Bunch of questions while I have the bike apart.

[groundshock]

Have a few questions on some things while I have the bike apart here. Bike info in sig.

1. Current rear tire is a 130. Is it safe (or smart) to run a touch wider, like a 140, or should I just leave it alone and get new stock sizes? Only reason I ask is because The way it sits now, it's got a Metzeler Perfect 130 on the back and it looks terribly thin. Whats odd is that my old man's 650L has the same size tire on it and it looks MUCH wider than mine. Baffles the crap out of me.

2. I've got some OMNI single-stage black paint left over from a previous project that I plan on using for the frame repaint. Would this also be an acceptable paint solution for doing the engine, or would the engine temps be sufficient enough to ruin it once it got hot? It's not any type of high-heat stuff as far as I know, and if there's any doubt I'd probably just got get some hardnose POR15 and do it that way.

3. I have the carb rack out of the bike, and after seeing the insides of the float bowls I've decided to take on cleaning them. My question here is that I've got a MAC 4-1 on this thing, but currently running (and will continue to run) the stock airbox. The pipe shows bluing on the header pipes and it runs a bit hot IMO. Would now be a good time to make a jet change, and if so, would the Dynojet Stage 3 kit be a solid choice? I know nothign about carbs so any help here would be great.

Any other tips anyone could give me of things to do while the bike is completely torn down would be great. I start paint next week and hopefully will have the bike done and on the road by May 1.

Thanks gents.

[TheCafeKid]

My feelings on the given questions, opinions may differ:

You MAY get away with a 140, but you may also incounter some pinching. I wouldnt advise it.

Second, on the paint. Engine temp will FOR SURE ruin anything not rated 500* or higher. I would suggest PJ1, or that POR-15 for sure. Both will likely need a couple of cycles of normal operating temp to fully cure (unless you plan on baking it in the wife's over..mwahaha) and from what im told, its pretty stinky untill it fully cures. Both of these products will also likely be better than any Ceramic base high temp rattle bomb stuff you get elsewhere. Its been my experience that, while the ceramic stuff deals with the temp well, it becomes extremely brittle and prone to chipping easily.

Lastly, on the carbs. Not a master, but i know my way round em a bit. From my understanding, MOST aftermarket manufacturers suggest that re-jetting is not always necessary, as they generally tune the exhaust for whatever bike(s) the exhaust is meant for. Some may indeed require an up to 2 size step up, but i would advise attempting to adjust your mix screw BEFORE you go about rejetting to see if you can get results that way. Also, as most of those aftermarket pipes are generally a single wall design, vs the stock pipes double wall design, they're more likely to blue even at correct set up. If they are blueing SEVERELY, as in most of the header, then you are likely pretty lean (these bikes come set up lean from the factory, so are likely to lean out even more with any swap in pipe or filter) and should perhaps back off your air screw a scoach. If that doesnt help, its possible that you may need to mess around with the jet setup, but i suggest giving this a try first. If they are JUST blue, right around the head ports, i HONESTLY wouldnt mess with it too much. Like i said, they are just prone to bluing a bit easier than stock pipes...

[Big T]

The 130 tire is probably too big also. Check your rim size and use that as a guide as to how large a tire to put on your bike. Yes, you can put a wider tire on, but it gets distorted and handling will suffer.

The 650 will handle better with a smaller tire also.

These are skinny tire bikes. You'll have to increase the rim size, which is probably not possible

Paint - the paint should be heat rated to use on the motor

Try tweaking the carbs a bit as noted above. If you can lay your hands on a Colortune, that tool will get you dialed in. You don't need a Dynojet kit, maybe just some bigger jets

[Steve]

You don't need a Dynojet kit, maybe just some bigger jets

True, you probably don't need the Dynojet kit, but it might make it easier if you don't know whether your jets are stock or not. And, you shouldn't need a Stage 3 if you are keeping your stock airbox, a Stage 1 would do the job.

.

[chef1366]

Agreed. Stage one.
I ran with a 4-1 for awhile with five steps up on the main and shimmed the needle by matching the spacing of the plastic spacer over the e-clip with washers from Radio Shack and removing three of them. This is like raising the needle 1.5 notches.

[groundshock]

Agreed. Stage one.
I ran with a 4-1 for awhile with five steps up on the main and shimmed the needle by matching the spacing of the plastic spacer over the e-clip with washers from Radio Shack and removing three of them. This is like raising the needle 1.5 notches.

To demonstrate my absolute ignorance on this subject, I will say this:

I have no idea what you just said.

[chef1366]

I said I didn't need the stage 3 kit with the stock air box. I went from a stock 107.5 main to a 117.5 and raised the needle 1.5 notches. If you remove the needles you will understand the part about the washers.

Sorry, I've been around these carbs for awhile.

[gazingwa]

Personally I say stick with stock tires, they were put on that rim/bike combination for a reason. changing the size is usually only good for looks and will adversly affect handling.