1984 Katana 7/11

[Grimly]

Iirc, my original horn mounts were made of three thinner strips of steel sandwiched. They never cracked.

[pete]

Yeah the original ones are pretty strong, this is a hand made mount for the after market (loud) horn, I just didn't make the mount strong enough which I'll sort out this time around.

The VM33's are installed again, need to find time this weekend to get the Kat warm enough to check the pilot jets and set the air screws, then get out for a test ride to check the needle and mains.

I've marked the throttle positions and had to share a photo to show just how quick an action the R1 throttle tube makes it now with the VM33's... happy with that!

Untitled by starpoint73, on Flickr

I also promised my mate I'd make a better mounting system for his AFR gauge which I've finally done now also. It's not the prettiest thing, but I bent and welded some steel to hold the panel mount gauge and utilise GoPro mounts so it's a bit more versatile.

Untitled by starpoint73, on Flickr

Next I need to sort this annoyance out...

Untitled by starpoint73, on Flickr

[Grimly]

I also promised my mate I'd make a better mounting system for his AFR gauge which I've finally done now also. It's not the prettiest thing, but I bent and welded some steel to hold the panel mount gauge and utilise GoPro mounts so it's a bit more versatile.

Untitled by starpoint73, on Flickr

Interesting.
I'm currently wiring the 14.7 gauge in a temporary bar-mounted shell.
Reading the destructions, they warn about cold-starts (condensation) chilling the ceramic of the sensor, so recommend starting the engine, then switching the sensor on, and also caution against leaving the sensor in a rich exhaust stream for too long, as it will foul up, even with the heater on.
I suppose that means that any rich conditions have to be attended to fairly quickly, to avoid damage.
Kind of makes me wonder how these sensors survive in cars full-time, but the ECU takes care of the switching and timing.
Whatever, once I set the carburettion up the sensor and gauge will be removed when I'm sure of the stability of things.
Otoh, it will be nice to fiddle with things and I'm seriously thinking of going big carb again, but this time will be armed with some proper data.

[80GS1000]

Are you using a wideband O2 sensor along with this AFR gauge?

[Grimly]

Are you using a wideband O2 sensor along with this AFR gauge?

Not sure whether you're asking Pete or me.
I'm using a Bosch LSU 4.9 w/band sensor.

[pete]

Interesting comment on the instructions there Dave... I've read similar, but it seems they're just the standard warranty/liability coverage type things which don't translate to the real world so much. You're spot on in the real world... I've never heard of any vehicle with a separate switch to turn a sensor on/off although I guess it could be controlled via the ECU or whatever. Either way for me also this is only temporary to get the fueling close, then it will go back to my mate. I've postponed getting my own as I need to get the head rebuild done sooner rather than later.

Are you using a wideband O2 sensor along with this AFR gauge?

Yeah, same as Dave the AFR gauge works with a Bosch LSU 4.9.

[steve murdoch]

Cheers mate! I still grin every time I ride it

Apparently I now have an incurable disease... I'd like to get a 750 Kat to replace the 450 as my commuter...

Let's not get greedy there, Pete. haha.

[pete]

Why not? hahahaha

'Tis nothing but a pipe dream at present, there's that annoying little thing called money getting in the way

Forgot to get a photo of the repaired and painted horn bracket but it's back on, and the VM33's are all set to go as well.

Hit the go button very briefly last night and she fired although I needed both choke and throttle to get that happening, either I haven't got the idle wound up enough or the pilots/air screws are possibly too lean. Time to get tuning...

Untitled by starpoint73, on Flickr

[80GS1000]

Why not? hahahaha

'Tis nothing but a pipe dream at present, there's that annoying little thing called money getting in the way

Quite annoying isn't it?

[pete]

Sure is! Only need two things for this stuff... time and money... for some reason they're very rarely available together

I hit the go button again yesterday and no way are those 17.5 pilots big enough, just refuses to start even on choke unless throttle is added, so I've gone up to the 22.5 pilots.

Before getting the slides modified, the 22.5's were too rich no matter what I did, and if I recall correctly the AFR was showing numbers in the 11's and 12's which is why I went back to the 17.5's, and had to have the air screws at half a turn from memory. I don't have 20 pilots at the moment.

With the air screws out another quarter turn to one turn out and the 22.5's, the AFR is now showing mid 13's. Admittedly that isn't with the motor warmed up properly yet as it was only a couple of minutes idling, but definitely a noticeable difference in behaviour with the slides modified.

Will get it out this morning and see how it really is, can't wait!

[Rob S.]

... I'd like to get a 750 Kat to replace the 450 as my commuter...

But you had a 750 Kat, didn't you? And you put an 1100 motor in it, right?
So now you want to get another 750 Kat, and what motor will you put in it? 1200 Bandit? Hayabusa?
I must sound like your wife.

[80GS1000]

Sure is! Only need two things for this stuff... time and money... for some reason they're very rarely available together

I hit the go button again yesterday and no way are those 17.5 pilots big enough, just refuses to start even on choke unless throttle is added, so I've gone up to the 22.5 pilots.

Before getting the slides modified, the 22.5's were too rich no matter what I did, and if I recall correctly the AFR was showing numbers in the 11's and 12's which is why I went back to the 17.5's, and had to have the air screws at half a turn from memory. I don't have 20 pilots at the moment.

With the air screws out another quarter turn to one turn out and the 22.5's, the AFR is now showing mid 13's. Admittedly that isn't with the motor warmed up properly yet as it was only a couple of minutes idling, but definitely a noticeable difference in behaviour with the slides modified.

Will get it out this morning and see how it really is, can't wait!

What's been your experience with using the AFR gauge to help get your carbs tuned? Has it made it easier and what AFR range does your bike like best?

Also, what circuit did you tap into to power the O2 sensor as to avoid popping fuses?

[pete]

But you had a 750 Kat, didn't you? And you put an 1100 motor in it, right?
So now you want to get another 750 Kat, and what motor will you put in it? 1200 Bandit? Hayabusa?
I must sound like your wife.

Hahahaha yes well... technically I had a 750 frame not a complete Kat

I was thinking just a 750 would be good, but, well, you just never know right?

The 1100's a bit wasted on the commute though...

What's been your experience with using the AFR gauge to help get your carbs tuned? Has it made it easier and what AFR range does your bike like best?

Also, what circuit did you tap into to power the O2 sensor as to avoid popping fuses?

I'd be lost without the use of a wideband sensor and O2 gauge! I discovered with the 450 that I haven't a clue about diagnosing symptoms by feel/sound, and I'm useless when it comes to accurately reading spark plugs while doing plug chops. Having a number on a gauge in front of my eyes takes all the guesswork away, and it makes it a world easier.

The "idea" for gasoline engines is 14.7:1 AFR, but in real world (street) riding and with the compromises that carbs give, as long as I'm somewhere between mid 12's and mid 13's I'm happy. Running leaner means hotter, and where I live it gets a bit warm and the last thing I want is to be running a bit lean, get stuck in traffic, and start having cooling issues!

As for the circuit, my harness is completely hand built from scratch, and I added a 5 amp accessory circuit which is what I'm using to run the sensor and gauge.



As for the test riding yesterday... Wow I've missed those carbs, I feel like I've unleashed the beast now!

I ended up doing about 170kms of test riding yesterday after remembering how much fun it is to open the throttle with the VM33's... I really like that arm stretching feeling!

Generally they seem to be set reasonably ok, idle is mid 13's, 1/8 throttle or thereabouts at cruising speed is between mid 12's to low 13's depending on the RPM's, and 1/4 to 1/2 throttle is in the low to mid 13's, so I'm pretty happy with that.

Once the throttle gets towards 3/4 and beyond though they're still way too rich, quickly getting to 11's then 10's, so I need smaller mains yet. The big question is how much smaller? I'm going to need to buy them so anyone got tips on a way to guestimate how far down to go?

As for the lag that was there, well that was bad initially until I realised I hadn't adjusted the throttle cable properly (fixed), but there is still a little there, but only when the RPM's are up a bit, and given the few curvy bits I tried I don't think it will be confidence killing any more. I did bump the idle up a bit as well which has helped again.

Current setup now:

Pilots - 22.5
Air screw - 1 turn out
Needle - 3 (middle notch)
Mains - 115

[80GS1000]

Generally they seem to be set reasonably ok, idle is mid 13's, 1/8 throttle or thereabouts at cruising speed is between mid 12's to low 13's depending on the RPM's, and 1/4 to 1/2 throttle is in the low to mid 13's, so I'm pretty happy with that.

Current setup now:

Pilots - 22.5
Air screw - 1 turn out
Needle - 3 (middle notch)
Mains - 115

Good information for sure, thanks for sharing! I recently purchased an AEM wideband sensor/gauge (might be the same kit as yours?) and am excited to try it out. Having a wideband on my GSXR made tuning so much easier - that bike is smoothest and makes the most power in the 13.0-13.1 range. Curious to see if that AFR holds true on the GS as well...

[pete]

Could be, this one's an AEM also (it's my mates, I have yet to procure my own). It's a panel mount gauge which is why I had to make the enclosure for it.

13.0 - 13.1 is awesome, would love to get the VM33's like that across the board, will require a bit more time yet to get closer to that. While I'm no expert on this, my understanding is you should find that pretty much regardless of the bike for real world riding. If you're looking for pure economy, up towards 14 will be better, all out power I believe something like mid 12's is better? My preference is always to err on the rich side and run the motor a bit cooler.