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colortune... 1 or 4?

  • Thread starter Thread starter 79-GS550-L
  • Start date Start date
7

79-GS550-L

Guest
Hey everyone,

I'm seriously considering buying a colortune. carbtune.com sells them as a 1-plug kit for ~$71, or as a 4-plug kit for ~$128. Is the 4-plug kit worth it? Or will I be fine with the 1-plug kit? It comes with 4 long extension tubes/mirrors, so you can view all 4 plugs at once I guess.

Edit: Oops, turns out the 4-plug kit is ~$193. For that price I think I'll manage with 1 plug!

Unless there's anyone here in the tidewater VA area with one I could use?
 
Last edited:
The more the merrier...

The more the merrier...

...unless it costs WAY too much. :-D

Mr. 79-GS550-L,

I bought the single unit. It might be a little more convenient to do them all at once, but for that kind of money, I'll adjust them one at a time. I actually haven't had a chance to use my Colortune yet. My bike's running really good and I haven't had the time to "practice" with it anyway. Perhaps on a rainy weekend this winter.

Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff
 
When I used a Colortune, I just used it on the #4 plug to set that carb. I then set all the other carbs the same, and fine-tuned from there by ear and by gauging throttle response.

In other words, the Colortune will quickly get you in the ballpark, but you still have to fine-tune as usual. So there's little benefit to having four, at least not on an otherwise healthy engine.
 
I'm borrowing one from Renobruce and Tom. Tomorrow is the day. I plan on doing each cylinder. I'll let you know how it goes. This is the one plug version.
 
chef1366 said:
I'm borrowing one from Renobruce and Tom. Tomorrow is the day. I plan on doing each cylinder. I'll let you know how it goes. This is the one plug version.
Click to expand...

I bought one just after I bought the Morgan Carbtune. It worked well. I did find that it was vulnerable to damage when used with the tank in place. The extension needs to be used and is easily damaged when testing #2&3 plugs because of the angle and possibly the length of the HT leads.
I found that a good plug read does just as good a job. If anything, the colortune left the engine slightly on the lean side. My engine would pop on decel after setting to the colortune.
The morgan carbtune is another matter. IMO, it can't be beaten.
 
chef1366 said:
So you think I should set it on the rich end of the spectrum?
Click to expand...

Try it to the manufacturer's recommendations first. If it appears lean, set towards the yellower flame. I just reverted back to my plug chop settings.
It's a pity that it can't be used to check the other jet circuits, as a comparison.
 
I like it! As I figured they were all rich and showing yellow. I just brought the mixture screws in till I had a blue color with a slightly yellow center to take 49er suggestion to go on the rich end of blue because of my higher lift cams, pods and Kerker 4-1. I didn't go for a ride but I let it idle for awhile and the cylinders did not back up with gas and stumble with accel. I'll let you know tomorrow how it runs on the street.
 
Man sounds like ill be purchasing one of those as well. Im having the same problem it seems as Chef...backing up with gas and stumbling idle/slowspeed takeoff..
 
When I used a Colortune, I ended up tuning the idle mixture screws a tad richer than the blue flame, too. You need a bit of extra fuel around or your throttle response is cruddy -- it'll go way too lean when you whack the throttle open.

It's a very fast way to get in the ballpark, especially if you're dealing with any unknowns. But you still have to fine-tune by gauging feel, throttle response, idle quality, etc.
 
I read the colortune instructions online (killed my eyes, it was a very poor quality scanned picture) and they said that if you don't have an enrichment device for acceleration (some kind of pump to enrich the mixture when you whack the throttle) that you would probably need to set the mixture a little richer so you don't lean out during acceleration. So being on the yellower side makes sense.

As I have absolutely NO clue how to do it by ear (and gauge subtle changes in the throttle response) I think I will do it all by colortune, and see how that goes. Now I just have to try to find the cheapest one :-s
 
I bought a colortune kit (one 14mm plug, with the HT lead & viewer-scope) on e-bay for $45. Then I bought a stand-alone 12mm plug direct from Morgan for $30. So for a total of $75 I have the capability to check all my bikes.

I just re-checked my 1100G yesterday, because i kinda used it backwards the first time i tried it a couple of weeks ago. The bike is completely stock, & i set all 4 mixture screws until the yellow just went away. The bike idles well, and the throttle response seems very good - no hesitation or stumbling. I had originally done it by ear & feel, and was actually quite suprised how close i was to the settings i have now. The popping has gone away, & I think it's actually quieter now too.

I also used it on my 550L last week - made a very big difference, much more responsive & sounds "stronger" too. i had set that bike by ear also, but didn't do a very good job I guess.

I would try talking directly to Sean at Morgan in the UK. He is a very nice fellow & perhaps you can work a better deal than retail for the plug(s) you want.

http://www.ekmpowershop.com/ekmps/shops/carbtune/colortune-8-c.asp

Regards,

Mike
 
That squares it...im buying a colortune THIS WEEK. I was > < this close to sayin screw it and taking it to a shop to have them tune the damn things, but if everyone says this thing works pretty damn good then I;ll give it a shot first...
 
49er said:
I bought one just after I bought the Morgan Carbtune. It worked well. I did find that it was vulnerable to damage when used with the tank in place. The extension needs to be used and is easily damaged when testing #2&3 plugs because of the angle and possibly the length of the HT leads.
I found that a good plug read does just as good a job. If anything, the colortune left the engine slightly on the lean side. My engine would pop on decel after setting to the colortune.
The morgan carbtune is another matter. IMO, it can't be beaten.
Click to expand...

My experience is exactly the same as yours. I think the Colortune is WAY overrated and rather "gimmicky"; also, easy to damage, as you say. I also have the Carbtune tool and think it is fantastic.
 
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