Tim

[Bonz]

Good job on the proper carb cleaning method!

There are small ridges on the inside of the rubber to help provide grip when you clamp them on to the carburetor. Those are not a problem. There is a larger lip at the back of the rubber where it enters into the main pod body that is what we are talking about as the air flow disruptor.

With the plugs being white, my thought is you are not dealing with a rich condition now that you have checked those. Clean the carbs and really concentrate on the pilot jets and the small holes in those, should help take care of hard starting.

Question: I gather it is hard starting even with the enrichener lever engaged?

Before you take the carburetors off, get the bike warmed up and on the open road and pull the enrichener lever out to the half position and see if the 4K to 6K RPM issue gets better or worse.

As for your stumble when opening the throttle at a 4K-6K RPM as you described, with pod filters (they supply lots of air) you may need to put a shim under the needle clip (that raises the needle a half clip position richer) or move the clip down a full position. With white plug color, that's a sign it is lean and not rich enough.

Taking your carburetors on and off with pod filters on them instead of in airbox, is fairly simple so you should be able to take them on and off to try different changes without a lot of hassle.

[flyingdakota]

Thanks Howard!
Yeah I really like how easy this bike is to work on compared to the Magna....Ugh the v-45 carbs are BURIED!
Cheers!
Tim

[flyingdakota]

pictures of spark plugs and jets

Ok, not the best but here are some photos of the spark plugs, jets and one of the rubber sleeves on the carb....It really does block the bell inlets! I would have never thought to look for that! Thanks for this! I will do a setup like was posted to try and clean up the airflow.

http://s1359.photobucket.com/user/fl...S1100%20Photos

[flyingdakota]

pilot screw HELP!

So in taking these carbs apart I have found one of the pilot screws (the tip..pointy part) has broken off inside the seat! It probably happened last night when I screwed it in to check how far out it was....I also noticed a "ridge" on all the others. I am not finding anywhere for replacements....anyone know where to get these?
Thanks!
Tim

[donebysunday]

So in taking these carbs apart I have found one of the pilot screws (the tip..pointy part) has broken off inside the seat! It probably happened last night when I screwed it in to check how far out it was....I also noticed a "ridge" on all the others. I am not finding anywhere for replacements....anyone know where to get these?
Thanks!
Tim

I was trying to help someone with the pilot needles, where did he go ? I think he bought new somewhere, Mikes XS maybe ?
Take a pic of the pilot needle that is not broken so I can see, I may have one/some used ?

Oh and can you see that little square in a square on the side of the pilot jets like you have on the main jets ? That means it's the real thing MIKUNI !

Get some fresh plugs in your bike, should be $10-12 and well worth it compared to what you have there !
Might even be part of your issues ?

http://i1359.photobucket.com/albums/...mipnzg.jpg?818

[flyingdakota]

I got the pointy end out....that was close! I put the pilot needle pics in the photobucket file...I saw on Ebay a carb rebuild kit looked like it had them in it...If this is so I will need the gaskets and stuff too anyway, so I will probably just do that.
Cheers!
Tim

[Bonz]

The plugs are definitely white and there are white deposits on them too. That says real lean to me.

What clip position is each needle set at? You could have the proper size mains, but if your needle is set on one of the top clip positions that would make it lean in the mid range and fall flat on its face when you go WFO, but will ease through that range with lighter throttle.

Are the pod filters K&N brand? Or K&N "style" Emgo or other brand? I think despite them possibly being a K&N knock off brand, the filters are flowing a lot more air than the bike is being fed fuel in the proper ratio. Maybe because of the needle clip position as described above.

I have been there and done that with my ZRX 1200 carbs when I adapted 40mm CV carbs onto the bike in place of the stock 36mm CV's. Everything you are describing is something that when starting with a clean carbs, it's just a matter of the proper adjustments and you should be flying down the road!

Definitely get some more pilot screws. Bummer on breaking the tip. See this thread, Sebastian_99 did the same thing. Post #35 says he got them from Partzilla.com. http://www.xs11.com/forum/showthread.php?t=46615&page=3

What does the collective think about those plug pictures?

[motoman]

One collective says WAY to lean on the plug color.

[TopCatGr58]

Okay, jet sizes should be too rich but plugs say too lean!

Tim, your previous post caught my attention, you said you soaked the carb bodies! If you soaked them in carb cleaner dip stuff, then you have probably damaged the butterfly shaft seals....they are rubber and get eaten with caustic cleaner, and will then leak and cause a lean condition, and going to larger jets trying to fix it is possibly why they are so large!?

You can get replacement seals from MikesXS.

T.C.

[flyingdakota]

Hey T.C.
Oh ok.....I will check them out carefully! Thank you for pointing that out! I wouldn't be surprised then if that could be a contributor to the problem too....Is there a OEM parts book on the carb or a parts page someone could point out to me? I am used to airplanes where there are specific number to all the parts for an assy. I have Marvel Schebler carb books with a exploded view with each part number....do them make such a thing for these carbs?
Cheers!
Tim

[Bonz]

From your reply to TC, I gather you soaked the individual carb bodies in carb dip?

TC, if the butterfly shaft seals were damaged from whatever they were soaked in, would that create a lot of slop/play in them?

I soak carb bodies in Pine-Sol (50-50 with water). I made a homemade "sonic cleaner" by using a vibratory case cleaner from my reloading equipment with a Tupperware container attached to it to hold the carb bodies. Really gets them clean and Pine-Sol won't harm the shaft seals.

[flyingdakota]

Howard,
I actually am racking my brain if I did or not....it was 17 years ago! I want to say I did but at the time I was working in my dads garage after he died and I was staying with mom to help her out and was in a greiving state-o-mind too. I thought of the slop in the shaft too and checked it after I read his post and there doesnt seem to be any slop as you would think with seals being damaged so I may have only used can cleaner....I guess that will remain a mystery :-P
So, I need to order the carb kits and I have some larger pilot jets and mains coming. For now I'm going to clean, gap and test the plugs and check the valve clearances, so when I get carbs back together I can get her started....I will check c clip location tomorrow and post the findings on that too.
Thanks again for everyones input! Very very valued and greatful!
Cheers!
Tim

[flyingdakota]

But just to be clear though...I know I did clean them very thoroughly ...that I do remember.