Okay, long story short..... 82 GS1100E old yosh 4-1
Using the Carb Jetting Method as scene on the site I've been working from top circuit to bottom
Main was too rich so I went from a 122.5 to a 117 - Bike NOW pulls nice from 7-9K
Dynajet needle - Needle was set in the middle (third from bottom) notch but still seemed a tad bit sluggish from 5-7k. **NOTE: I had Duaneage ride the bike in front of me, and (ONLY ONCE) I noted when he flogged it in probably 3rd gear a puff of black smoke from the exhaust. He seemed to think it was a tad to rich in the needle. ** ANOTHER NOTE: with these setting, everything in the pilot circuit felt smooth and plugs looked ok.
So... I raised the needle clip to the the forth notch from the bottom, thus leaning out the needle. Bike pulls nice and hard in the mid range now... obviously.
However, I am now getting what seems to be a flat spot ( not surging though) from 2-3.5k on 1/8 throttle (full throttle pulls right through).. and popping. I initally had my screws at 2.5 out when feeling this. My crappy logic told me that since I leaned everything out on the higher cicruits, that I should probably richen the mixture... so I went to 4 turns out. Doesn't to have seemed to help. So now I am thinking maybe I should be leaning it out from 2.5 turns, since the flat spot really feels like it's rich symptom. FYI my pilot jet is 45 which is stock. ... I'm really hoping to sort this out with the mixture screws. Am I way off here? Could the popping and flat spot be a smyptom of richness?
I will post this disclaimer right off the bat lest anyone choose to berate me for my offering of "bad information"
I AM NOT A CARB GURU
With that out of the way, I am going to tell you what SEEMS to have worked on MY BIKE. And, ind doing so I will tell you how I tried to analyze MY symptoms...My bike is not perfect, but I think its as close as I can get without paying for time on a Dyno, or breaking out a exhaust gas analyzer or any of that crap. Seat of the pants feel, plug reads and basic driveability are what I used to assess if what I had was where i needed to be.
I assume that youre running pod filters? or no? If you're running the STOCK airbox, you basicly need what Dynojet refers to as the Stage1-2 kit. I am not possitive but I think they suggest using the DJ114 main with the use of a high flow aftermarket pipe. Dunno what that translates to in Mikuni measurements, but I am thinking that your prolly still a hair rich on the main. Dunno for sure...AT ANY RATE, heres my set up:
With the 83 1100E/ES
KN Pods
SuperTrapp header/can combo 7 discs installed
Dynojet Stage 3
138 main
needle in the 4th clip from bottom
stock 45 pilot, screws 3.5 turns out (this may still be a hair rich, but it got rid of the popping, so im sticking with it for now)
180 air correction jet ( I did not install the DJ air correction, and this may help my popping and allow me to back off the adjustment screw some, but it will wait till i return from my trip)
Let me ask:
Your "flat spot" : Worse or better or same when the bike warms up? This little test alone is what basicly "shown me the ligghhht" on diagnosing my problems, and then chosing my course of action. If the problem is WORSE when the bike warms, its too rich. If it gets better as the bike warms up, its too lean. If it stays the same, you have a problem somewhere other than the pilot circuit IMO.
Having said that, there is a definite trade off when running the pods and pipe combo. Some "flat spots" are simply just hard to tune out of the bike, and you may find it easier to live with it than drive yourself nuts trying to tune it out. One thing *I* might suggest is that if you find the pilots having no effect on your current problem, stepping back DOWN on the needle to the 3 from bottom clip, adding the "dynojet spacer washer" and then perhaps even ANOTHER washer. 4 may be too lean, 3 and a single spacer to rich still. Perhaps another spacer will smooth it out more.
I am currently having an inner struggle with myself on clip possition setting. RIGHT NOW i have it at 3 plus spacer from bottom. Plugs are a *little* dark. Pretty close to the rich side of good, but still in the "dont F with it, its running nicely" stage. Since the bike is a daily rider, I prefer to keep IT happy, at the expense of a little bit of "holy crap that was fun" when cranking the throttle. 4th clip might actually be a tad lean, but lean is mean as they say, and that "Holy Crap" factor will be there. However, I am leaving for W Va on Friday morn. 4k feet higher in elevation than i am now. If im just a hair rich now, it could be sloggingly rich when i get there. So im gonna move em.
On the "popping cause your too rich" question:
Everything Ive EVER EVER been taught is that popping on decel is a LEAN condition. However, there are those that i know who have VERY VERY nice running bikes (not GSs, but its kissing cousin, the KZ) that do not pop who say that you actually can get popping thru the pipe, more of a single "pop..........Pop.....gurggle gurggle" if the pilot setting is TOO RICH. Their theory, and i suppose its plausible, is that with the pilot being so rich, unburnt gas is expelled into the header, where it can collect a bit. The temps at the head are pretty hot. Perhaps hot enough to combust gas vapor as the next stroke puts out some super heated air...I dunno.. Again, before I am harrassed, I am not an expert on the subject, but it DOES sound plausible. I guess the next question is: do you backfire thru the carbs at all? I have this problem currently. I have a short, single pop now and then thru the pipe..following by gurgling as the RPMS get low, and then every now and then a pop thru the carb, which is a sure sign of being too rich on the pilot. SOOOOooo Ima dial them back a half turn and see what happens. Honestly, the bike runs GREAT otherwise. Smooth at all RPMs, except down low, where it gets a little wet and rythmic, a sure sign of richness. But I tried the screws at 3 with the needles NOT at 3, and i got popping like a SOB on decel. However, I will see what happens now that ive richened the needle a bit...Its just annoying little " i dont like the way that sounds" tuning now, but the bike will straight go better than it ever has....