Can I fix it? [Archive] - Kiwi Biker forums

Mom

30th August 2009, 18:30

Encouraged by one of my dirty Harley riding biker mates at the Puhoi today over a burger and a beer (well he was drinking beer anyway) and with a real desire to get my blue lovley running sweeter than a sweet thing I decided to actually put my money where my mouth is and get to the bottom of her fuel starvation problems. I was out and about yesterday and while she is generally running well, there still is this annoying tendancy to bog and miss when travelling along under sustained throttle.

I have made a change from 91 to 95 fuel and this has improved her performance to quite a large degree. Whereas before the missing and loss of power (I believe it runs on three cylinders during these episodes) was an every time I asked her to run at between 5 and 7k rpm constantly, making it a very frutrating and not enjoyable thing to be doing, now it is hardly evident, but will still happen.

So, I have a reasonable grasp of how the fuel system works, I understand a little bit about fuel/air mixture and I know how a carb works. Now I dont have a huge range of tools, but enough to cover the basics. I wont pull the carbs out and start mucking around with them, as no doubt I will end up pushing her to the nearest bike shop to get the things balanced once I have put it all back together and she wont start, let alone run, though I am sorely tempted to take the tops off the carbs and check the diaphrams. Trouble is I cant get to the two inside ones without taking the lot out as a unit. Back to getting the experts to have a look.

However I am happy enough to tu-tu with the fuel supply up to the carbs which is what I did this afternoon. I gathered my must have tools together.

Pic One: Wine, the most important thing along with my trusty workshop manual
Pic Two: All my tools assembled and ready to go
Pic Three: The before shot - see why I call her my blue lovely?

Mom

30th August 2009, 18:33

So, I remove the seat and fuel tank, what a friggen mission that was. Dont think that puppy has been off since Adam was a cowboy, anyway I digress. Then the side covers and carb covers.

Radians are such special little creatures, they have all sorts of covers and tricky screws hidden all over the place.

OMG! What have I done? Hope I can put her back together again ;)

boomer

30th August 2009, 18:35

nice work.. how many bottles of wine are we on?

Mom

30th August 2009, 18:40

Now this is where I would really love some advice from the KB brains trust. This is what I have discovered today.

Pic one: The vacuum hose from the tank to the carbs is split, rock hard too I might add.

Pic two: The fuel filter looks revolting and actually has a floater or two in it.

Pic three: The actual fuel pipe between the tank and the filter was only marginally attached to the tank, it basically fell off in my hands, no clip no nothing holding it on. It actually looks like it was bitten off not neatly cut.

Pic four: One of my Plug leads is not looking anything like in one piece

kevfromcoro

30th August 2009, 18:44

Lol Mom..

Have another bottle of wine.....
and pull some more bits of the bike..
will keep you amused for a couple of weeks . figuring how to put it back to gether

Mom

30th August 2009, 18:47

So, I am out of the gargre, the friggen wine got warm while I was mucking around so, I am now enjoying a cold one. Being the girl that I am, used my own personal girly hand cleaner and came up here to share my findings.

I am suspicious of the vacuum hose, the fuel filter is an obvious has to be replaced, and what of that HT lead? I dont have a multi meter to check it.

Mom

30th August 2009, 18:48

Lol Mom..

Have another bottle of wine.....
and pull some more bits of the bike..
will keep you amused for a couple of weeks . figuring how to put it back to gether

Hate to burst your little bubble mate, I have been around the insides of bikes for donkeys years. I dont think I will have problems, but just in case I actually took things off in an order, and laid them out in the order they need to back on in. Geez that is a bit Irish that sentence :lol:

Mom

30th August 2009, 18:51

nice work.. how many bottles of wine are we on?

About to start on my second glass :shit:

boomer

30th August 2009, 18:53

something seriously wrong here.. you should be trollied by now ! and the bike in bits with people standing around discussing how the pipe got nibbled...

Mom

30th August 2009, 18:57

something seriously wrong here.. you should be trollied by now ! and the bike in bits with people standing around discussing how the pipe got nibbled...

So where the bloody hell are ya? :laugh:

Kickaha

30th August 2009, 19:11

Henk

30th August 2009, 19:35

nallac

30th August 2009, 19:35

good on ya Mom for having a go.

It will pay to strip and clean ya carbies, not that hard to do
once you've stripped the bike down as far as you have,
as you have said check the diahrams an needles.

I rejetted mine last week,tiss really a piece of piss to do.

I have a home made carb balancer you could use too,well,balance the carbs...

98tls

30th August 2009, 19:41

Dont piss about with it Mom simply consume a few bottles of good quality red then rip the injection system outta a bike within close proximity and fit.

R6_kid

30th August 2009, 19:50

Good to see Mark being a good boy and helping out with the camera!

Ixion

30th August 2009, 19:53

New vac and fuel hoses, new filter, I'd pull the tap apart, and pull it off the tank.

Replace the HT lead, multimeter is no use for HT, could be fine at a standstill missing under revs/load. I'd suspect ALL the HT leads. Also clean the coils.

Mom

30th August 2009, 19:54

The Radian motor is basically the old XJ550/600 from the early eighties so there is a lot of information here (http://xjbikes.com/Forums/viewforum/f=21.html) if you aren't already a member

Including a step by step on carb cleaning (http://xjbikes.com/Forums/viewtopic/t=1961.html) (actually more than one)

Thanks for this. As you point out my blue lovely is not a modern bike, she is 1991, not early eighties though. It is basically an XJ600 motor fed by 4 Mikuni Carbs. I am not seeking expert advice on the bike as such, just on a very basic, old fashioned fuel supply system. No fancy fuel injection for my blue lovely. I dont need a specialist forum to ask this question, I am certain that there will be someone along in a few minutes who can help me.

Like I said in my earlier posts I am not prepared to take the carbs to bits, with my limited tools and lack of equipment to balance them once I put them back, that I will leave for someone with the correct gear, though your link may well suit someone that has better physical resources than me.

Mom

30th August 2009, 20:00

Unless I missed it nobody has said much. The split vacuum line is going to be a problem. Get hat sorted and replace the HT lead and plug caps if they aren't moulded nto the coils. If they are just do that vacuum line. It will probably fix it. Oh and drink some more wine.

Drinking wine I can manage really well..LOL

Thank you for this.

I have a home made carb balancer you could use too,well,balance the carbs...

Do you know how to use it :blip: Hmmmm, decisions, decisions. You know where I live eh?

Good to see Mark being a good boy and helping out with the camera!

He also wiped my brow, provided moral support and used his brute strength to pull the friggen tank off its mounts when I could not. Would never have got as far as I did without him :sunny:

New vac and fuel hoses, new filter, I'd pull the tap apart, and pull it off the tank.

Replace the HT lead, multimeter is no use for HT, could be fine at a standstill missing under revs/load. I'd suspect ALL the HT leads. Also clean the coils.

Can you buy individual leads? Shit I am a real dummie here. My plan was to go to the shop tomorrow and buy a few bits and pieces. But seriously, will any of these things I found wrong today fix my problem?

Ixion

30th August 2009, 20:05

..

Can you buy individual leads? Shit I am a real dummie here. My plan was to go to the shop tomorrow and buy a few bits and peices. But seriously, will any of these things I found wrong today fix my problem?

Yep, Supercheap have individual leads, of varying lengths. A car sparky can also sell you just a length of HT wire and a plug cap to fit it. This is assuming thta you have sensible HT arrangements. Some manufacturers do all sorts of silliness like moulding the leads directly onto the coils and such. Inspect, and see.

Yes, any or all of the points raised could lead to misfiring, flat spots , rough running and general ain't rightednesss.

Or, the actual problem may be none of the above.

But, point is, you HAVE found things that are defective. No point in searching for more complex, unknown, issues until you've fixed what's known to be wrong.

If fixing the known defects doesn't fix it, time to peel off the next layer of the onion.

doc

30th August 2009, 20:05

Encouraged by one of my dirty Harley riding biker mates

So REALLY your trying to say you have friends with taste ? Ferk does Maha know about this ? :sick:

nallac

30th August 2009, 20:08

.

Do you know how to use it :blip: Hmmmm, decisions, decisions. You know where I live eh?

But seriously, will any of these things I found wrong today fix my problem?

ummm yeah kinda....did mine last week,really is easy to do.

Fixing the vaccum hose should make a big difference.
so should cleaning and resetting the carb's, it was sitting for a while
down south wasn't it?.

Mom

30th August 2009, 20:11

But, point is, you HAVE found things that are defective. No point in searching for more complex, unknown, issues until you've fixed what's known to be wrong.

If fixing the known defects doesn't fix it, time to peel off the next layer of the onion.

Thank you. I am suspicious of all of the things I found today. Frankly, if I looked closer I could have and even may have noticed other things that will contribute too.

OK, well the leads go to a junction box, they dont appear to have any connectors. I guess I best go and have a bit more of a read, knowing my luck they are part of a unit. Electics I will not even attempt, though apparently if you know what you are doing are amazingly easy peasy.

Mom

30th August 2009, 20:21

ummm yeah kinda....did mine last week,really is easy to do.

Fixing the vaccum hose should make a big difference.
so should cleaning and resetting the carb's, it was sitting for a while
down south wasn't it?.

Yes, it was down there for a couple of months. I left her there as she really played up on the way down, I even ended up pushing her at one point. At some points I wondered if I should find a friendly farmer to look after her till I found a trailer to pick her up. However, with a fresh tank of gas she ran fine. Then did the same trick the next day, I was not prepared to ride nearly 500 k's home on her incase I got stuck on the side of the road somewhere.

Prior to that though she has sat for a bit here, so nothing new really. She got a new set of spark plugs down there, along with a new chain and a seat recover and got up here with out breaking down. Since I have had her home I have been out several times, and each time she has just been not nice to ride.

Decided to change the fuel and it made such a big difference I just had to investigate further.

Maha

30th August 2009, 20:32

Good to see Mark being a good boy and helping out with the camera!

That was my roll Gareth, a very important roll too I might add, oh, and finding a decent station to listen to on the workshop radio...:Punk:

Kickaha

30th August 2009, 22:58

Thanks for this. As you point out my blue lovely is not a modern bike, she is 1991, not early eighties though. It is basically an XJ600 motor fed by 4 Mikuni Carbs.

I realise the bike isn't early eighties, however the engine is based on the XJ550 which which came out in 1981, this engine was revised in 83 when the XJ600 came out which was basically a bored and stroked 550 engine and still shares bits with the later Yamaha Diversion

I'm after a head with cams and carbs off a 600 if anyone has one stashed away what was your address again?:shifty:

With my 550 when I had a problem with it missing after sitting for a year or so I also dumped a bottle of wynns injector cleaner in the fuel tank within 30-40km it was running sweet again

Can you buy individual leads? Shit I am a real dummie here. My plan was to go to the shop tomorrow and buy a few bits and pieces. But seriously, will any of these things I found wrong today fix my problem?

Some of the leads can't be replaced individually as they are moulded into the coil, if the coils are the same as the earlier bikes I can send you a spare one to try

Mom

31st August 2009, 07:18

I realise the bike isn't early eighties, however the engine is based on the XJ550 which which came out in 1981, this engine was revised in 83 when the XJ600 came out which was basically a bored and stroked 550 engine and still shares bits with the later Yamaha Diversion

I'm after a head with cams and carbs off a 600 if anyone has one stashed away what was your address again?:shifty:

With my 550 when I had a problem with it missing after sitting for a year or so I also dumped a bottle of wynns injector cleaner in the fuel tank within 30-40km it was running sweet again

Some of the leads can't be replaced individually as they are moulded into the coil, if the coils are the same as the earlier bikes I can send you a spare one to try

Hmmmm, I happen to have a large swag of bits a pieces downstairs for this blue lovely, some are wrapped in newspaper and I have no idea what I have. I will investigate today and let you know if any head/carby spares are in there. And I may even have coils thinking on, I know I have cables. Thanks for this.

Pedrostt500

31st August 2009, 08:36

If you do all the bits that you have found, it will eliminate alot of variables, possibly a combination of all the above is your problem, but certainly fixing what you have found will go along way to finding the cure, if not being the cure. Good on ya Mom for having a go, though the hammer in the 3rd pic is not an advisable carb adjusting tool.

Viscount Montgomery

31st August 2009, 09:36

Don't hesitate to strip the carbs down to bare-bones, it's a very simple and basic nuts and bolts exercise. Actually well suited for females with their skills and deft touch, whereas the male of the species tends to have clumsy sausage-fingers. Remove the whole bank of carbs but DONT seperate them individually.

Tip the gas outta them and plonk em' inside on the kitchen table to casually work on them at your own pace. You're basically just checking things out in there looking for anything worn, uneven, or jets/circuits clogged with debris or gunk.

Balancing is simply the act of setting the throttle plate(butterfly) to sit exactly over the pinhole that delivers the fuel from the idle/pilot circuit. You'll see where the closed butterfly sits, and it's slightly covering that pinhole. When you open the butterfly a bit more, a couple more pinholes behind are exposed to the airflow which flow more gas. You want the butterfly to cover 2/3rds of the FRONT pinhole allowing 1/3rd of the pinhole to flow gas. Talking tiny tiny measurements but you can pre-sync the butterflys by eye easily. The human eye is an accurate enough instrument. Gauges will fine tune the end result but the eyeball method is accurate enough in the real world. ( Gauges are good though)

PS. splits in vac-hoses always cause stumbling and rough running

MSTRS

31st August 2009, 09:46

Yes, it was down there for a couple of months. I left her there as she really played up on the way down, I even ended up pushing her at one point. At some points I wondered if I should find a friendly farmer to look after her till I found a trailer to pick her up. However, with a fresh tank of gas she ran fine. Then did the same trick the next day, I was not prepared to ride nearly 500 k's home on her incase I got stuck on the side of the road somewhere.

Prior to that though she has sat for a bit here, so nothing new really. She got a new set of spark plugs down there, along with a new chain and a seat recover and got up here with out breaking down. Since I have had her home I have been out several times, and each time she has just been not nice to ride.

Decided to change the fuel and it made such a big difference I just had to investigate further.

Didn't know the Little beast was still really misbehaving. That's women for you, I guess....:innocent:
Couldn't get her to run on three or anything like that, whilst here. No missing or so on. Just an annoying, relatively minor, surge at constant throttle settings....ie, cruising at 80/90/100kph. Shift the throttle setting (close or open more) and the result was totally normal behaviour. Until the speed settled into a new constant. Then the surge returned. To me, that says the engine is starving for gas - maybe through the lowspeed jets. These are the ones that can be adjusted using the mixture control screws (which I was unable to locate without removing the carbs, and we didn't want to go there at the time). The diaphrams are fine, or it wouldn't run properly at any throttle position and most particularly at accelerating settings. None of the things you've found would be the cause of the missing etc, but they perhaps wouldn't help. I say that because, if any of them were the cause, then the problem would be worse under load. A bad HT lead, or blocked fuel filter would really shit themselves under load, but not necessarily with a lowload constant speed. If the vacuum hose was leaking, the tap diaphram would not opening enough to supply sufficient fuel, but with the throttle opened up more, the resulting vacuum increase would open the tap...BUT, the already low level of petrol in the carby bowls wouldn't be enough to provide an instant response. See where I am going with this?
I still think the problem lies inside the carbs. If I remember right, she's done some 90,000kms? Plenty enough to have considerable wear in the various jets, or for gunge to have concreted everything. I think you need to get those carbs stripped, checked, cleaned and reset.
Of course, the resulting increase in power will mean the clutch will be next for attention...:shit:

vifferman

31st August 2009, 10:26

Like I said in my earlier posts I am not prepared to take the carbs to bits, with my limited tools and lack of equipment to balance them once I put them back, that I will leave for someone with the correct gear, though your link may well suit someone that has better physical resources than me.
Once you've borrowed my vacuum gauges, you'll only need limited tools to balance the carbs. Give me a yodel when you're ready.

Mom

31st August 2009, 19:33

Well I bought some bits and bobs today. I have decided on the soft cock option for the now. The carbs stay attached to the bike undisturbed for now, I can anticipate some major hassle and some expense (replacing a few inlet manifolds for starters) if I really start getting into it. If I need to though, I will strip them. However, I have a sneaking suspicion I have sorted the majority of my issues.

The refitting of assorted hoses went without a hitch, I can even measure with my eyecrometer for length accurately :blip:

I put my blue lovely all back together tonight complete with a new fuel line and filter and a brand spanking new pretty pink vacuum hose. I had nothing left over! Wheeled her outside for the acid test, will she start? Well blow me over with a feather, fuel tap on prime, choke on, hit the starter and away she went!

Not just started I might add, she actually idled away happy as a happy thing. No need for me to nurse the throttle and keep her running. No waiting for her to warm up so she would actually keep running, she just sat there happily warming up. I can not remember the last time that happened. It is usually a bit of a process to get her started, many, many turns of the engine before starting, and then not keeping going so the process starts again. It was coming on dark when I got her running, I cant wait to go and test my theory on the road.

Suffice it to say, I managed to do all this without losing any skin in those annoying little hunks that bleed heaps and hurt like a bastard, and best of all...

All my nails are still intact :laugh:

Pic one: Got to love a bloke that sells pink hose to a girl :D

Pic two: New vacuum hose, fuel filter and hose fitted

Pic three: All hooked back up again, hope the blue lovely forgives the girly pink vacuum hose.

Pic four: All back together - and no bits left over :Punk:

XRVrider

31st August 2009, 19:59

Nice one. Bet it feels good to get her going as she should. Was just reading this thread for the first time, thinking, go for the fuel filter first and the vacuum hose etc... I've had plenty of issues through my mechanic years with fuel filters giving all sorts of funny symptoms, and fuel starvation. Maybe is wasnt that, but never hurts to start with the replaceable bits first. Hope the problem(s) doesnt rear its ugly head again and you get loads of pleasure riding from now on. Good stuff Mom :done:

Kickaha

31st August 2009, 20:07

Well blow me over with a feather, fuel tap on prime, choke on, hit the starter and away she went!

Why turn the fuel tap to prime? had you emptied the carbs?

Mom

31st August 2009, 20:51

Once you've borrowed my vacuum gauges, you'll only need limited tools to balance the carbs. Give me a yodel when you're ready.

Hmmmm, what is your phone number again? :laugh: You will keep, and thank you for the offer that I will more than likely take you up on should I need to do the deed, fingers crossed it wont come to that. My bike is a mature one, and I am not a balls to the wall rider, but I fail to see why I should accept her running like shit the way I want to ride her.

Old lovely or not, she should run well :yes: I live somewhere that involves a degree of SH1 riding. To come to the city, or better still ride right through it I have to travel many k's on the never exceed 100kph or die highway, of course I always do that :yes: I dont see why I should have to put up with doing that with my blue wheels of fun coughing and farting along the way. Old she may be, but run right she will :yes:

Nice one. Bet it feels good to get her going as she should. Was just reading this thread for the first time, thinking, go for the fuel filter first and the vacuum hose etc... I've had plenty of issues through my mechanic years with fuel filters giving all sorts of funny symptoms, and fuel starvation. Maybe is wasnt that, but never hurts to start with the replaceable bits first. Hope the problem(s) doesnt rear its ugly head again and you get loads of pleasure riding from now on. Good stuff Mom :done:

Thank you. I have to admit to feeling quite good tonight, though I wont crow too much, as pride cometh before a large fall in my experience :D I dont want or need a huge high performance result, all I want is to ride my ride and enjoy it without having to endure the frustration of having to either ride through the rough, or ride under the rough, or back off and then reagin a place where the rough kicks back in again, I just want to ride.

Why turn the fuel tap to prime? had you emptied the carbs?

Well you see, I am a girl. I did not run it out of gas, I removed the gas supply and emptied all the supply lines to the carbs. Of course the float bowls still had gas in them, I assume that is why she started in the first place? In my friggen ignorance I thought it would be a good idea to provide a totally unimpeded fuel supply to the carbs (you never know, my replacement vacuum line may have been a complete fail) to see if she would start. You know something? She did. I turned the fuel tap right back to on once she did, and I saw fuel running into the new filter. Man, I tried to do it right!

By the way, I can offer you a new foot peg assembly, some side cover replacements, a complete cush drive and assorted covers etc for a Radian. No head or carb bits to be seen.

Henk

31st August 2009, 22:33

Mom

1st September 2009, 07:00

Doh, in hindsight, if it was the vacuum line you could have just flicked the tap onto prime and gone for a test ride to see if the problem went away. At that stage you wouldn't have been starving for fuel. Not sure if the cracked line would have led to a lean condition or not as I can't recall if the line hooks up before or after the carb. After I think.

It hooks up after the carbs. I have had ocassion where I have had to ride with the tap on prime, though that was only once, and what ever caused the bike to simply die through lack of fuel cleared itself once I refilled the tank, and yes there was still fuel in it, but it would not run on reserve.

I deliberately ran her till she hit reserve last weekend to see what would happen. Sitting on 100kph she started to stave for fuel, I reached down, turned on reserve and away we went again, no problems at all. Tell you, very frustrating it has been. I need to get out for a decent ride on the weekend to see if in fact I have resolved the problem, as I can have 90kms of trouble free riding and then the problems kick in.

I will keep you posted.

MSTRS

1st September 2009, 09:48

I will keep you posted.

Yes please. Once the simple and obvious things are known to be ok, then it becomes easy to isolate where the problem really lies. If your work hasn't fixed it. (So bite me, but there's a part of me that says you haven't)

Mom

1st September 2009, 17:54

Yes please. Once the simple and obvious things are known to be ok, then it becomes easy to isolate where the problem really lies. If your work hasn't fixed it. (So bite me, but there's a part of me that says you haven't)

I wont know till I get out and give her a decent run, but what I saw yesterday gives me hope at least. Oh, and just so you know, I am taking the clutch apart next. That has always been part of my plan. The guy at the local Yamaha shop is very helpful and supportive. The blue lovely is becoming a bit of fan of his too. He thinks it is great I am doing what I am. He is full of handy tips, and fully happy to let me pick his brain.

I cant wait! Probably tackle it on the weekend so I have a bit of time, and some daylight to work in. She may be an old lady, but she is lovely. My budget does not run to paying someone to fix her, so I am going to have a crack myself. Hopefully I know enough about what not to do, so I dont totally stuff it up. It has been many years since I got my hands dirty, but the thought processes are still working and best of all I have the Radian book for dummies to use as a guide :D Best of all I gain a HUGE boost of "girls can do anything" and hopefully show my fellow biker angels they can do the same. Tis a win/win for me.

The Pastor

2nd September 2009, 08:55

Once you've borrowed my vacuum gauges, you'll only need limited tools to balance the carbs. Give me a yodel when you're ready.
Vifferman, im not having a go at you, but your gauges are shit mate. I balanced them all perfectly, they said my valves were out, I checked the valves (or at least watched george do it :P) and they were spot on. Then I got George to balance them with his yamaha gauge and they were miles out. I told George what I had done and he said those gauges are useless, he used to to have one and he threw it out because it was so bad (as opposed to selling it).

I really appreciate your kindness in leading them out, you've helped a lot of people over the years, just thought you'd be keen to know what the mechanic said.

vifferman

2nd September 2009, 09:37

Vifferman, im not having a go at you, but your gauges are shit mate. I balanced them all perfectly, they said my valves were out, I checked the valves (or at least watched george do it :P) and they were spot on.
There's your problem - you were supposed to be borrowing them to balance your carbs, not diagnose engine ailments.

Did you cross check the gauges against one another? They may be cheap and shitty, but they are consistent if double-checked.
As for the stupid little messages that say "Your valve clearances need doing", "Your head gasket is fukt", "Check your zips - your fly might be undone!" - who reads those? I thought it was implicit that they were complete and utter bollocks.

I bought them for the FahrtSturm, because the carbs needed balancing (supposedly) every six months. They were fine for that, and others who have borrowed them (MacD, SilverSuzi, for example) have got good results from them. Others - who had significant mechanical issues - had no luck, and even a set of gold-plated $250,000 gauges wouldn't have been able to balance their carbs.

I really appreciate your kindness in leading them out, you've helped a lot of people over the years, just thought you'd be keen to know what the mechanic said.
Thanks for that - it's not actually anything I didn't know. If you thought they were an accurate diagnostic tool, I could've told you they're not (and those markings may well be intended for cars, or maybe only to give the impression that they are serious mechanic's tools, LOL).

The point is, for many KBers, paying for a mechanic is a bit of a stretch, for many others, they'd like to do their own work, and balancing the carbs isn't hard if you have even a set of crappy gauges like mine, or some home-made manometers. In both cases, buying gauges is a stretch, and buying really accurate ones with high resolution is impossible. Decent ones (like what I'd need to buy to synchronise the SV's on the VFR) would cost over $1k, and I wouldn't be lending those out to all and sundry. Even $700 ones don't have the fine resolution I need.

Did you want a refund?

Mom

2nd September 2009, 09:51

maybe only to give the impression that they are serious mechanic's tools, LOL).

They sound perfect for my serious mechanical ability them :D

The Pastor

2nd September 2009, 10:52

Mate i didnt use them to diaognose the engine, i checked the engine after reading the gauges.

But first i 'balanced' them so that each cylinder had the same reading, according to your gauges.

Then I got some real gauges and they were miles out.

Edit: I borrowed them to balance the carbs, that was all I intended.

Mom

5th September 2009, 18:48

Well I have just got home from my proper test ride.

200 odd k's on the open road of exceed 100kph and dieway and I can happily report that the blue lovely runs like a dream. I experienced a slight hesitation when buttoning off a couple of times early in the ride, but apart from that she has not skipped a beat.

We did not get off to a fantastic start though to be fair, fired her up and the fuel line popped off the fuel filter and petrol was streaming out all over the show :o Seems the clip I had used was not up to the task after all. Replaced that and off we went.

So, she starts easily and runs cleanly on the choke while warming up, where as before she was a bit of a pig to get going and required a lot of throttle nursing until she was warmed up. She runs cleanly at constant throttle in the ranges of 5-7 rpm kilometre after kilometre instead of missing and chugging along and generally being very unpleasant to ride.

I am going to say I have solved 95% of my problems, the cleaning of carbs and tuning thing can come later.

I also refuelled her with 98 octance gas on the way home for a try. Only got 30 kms into the tank, but she seems to enjoy it very much :D

Tomorrow I will test that out a bit more.