Valve clearance question

[JimmyR]

I hope I picked the right section for a valve question... I'm currently tuning my new flatslide carbs on my GS1100G and even though I now have the carbs balanced, float heights correct, etc my #4 exhaust pipe header isn't going blue like the first 3 are. I would imagine that this means that cylinder #4 isn't working the same as the other three.

So today I checked the valves. I had already got a mechanic to adjust them for me but I think he didn't do such a great job. From cylinder 1 to 4 I am getting .05, .04, .05 and <.03 clearances on the intake valves, and .11, .09, .11 and .12 on the exhaust. The <.03 is because my Suzuki gauges don't go lower than .03! So that means that cylinder #4 has less than .03 on the intake but .12 on the exhaust - the largest difference of all the cylinders.

Could this explain why the #4 header seems to be running cooler than the other three? Obviously I will be fixing the valve clearances but is there something else I need to check also? The carbs are brand new and I'm still tweaking them, gradually getting fewer pops and spits but still I have some hesitation coming from the engine. It ran well enough on the stock CV carbs and airbox and I would like to get it running as well if not better with the new carbs and pods.

Thanks guys!

[tkent02]

Adjust the valves, resynch the carbs, if the pipe still doesn't get hot check the compression, that valve could be burnt from being set too tight.

Wait, is it not getting hot at all or just not turning blue?
If the other three pipes are going blue they are too hot, it is running too lean.
This will burn valves too.

[Eli69]

#4 is probably leaking a bit. .03mm is minimum spec so intake 4 probably isn't closing.

[JimmyR]

Thanks guys. I was wondering if blue headers meant running lean. They weren't blue before I synched the carbs, now they are.

FWIW I checked the plugs and they are all pretty much the same. A bit oily around the outside with a grey tang thing - sorry, not sure what you call the bit that bends over the top and sparks!

[Suzuki_Don]

Thanks guys. I was wondering if blue headers meant running lean. They weren't blue before I synched the carbs, now they are.

FWIW I checked the plugs and they are all pretty much the same. A bit oily around the outside with a grey tang thing - sorry, not sure what you call the bit that bends over the top and sparks!

Jimmy, those pipes probably turned blue because you took too long to synch the carbs and did not use a fan to keep the motor cool while you were doing it.

[JimmyR]

Yeah I had a fan going! But yeah maybe I did take too long to synch the carbs - only the second time I've ever synched carbs and the first with the extremely touchy RS36s. Took me a little while to get the hang of it, but I did switch off the engine when I needed to change stuff around.

Thanks for the help! I need all the help I can get. I'm more concerned that one pipe is different more than anything else. I can't figure out how to get the shims out without the tool yet. I'll do some more reading up on that, and hopefully in the meantime my shim tool will turn up. Once I've done something it usually sticks!