New Owner of a 81, 450L

[Trax]

Ok so this is my First bike, ever...

I picked it up for $600. The odometer reads 27K and judging by general condition of the bike i want to say its rolled over.
it doesn't smoke at all, and while i think i am having some carb issue's judging by the hesitation in the power band.
I am also hearing a tapping coming from what i think is lifter noise.

i am having a bit of troubling finding an Air filter, as well as the bike lost its side panels and i would like to tidy things up. so i was thinking of going with pods and tucking things away some. but I am starting to read up on it some, and am thinking that it could be quite the ordeal.

I look forward to getting to know you guys, and am excited to turn this old, beat up bike into something nice.

[earlfor]

Forget the pods. For a 5% increase in hp, you'll get a 40% decrease in gas mileage and a 100% increase in frustration trying to get it tuned properly.

[Guest]

Welcome Trax, always good to see another twin owner popping up.

Worst case with the air filter is to get some suitable foam and cut one to size. As long as you have the plastic cages in there to hold it in place you should be good to go.

I've gone the pod path on my 450 and yes there is a reasonable amount of work to do to get it running right after the change, so being your first bike I'd probably concentrate on getting it running with the stock airbox first.

[Trax]

Thanks for the heads up I'll stick to the stock airbox for now then. Do they seriously decrease fuel economy that badly? i figure its a bit of an exaggeration.

I really don't care about increasing the power of this bike, it has plenty for me to learn on. it was mostly a issue of (I thought until i RTFM'd a bit) simplifying the bike both mechanically and aesthetically.

really I'm not so much worried about the carbs and how well its running more about the tapping i'm hearing. (The air/fuel can easily be taken care of in respect to having to tear down the whole engine and rebuild. or just having major engine problems.)

I'm really hoping that the powerplant / drivetrain still has lots of life left in it. as long as it does i can justify things like repainting, change's in body work, and general restore/modding.

anyway on to looking up what i need to buy and where.

Have a good one.

[barnbiketom]

450 great bike but read my signature haha

[Guest]

Truth be told I've noticed bugger all difference in economy on my 450 with pods as opposed to when it was stock, but I'm not easy on the right wrist either and economy is not what I look for... when hitting the twisties I try to keep rev's up in the 6 - 9K RPM range where the power is and I still don't find it sucks too much juice.

Having said that, in your situation I'd definitely stick with stock for the moment if you can mainly just to make sure it's all good and to learn riding on.

As for the tapping, most likely you'll find it's valve clearances not set correctly, so get them sorted and you'll more than likely find that settles down.

Make sure it's got some nice fresh oil in there too!

These motors can get a bit of camshaft "walk" too... generally only at idle though... they can move slightly left/right. Mine doesn't have it thankfully but I've heard one that does and it's not that bad.

On the one I heard, I noticed it's cyclical... it will come and go regular with the RPM's at idle, but rev and it goes away.

Definitely sort those valve clearances first though!

[Trax]

God it's hard to want to keep the stock air box when I have these kind of issues....

Ok the issue I speak of is the air box seals. One seems to have fallen inside the sealed air box and I can't seen to get it around the carb as it mushrooms inside the box.

Any tips for getting it back onto the carb where it belongs?

I just keep remembering that removing it is more trouble then it's worth right now.

[tkent02]

Thanks for the heads up I'll stick to the stock airbox for now then. Do they seriously decrease fuel economy that badly? i figure its a bit of an exaggeration.

That depends entirely on your tuning abilities and how much effort you put into it. Most bikes with pods never get close, as most owners couldn't care less. They get them so they will wind out without missing too much and idle OK and call it good...

[Guest]

Can't help you on that one mate, never put my airbox back on...

[gspower]

I agree - keep the airbox on. It's hit or miss with the jetting if you remove it and a huge PITA. When you remove the carbs it is an easy job, even with the airbox, if you are careful. I removed, cleaned, and reinstalled mine in under 3 hours yesterday. Remove the battery housing, remove the electronics under the left side panel (just a few screws), and lift the airbox housing out. Carbs should slide right out. The pilot jets are especially troublesome on these models and foul up a bit. Get used to accessing your carbs. Replace the cylinder side gaskets when you do this to ward off any potential vacuum leaks. You will be thankful you did. Seal the airbox up too.. a small air leak will really mess you up in diagnosing your issues. I wouldn't worry about the engine noise just yet until you get everything else working right. I had some weird knocking in my top end that was sorted out after I cleaned my carbs and fixed some electrical problems. Turns out it was only running on one cylinder and this was causing the noise. It went away immediately.

I used UNI 5'8" foam for my air cleaner and cut it to size. I have a ton left over for the future and it was only $17 shipped. Something like this will work: http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com...lk-filter-foam Just make sure you oil it up good before installation.

If you have any questions send me a PM. I own a 425E and the bikes are virtually the same though there is not a ton of information on the forums for these particular models.

Welcome to the forums.

Cheers,
GSP

[Trax]

Thanks for the Input GSP i really have to say i like how friendly it seems the members are here.

I hate to say it but i think i'm going to go ahead and jump into pods at some point in the nearish future (not yet still getting it running good stock).

one of the reasons for it is in my eyes this bike is what i'm learning on i look at it more like a text book so that when I move up i have a good solid foundation on a simpler bike.

I already got the O-Ring kit and am currently rebuilding the carbs, while i'm at it i pulled the Valve cover off and checked the shim clearances and am going to be placing an order soon once i figure out what jets i should get.

(115's in there now, moved the bike from 400' elevation to 2300' elevation, so i am figuring that i'm just going to start at 117.5 and buy main jets to probably 125 maybe 130)


I'll make a new post on all of this Thanks for the advice.