Finally Running Right!

[fasteddie313]

And I am SO excited!
I have had these carbs apart experimenting like 10 times and I have finally nailed the right combination. Moving the needles in these carbs sucks..

I got this bike and it never ran right.. It wouldn't run in the top, then the middle, then idle, etc. but now it is like perfect everywhere. It doesn't even pop on decel at all and it screams! Tried another brand new set of plugs and this time got the carbs right..

I was even just about to sell it, listed it on CL, because I was so sick of trying to get it to run, and now it is amazing, screams.

Now it only needs new airpods, forks rebuilt or swapped to upsidedowns, rear shocks rebuilt, a chain, maybe plug wires?, grips, probably a new clutch (slips on power sometimes and doesn't completely disengage enough for me to find neutral), dents to pull out of pipes, paint of some sort, maybe some other things I'm forgetting..

But now it RIPS so it's worth messing with some of that stuff..

This thing is the easiest thing around to kickstart.. 1st kick hot or cold..

 

[Rob S.]

Isn't it GREAT when it all comes together? I celebrate your success.

What are those pods, APES? And what about the exhaust?

While we're at it, what about the bike itself? '79, '80?

Don't you just love it when it starts easy, idles smooth and pulls strong all the way to redline? Makes you want to...ride!

 

[fasteddie313]

Dude, I can kick the bike 1st kick while sitting and not even crack the throttle..

The pods are probably Chinese no-name junk.
The exhaust is a rusty black 4 into 1 with a small dent in one of the headpipes I intend to fix somehow..
The bike is a 77 but has later wheels on it I think and all sorts of mismatch stuff.. I have no idea what the bars, and seat, and lights, n stuff are from.. I don't know what the swingarm is either, or the rear brake setup..

 

[Rob S.]

I'm so old I remember kick starters. Don't have any, but I remember them. Wished I had one once when battery was dead and I had to ask some stranger to help me push start the Suzi.

 

[habsdoc]

Our bikes don't like the throttle touched while trying to start because it uses an choke enrichment system for the fuel and touching the throttle will cause flooding problems.

 

[Guest]

vm's with cheapie pods, many have tried, most have failed. Congrats!

 

[dorkburger]

Congrats.
That swingarm is sweet.

 

[Wingsconsin]

Ain't it grand when you get it right ...?

Congratulations - Now ride the snot outta it !

 

[fasteddie313]

vm's with cheapie pods, many have tried, most have failed. Congrats!

Right, but I got the bike with these pods on it and no airbox to fall back on..
I want to put nice pods on it eventually now that I know the thing will run, but do you think if I put K&N pods on it from here I will have to retune it again or do you think the tune I have for these pods will work with good pods?

Anyone have any decent pods to sell for a good deal or have any suggestions of what pods to go with and where to get them?

 

[salty_monk]

You may have to tune it again. The K&N's (or the APE copies) will likely flow more air. The intake has a way bigger effect than the exhaust in my experience.

 

[fasteddie313]

It's getting better..

Today I finally pulled the cam cover and checked the valves but found I didn't have small enough gauges by time I was in there..
None of them were completely tight.. 2 I could not get a .09 gauge in (ex 2&3) but I could spin the buckets by hand. Half of the rest a .09 would fit but not a .12, and half a .12 would fit but not a .16..
So I guess my valve lash is a little on the loose side but not ridiculously loose.. Do these wear tighter or looser?
Everything looked good in there..

I also decided to check the cam timing and found that the intake cam was a tooth advanced.. Their were only 19 rollers between the arrow2 and arrow3 marks, and the exhaust cam was right, so I pulled the intake cam and moved it back so it was 20 chain rollers from the 3-2 arrow marks.. It idles better now but I haven't noticed a huge difference in performance from it.
Is that possibly a common mod to advance the intake cam a tooth?

Runs pretty good but it's still a little boggy if I crack the throttle too fast down low, and in the middle I can roll the throttle back and forth and find a sweet spot in the middle where it pulls the hardest, so I'm thinking about trying to raise my needle one notch again.

I know these oldschool carbs run better sometimes when you roll into the throttle than just crack it. What is your experience with throttle roll vs crack on these bikes?
If you say pull on 5th from 3k rpm, what do you think about feeling it pull harder at say 3/4 throttle than wide open around the middle of the RPM range?
I think this is somewhat typical of non-CV carbs no? Get a better venturi effect with more airspeed under the slide when it's not wide open theories?

Free revving in neutral it bogs a bit if I crack it too hard under about 2k RPM but over 2k it raps very well.

It bogs the most when the engine is cold. Getting it nice and warmed up almost eliminates it.
Thoughts?

It seems to run better with the baffle out of the pipe too but it's too loud..

 

[Grimly]

Got it in one. The direct-operating slide carbs respond better to rolling them open. You can roll them open as fast as they will go without stumbling and they'll be fast enough to keep you happy.