Man, why didn't I do this months ago!!

[Detman101]

Wow, I've got a new bike...
Or at least thats how it feels!

The whole time I've been riding my bike it has been loud, lumpy in the low end throttle positions and skippy on the mid-range. WOT was always just fine.

I got the gumption to check my carbs again yesterday afternoon. So I took them off, cleaned the rust dust out of them and raised my needles one notch. The needles are now in the highest setting that they can be in and the mains are 115 Mikuni mains.

The bike is so smooth and quiet now it's like someone elses bike!
I guess the MAC exhaust was so loud because it was running lean all the time and causing that popping along with the regular exhaust note.
Now the bike runs much quieter and has a smooth transition when moving through the throttle ranges. There is only a slight hesitation right off of idle but that is because I have the #1 cylinder still running a little rich. that will be corrected at lunch today.

Looks like I'll be keeping my MAC exhaust after all.




EDIT: Oh yeah, no more fumey exhaust at the stoplights now!!!
That got cured up as well!!

[cloudbreakmd]

I still intend on making "Ratbike" a prettier bike
But congrats, and now you can help me with my carbs

[Detman101]

You know it!

[bwringer]

Good to see a success story here as a break from the constant, endless tales of pain, woe, and suffering!

[Anonymous]

The popping on deceleration may be the screws. If I run 3.5 turns out I get explosions and really black plugs but if I run 2 turns out I get a popping sound and lean plugs. It's fun to pull up behind a car and hit the kill switch when the engine is really rich like that. :twisted:

Cheers, Steve

[Detman101]

Sounds like 3 turns out is the answer for ya.

I don't have any popping on deceleration.

[snowbeard]

SWEET!!! good to hear, buddy!!

[Detman101]

Well, solving one mystery unearthed another. Now that the exhaust is quieter I kept hearing a ticking sound.

At first I thought it was the death-rattle of the cams/valves but upon closer inspection I saw that two of my sparkplugs were arcing!

Time to replace those crappy wires and boots...
At least that's an easy fix with my wonderfully splendid DYNA coils hehehe.

[Anonymous]

Good to hear Detman, gotta love those easy fixes.

On the note of tinkering with carbs. I bought a set of mercury sticks last year, but do you think I ever hooked them up to my bike?? No!! I was helping a buddy play with his old Yammy, and since mine was running ok, I just never got around to it. Sometimes its hard to mess with something if the bike is running well, but sometimes its even harder not to mess with something to see if she will run even better. Pleased with those Dynas, huh? It's "on the list" for me, as well as a lot of other goodies. I will be saving a small fortune now that my youngest is out of daycare. Time to spoil my baby a bit.

[Detman101]

Heh, I wish I had the free cash for a set of carb-sticks.
Just keeping up the needed maintenance on this bike is putting me in a bad spot with the wife.
The only saving grace is that my car is too crappy to chance driving the 40 miles to work and 40 miles back home.

So the bike is the cheaper of teh two to fix hehe. YAY!
Our first kid hasn't even gotten here yet. I'm prolly gonna have to start up another business in order to afford the things I need after that.

[Anonymous]

80 mile round trip??? WOW!

Don't get me started about crappy vehicles, I have 2 of them! My Bronco is my baby. My 4 color (rust is a color, right?), lifted, 35" tired, custom 200 pound front tube bumpered, 6 piece right side manifolded baby. Sadly, she may be going soon to make way for a new truck.

Kids are expensive, but just think of all of the neat ties you will get for Father's Day.

[Detman101]

Hahahah...I could use more ties.

Yeah, That sounds like it's been around the block a few times. If I saw that roll up behind me I know I'd gun the throttle hehehehehee...
:P

I've got a Pontiac sunbird 1994 that is on it's last legs.
Either the alternator, Coil, Fuel pump or injectors are going out on it and causing it to stumble at idle like it wants to die.

Either way, I'm not paying to find out. I'll just ride the bike till fall.
Then I'll worry bout the car. Prayerfully, by then I will be in a better car.

[Anonymous]

Could be your idle air control valve. That is a common thing on Fords, not sure about the GM stuff.

This still classifies as techinical, right?? Just not GS technical.

LOL

[cloudbreakmd]

Detman,
Thanks for helping me go through the carbs today. Now as soon as I get my starter I will hopefully have a running bike. Oh and yeah it's probably the idle air as stated above on your car. You should have mentioned that today when you were at my house dummy
I will show you how to service it.
Thanks again bud.

[cloudbreakmd]

By the way, i have carb sticks... Ask me about them later.