[NA]motorcycles[NA]

[Bill]

By the way, the bike won't run right without the airbox. I learned this the hard way, too.

I owned an RD-350 Yammie (the mutant chainsaw) in college, a real beater bike, bought it for $150. The DPO had replaced the airbox with individual K&N's, and I learned quickly he had not re-jetted to match.

I was out riding up a long hill, 70mph or so, throttle fairly wide open. AAAAAAAAaaaaaaAAAAaaaAaaaskreeeeeeeeeeee! The engine siezed and the rear tire locked. I pulled in the clutch and drifted to the side of the road. I pulled the kick starter and gently pushed it with my hand, yep, locked up solid.

I waited a half an hour or so, and gave it a good kick...riiiiingdingdingding, riiiiingdingdingding, back from the dead. I rode her gently back to town, and scrounged up enough change to get some larger jets. Being very cash strapped, I didn't pull the heads and jugs, I just rode the sucker for another four years as a town bike. Never let me down.

After graduation, I bought myself a much better bike, and gave the RD to a fellow who needed cheap transportation and had no cash. He rode that bike around town for many many years.

 

[Lawreston]

Ah yes. They toy equation. Where X equals the total value of toys... X=Y1+Y2+Y3+Yn

Toys? No, I'm not wearing a bullet-proof vest under my jacket. A couple days after I picked up the new Harley, which had been dealer-stored since the snowy December '05 day I bought it, I visited a music center. I couldn't pass up a gorgeous LeBlanc Noblet professional clarinet. But the cased instrument wouldn't fit into the saddle bag ---------- and I had to get it home, somehow, though it was a tight fit. Speaking of tight, it's only the tight chin strap which made me look like a chipmonk. What's the old phrase? How do you get to Carnegie Hall?

HR

 

[RogerT]

A couple days after I picked up the new Harley,
HR

How do you like that Sportster, Jerry? That one in the back ground
looks like my Dyna.

RT

 

[Lawreston]

How do you like that Sportster, Jerry? That one in the back ground
looks like my Dyna.

RT

I think it'll be the ideal fit for my situation. The 883 doesn't have as much wallop as the 1000cc XLCH Sportster I had from '79 to '03. And it doesn't ride like the 1990 FLH-S HOG I sold last May. But I don't expect to be doing any long-haul trips, what with the plane sitting in the hangar, and the 883 should be fine for diddly-bopping about, back & forth to the airport, et cetera. I checked 49.746mpg upon my first examination.

The plate change ritual(photos 1 and 2) is significant. Registration #9 has been in the family since 1954 when my Dad received it. When he died in 1998 the Secretary of State allowed it to be transferred to my name and machine.

Photos 8 and 7: We are the FAA; we're here to help you.[The FSDO at PWM] There was a minor typo on my most recent 3rd Class Medical, so I rode to Portland Jetport and the FSDO made the correction.

HR

 

[Let'sgoflying!]

This saga is winding down, I am a gnat's whisker from owning the bike of my teenage dreams, a 1970 Honda CB750. Its very clean and mostly original and a great price, plus its in my part of the country so I can get my hands on it before I send cash off (ebay).
It does have a carb problem, a stuck float and maybe more to it. I can live with it, the bike is 36 years old. What I need from you mx experts is info on how to rebuild the carbs and then set up and synch them.
I suppose I can get them set up pretty close with the manual but I am reading about
a carb synching tool
color sticks to synch carbs
4 vacuum gauges to synch the carbs
an emission test to synch carbs

Anyone know the whole story on this?
Thanks

 

[Anthony]

I want a Ducati in the worst way, but I could put some really nice radios in the Tiger for what I'd pay for a new one. A friend of mine tried to get me back into riding motorcycles. Been there done that. I still miss it though.

 

[Ken Ibold]

I want a Ducati in the worst way, but I could put some really nice radios in the Tiger for what I'd pay for a new one. A friend of mine tried to get me back into riding motorcycles. Been there done that. I still miss it though.

I was stuck in traffic yesterday and my wife looked at a motorcycle next to us (Honda CBR600RR) and said out of the blue, "That's a pretty motorcycle. The kids would like it if you got one of those." To which the kids all answered in the affirmative. Gotta love that!! I haven't mentioned buying a motorcycle in months.

I wish someone made a generic, all purpose motorcycle, like the CB750s of yore. The crotch rockets and cruisers are OK, but the styling is getting a little funky for my taste. Anyone ridden the Yamaha FZ6?

 

[fgcason]

What I need from you mx experts is info on how to rebuild the carbs and then set up and synch them.
I suppose I can get them set up pretty close with the manual but I am reading about
a carb synching tool
color sticks to synch carbs
4 vacuum gauges to synch the carbs
an emission test to synch carbs

An emissions test is just a cursory rectal exam. It won't fix anything.

A shop manual is an essential motorcycle component. Get one.

Stuck float: Take the float bowl off and have a look. It could be just sludge gas goo holding it in place. Or a sunk float or debris in there.

Rebuild the carbs: Set a designated work area up then have at it. Rebuild the carburetors by the book. Take apart, clean, reassemble. Take your time aligning the throttle plates when you get it all back together. Set the pilot screws where the book says. That'll be close to where it needs to be and will start and run at that point.
Synching the carbs: Some people can do it by ear when they know their machine. You can spend the $60-100+ on a store bought synchronizer or build your own that works just as good for $10 and change from the local hardware store. (I have more details on how to build one if you're interested) All you have to do is balance two carburetors against each other then balance the others against the master carburetor that you've already adjusted.

Three things:
(1) Dedicated work space for the project. There are a lot of pieces if you really get into it.
(2) A digital camera is nice to take pictures as you go. During reassembly you will have a photo of anything that is a little odd or that you forget how it goes back together.
(3) Take your time and do it right. Slow = fast since it's done right the first time. Fast = slow because you have to do it twice.

 

[Bill]

Anyone ridden the Yamaha FZ6?

No, but I did own a Suzuki SV650 standard. Wonderful little bike, great handling, decent power, cheap to buy and keep. I sold mine and it's the only bike (out of 25 or so) that I regret selling. Luckily, they're still being made, so if I miss it too much...

 

[Let'sgoflying!]

Rebuild the carbs: Set a designated work area up then have at it.

Expect a pm on this in the next month.
Looks like you are comparing the vacuum of the two carbs against each other with ??colored water or??
Where do you connect that tubing? Is it measuring the fuel pickup or the airflow at the venturi?

 

[fgcason]

Expect a pm on this in the next month.

Anytime. Mine is a 1982 CB650 so the design is a bit different but the concepts are the same.

Looks like you are comparing the vacuum of the two carbs against each other with ??colored water or??

It's comparing the vacuum between two carbs directly against each other through a tube loop on a meter long stick. Ajust the screws until the liquid levels are the same - vacuum is then the same on both. On a 4 carb engine, just move one end of the tube to the other 2 carbs. (Ex: 1/2, 2/3, 2/4)
You can use just about any liquid you want. ATF fluid works better than colored water. There are a couple clever tricks like putting in a few inexpensive valves on the tube so you (a) don't suck all the liquid into a seriously out of balance cylinder which could be real bad and (b) can dampen down the sensitivity of lighter liquids so it's not jumping around.

IMHO, it beats the smitereens out of $100 mercury versions. No breakable plastic or exceedingly toxic stuff to worry about. Stores anywhere, completely replaceable. If it falls down and goes boom then you back over it with a car you just pick it up, refill and keep working. $5-10, maybe $15 if you get really silly.

Where do you connect that tubing? Is it measuring the fuel pickup or the airflow at the venturi?

Airflow/vacuum. There are screw in plugs downstream of the venturi's specifically for balancing purposes - very convinent.

 

[Let'sgoflying!]

What rpm do you do that at, Frank?
Does it matter if they are in balance at high rpm and not, at low rpm?
If the airflow is all that is being measured, how do you synch the amount of fuel entering? I keep reading about the 6 ways fuel is metered into these things.

 

[fgcason]

What rpm do you do that at, Frank?
Does it matter if they are in balance at high rpm and not, at low rpm?
If the airflow is all that is being measured, how do you synch the amount of fuel entering? I keep reading about the 6 ways fuel is metered into these things.

It's done at idle with the engine warm, in netural on the center stand.
All that's really happening with the vacuum gauge is setting the slow jet fuel flow rate for low idle. It has very little effect at cruise throttle settings. There's some effect on high RPM but it's fairly trivial. (See why I won't spend $60+ on one?)
High RPM synchronization is really a mechanical alignment of the throttle plates while it's on the work bench. Take your time and match all 4 the same and it's good. If you really want to, you can check it at 2500rpm with the vacuum gauge but any adjustments in that situation is way too big of a pain for way too little if any advantage.

As far as metering fuel is concerned, mine is very straightforward. Main and idle jets are removeable (for cleaning) fixed orifice openings. The vacuum pistons control the main jet needle automatically. Throttle plates, see above. Pilot screw, see above. Floats are adjusted as needed to keep the bowls at a given fuel level so it doesn't starve or flood the carburetor. There's a slow air jet also but that's a fixed orifice as well. I don't know about the older ones but there's not a lot to adjust on the carburetors I have.

 

[fgcason]

Aviation + motorcycles =

Just Hmmmmm...

 

[SCCutler]

Aviation + motorcycles =

Just Hmmmmm...

Holy CR*P!

 

[DeeG]

Aviation + motorcycles =

Just Hmmmmm...

SNORT!!! That would be a project for Tom Downey to take up, if he had an extra Fairchild engine........