Too Fast Too Long???

[00.]

Ok; this might be a stupid question but here I go; for some reason the other day I had a brain-fart and decided to go full throttle for about 30sec-1min On my 83 katana, but as I had the throttle wide open all this time, sudenly the bike lost all power, I thought the bike was dead, all copression gone, pistons with holes, or what ever bad stuff could happen doing this kind of stupid but fun stuff;; but for some reason the bike suddenly got all of its power back and rides just as good as usual. My question is did I run out of fuel in the carburetor float bowls because I had the throttle open so long?? And if so would a better petcock and a bigger hose solve that problem??? I can't enlarge the carb holes to get more fuel, how do the saltlake flats people go so fast for so long?? Let me know..

 

[tkent02]

They fix whatever's wrong with their bikes. Everybody goes full throttle. You don't need special petcocks or hoses.

 

[sparki]

if it's a stock bore / carbs etc then the std tap will flow more than enough..... if you have a big bore with maybe 38's on it with some hotter cams then a higher flowing tap, like a pingel, would be advisable

 

[ryonker]

Ok; this might be a stupid question but here I go; for some reason the other day I had a brain-fart and decided to go full throttle for about 30sec-1min On my 83 katana, but as I had the throttle wide open all this time, sudenly the bike lost all power, I thought the bike was dead, all copression gone, pistons with holes, or what ever bad stuff could happen doing this kind of stupid but fun stuff;; but for some reason the bike suddenly got all of its power back and rides just as good as usual. My question is did I run out of fuel in the carburetor float bowls because I had the throttle open so long?? And if so would a better petcock and a bigger hose solve that problem??? I can't enlarge the carb holes to get more fuel, how do the saltlake flats people go so fast for so long?? Let me know..

It's the higher oxygen levels that emit off the salt oxide which is actually just the right amount of feet below sea level.
Means longer and more fuller bursts of combustion in the chambers.

 

[Nessism]

A few things to check: make sure petcock is flowing properly, tank vent is working well, NO fuel filter, and the fuel line is short and flows downhill to the carbs. Good luck and please be careful with those banzi runs.

 

[Steve]

My guess is that maybe you didn't have enough vacuum to keep the petcock open, so yes, you did drain the carbs, but not because you were using gas too fast.

If there is some compelling reason to try that again, move the petcock to PRI first to see if it happens again.

Note that, as a group, we can not condone such operation on public roads, but we can't condemn them, either.
Afraid to admit it, but there are other such reports of high-speed operation if you do a search.
Fortunately, none of them is mine.

.

 

[duaneage]

The petcock vacuum hose might be loose and your losing vacuum. Even at wide open throttle there is enough restriction on the carb side to generate sufficient vacuum to keep the petcock open. The petcock may be a little sticky or sluggish, try cleaning it out in the back chamber.

I've had my 650 wide open for several miles already and had no problems.

 

[argonsagas]

As noted, you should be able to run WOT at any time on a stock bike, so you can check for fuel flow problems by first looking at the fuel line.

First, use an empty can and look for free flow directly out of the petcock.

If this is poor you must remove the tank and flush it. Removing and cleaning the petcock may be enough, but if it is clogged you probably need a tank flush..



The line must not have any clog and it must be firm, with no sag on the outside OR the inside. This is a very cheap repair, as new line will not cost more than $5, and even that would be unusually high.


I disagree with not having a filter as you should have one on there all the time. If you do have a filter remove the hoses front and back and check at the inlet/outlet sizes as they may be too small and that may be your problem right there. Replace the filter anyway, just to be sure there are no internal clogs that hamper flow.


Moving the lever to the PRI position will allow you to bypass the carb vacuum and allow the fuel to flow unimpeded, and thus determine if carb vacuum is insufficient.

If that still does not do it, check the float heights in your carbs.

 

[67fire]

Steve is correct! I have had to use the PRI setting on occasion.
With this statement: "full throttle for about 30sec-1min" ,
Just how big is the engine, how fast were you going and why?
If that bike is a 1000 or larger, holy sh*t!

Eric

 

[duaneage]

You may not plan to go full throttle for long but this indicates the engine could suffer a lean out and that would be bad for pistons and valves.

 

[00.]

It is a 1000cc katana. I have no idea how fast I was going because the 82 katana has the stupid speedpod that only goes up to 80mph. So the needle topped at 80mph right at the beggining and stood there for a loooong time. I would imagine I was going around 135-150mph but not sure exactly how fast. It was a ton of fun; I'm usualy a normal person but sometimes I need to feel alive; but I think I'm good for a long time again, my adrenaline is back to normal levels again. Should be good for a year or longer since I'm getting older my adrenaline level stayes good for a bit longer each aditional year.

 

[argonsagas]

It is a 1000cc katana. I have no idea how fast I was going because the 82 katana has the stupid speedpod that only goes up to 80mph. So the needle topped at 80mph right at the beggining and stood there for a loooong time. I would imagine I was going around 135-150mph but not sure exactly how fast. It was a ton of fun; I'm usualy a normal person but sometimes I need to feel alive; but I think I'm good for a long time again, my adrenaline is back to normal levels again. Should be good for a year or longer since I'm getting older my adrenaline level stayes good for a bit longer each aditional year.

Just so you can look at its capabilities when new:

http://www.suzukicycles.org/GS-series/GS1000SV_Katana.shtml

 

[robertbarr]

Note that, as a group, we can not condone such operation on public roads, but we can't condemn them, either.

Yes, it's crucial to obey all posted speed limits. I always do. I've heard these 1200 Bandits are capable of speeds in excess of 65 m.p.h. I'll have to take their word for it.

To get around that 85 m.p.h. speedo problem, as well as the need to pay any attention to it, just mount a GPS. Most of them have a tripmeter that records the highest-ever speed. You can fart around with it when you've returned to sane velocities.

Not that anyone here would consider such an ill-advised and irresponsible act.

 

[67fire]

I have absolutely NO idea what you guys are talking about.
My 140 speedo, just stops at 65.
After all, how could my 1085cc, 10.45:1, .394/.394 camed scooter...
Possibly go any faster than 65???

Eric

 

[Steve]

IAfter all, how could my ... scooter...
Possibly go any faster than 65???

Easy. Take it to a state with a 70 mph limit.

Or take it to Oklahoma, where the limit is 75 on the turnpike.

.

 

[00.]

Next time I will just go to germany with the pet-cock on prime.

 

[rapidray]

Make sure the fuel line is not bent in anyway that restricts the hose even a little. Also, make sure the gas cap vents correctly as this will cause what you described if the cap doesn't vent the way it should. Ray.

 

[bwringer]

This is pretty common when there's a filter in the fuel line restricting flow.

The petcock already contains a very good filter. If there's crud getting through that then you need to fix the problem -- clean your tank or replace your petcock.

There are filters that don't restrict flow, but they're much more course than filter that's on the petcock already. Therefore, they're pointless and add more potential leak points.

 

[Redman]

It is a 1000cc katana. I have no idea how fast I was going because the 82 katana has the stupid speedpod that only goes up to 80mph. ....................
...................................
Should be good for a year or longer since I'm getting older my adrenaline level stayes good for a bit longer each aditional year.

Well, next year, if you do this again, think of this; At your max speed: take a look at your tach (a quick look), remember that rpms, then when you are slowing down, leave in top gear, wait till tach is at half of what it was and then look at speedo. Double that speed will be the speed you were at.
Well, some folks may say your speed may have been a little less than that if figure that clutch was slipping a little bit at the full speed.

.

 

[00.]

Thanks for all the info on this, I do have a second fuel filter that was put on by the previous owner. Also Ray how do I check if the gas cap is venting properly???