surging at 60 mph

[HAWK44]

I recently changed to pods and a stage 3 dynojet kit. Started up and runs great, darker tan plugs, no smoke out the exhaust and idles fine. However, when running the bike hard it has hesitation when hitting 6,000 and kinda stumbles past there. Also, when cruising at 60 the bike has begun to surge a little bit. Letting off the throttle and back on seems to reset it. What do I need to tune? (first time tuner just so yall know)

 

[cdnoel]

Try choping off the ignition.

Try choping off the ignition.

I'd try balancing the carbs first then check the plugs after runing at 6000 RPM's for a min or so. if you take a plug wrench along you can do so on the road by hitting the kill switch an puling over. Not sure but I think you can do the same thing by throtling the bike up to 6000 in neutral as well. Heck you can even do a regulator/rectifier check at the same time so you don't have to **** off the neighbors twice. Anyhow, depending on what you find, you may have to adjust the main jets and or the needles. Sounds like your pilots and air screws are spot on but that may change if you fiddle with the main and needles.

 

[HAWK44]

Is there a "bench way" I can sync the carbs or do I need the mercury sync? Right now the plugs are nice and tan after my 20 mile trip. Should I shim the needle up or down?

 

[Guest]

Surging is a lean sign. Before riding it again lower the clip on the needle at least two notches.
If you don't you may melt a piston.

 

[HAWK44]

should I leave all the stock spacers on it? Just lower the e-clip 2 notches?

 

[Steve]

Is there a "bench way" I can sync the carbs or do I need the mercury sync? Right now the plugs are nice and tan after my 20 mile trip. Should I shim the needle up or down?

Yes, there is a "bench way", but the procedure is different, depending on what bike you have. Since you have not shared that with us yet, I can't tell you how to do it.

Which way to shim the needles? What throttle position did you hold for the entire 20 miles? Since you most likely used many different throttle settings, your plug readings are useless. To do a proper "plug chop", you need to hold a particular throttle setting to ensure that you are using just one circuit in the carb, then read the plugs to see how that circuit is doing. You will have to repeat this for each circuit in the carbs.

.

 

[Guest]

Leave the spacer on

 

[HAWK44]

Ill try lowering 2 notches with the all the spacers still on. Then Ill do a proper plug chop at 4,000 and see if its lean. It just snowed last night so a test drive will be a few days off yet... By the way, I was running 4,000 rpm when the surging started, and the bike is an '82 1100L.

 

[don_gibb6512]

Ditto on the carb sync. That's a must. Ever check the intake manifolds and O-rings on those? If not, you should just assume that at the very least, the O-rings need changed. Big culprit behind lean conditions there.

Good luck.