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Make your own 'colortune' plug...

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    #1

    Make your own 'colortune' plug...

    G'day all,

    The 'Gunson Colortune' plug is an amazingly effective and easy bit of kit to use, for tuning the idle (pilot) mixture on your VM carburettors.

    Here's how I made my own 'colortune' plug -- and if you're feeling up the task, you can make your own too:

    http://www.theflyingbanana.com/tfbtechtips.htm

    Cheers,
    Mike.
    Tags: None
    #2
    subscribed. Thanks. I really like my colourtune but it's all made of plastic, it's only downside.
    Rob
    1983 1100ES, 98' ST1100, 02' DR-Z400E and a few other 'bits and pieces'
    Are you on the GSR Google Earth Map yet? http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum...d.php?t=170533

    Comment

      #3
      I will make one and see how it is. I have always thought that having 4 installed would be much easier than doing one cylinder, removing the colortune and going thru all that process 4 times on a hot engine.

      I love mine but the 4 installed theory seems much more attractive and less time consuming at that.
      MY BIKES..1977 GS 750 B, 1978 GS 1000 C (X2)
      1978 GS 1000 E, 1979 GS 1000 S, 1973 Yamaha TX 750, 1977 Kawasaki KZ 650B1, 1975 Honda GL1000 Goldwing, 1983 CB 650SC Nighthawk, 1972 Honda CB 350K4, 74 Honda CB550

      NEVER SNEAK UP ON A SLEEPING DOG..NOT EVEN YOUR OWN.


      I would rather trust my bike to a "QUACK" that KNOWS how to fix it rather than a book worm that THINKS HE KNOWS how to fix it.

      Comment

        #4
        I'm enjoying your GS1000SN build.

        Comment

          #5
          Got the porcelan out. Think I am gonna go with a stainless steel center electrode and just rebend the outer one over like it was before. Need to get some clear epoxy and then assemble one.
          MY BIKES..1977 GS 750 B, 1978 GS 1000 C (X2)
          1978 GS 1000 E, 1979 GS 1000 S, 1973 Yamaha TX 750, 1977 Kawasaki KZ 650B1, 1975 Honda GL1000 Goldwing, 1983 CB 650SC Nighthawk, 1972 Honda CB 350K4, 74 Honda CB550

          NEVER SNEAK UP ON A SLEEPING DOG..NOT EVEN YOUR OWN.


          I would rather trust my bike to a "QUACK" that KNOWS how to fix it rather than a book worm that THINKS HE KNOWS how to fix it.

          Comment

            #6
            Well got one made. Setting all night to be sure epoxy is real hard. Seems the epoxy is extremely thick as compared to the real colortunes area. Guess I will see soon enough of its clear enough to actually be of use.
            MY BIKES..1977 GS 750 B, 1978 GS 1000 C (X2)
            1978 GS 1000 E, 1979 GS 1000 S, 1973 Yamaha TX 750, 1977 Kawasaki KZ 650B1, 1975 Honda GL1000 Goldwing, 1983 CB 650SC Nighthawk, 1972 Honda CB 350K4, 74 Honda CB550

            NEVER SNEAK UP ON A SLEEPING DOG..NOT EVEN YOUR OWN.


            I would rather trust my bike to a "QUACK" that KNOWS how to fix it rather than a book worm that THINKS HE KNOWS how to fix it.

            Comment

              #7
              Guess I will see soon enough of its clear enough to actually be of use.
              The epoxy I used is somewhat opaque, but when I'm using the plug it's easily clear enough to see the combustion flame colour.

              Comment

                #8
                I used clear epoxy. The overall thickness is what my concern not the clarity of the media.
                MY BIKES..1977 GS 750 B, 1978 GS 1000 C (X2)
                1978 GS 1000 E, 1979 GS 1000 S, 1973 Yamaha TX 750, 1977 Kawasaki KZ 650B1, 1975 Honda GL1000 Goldwing, 1983 CB 650SC Nighthawk, 1972 Honda CB 350K4, 74 Honda CB550

                NEVER SNEAK UP ON A SLEEPING DOG..NOT EVEN YOUR OWN.


                I would rather trust my bike to a "QUACK" that KNOWS how to fix it rather than a book worm that THINKS HE KNOWS how to fix it.

                Comment

                  #9
                  Its better to only use 2 colortunes at a time as they get hot and I have had 3 leads melt off the threaded end. had to weld them back together to get around that. its like they are pressed or the heat shrink on the lead is all that holds the lead to the threaded end that threads to the top of the colortune.

                  Comment

                    #10
                    Well it works as advertised. I am gonna redo it though and see if I can get then epoxy a tad bit clearer. I think I got something in it when I poured it down the plug by not having the inner plug surfaces perfectly clean. Will report back after number 2 has sat all night to fully cure the epoxy.
                    MY BIKES..1977 GS 750 B, 1978 GS 1000 C (X2)
                    1978 GS 1000 E, 1979 GS 1000 S, 1973 Yamaha TX 750, 1977 Kawasaki KZ 650B1, 1975 Honda GL1000 Goldwing, 1983 CB 650SC Nighthawk, 1972 Honda CB 350K4, 74 Honda CB550

                    NEVER SNEAK UP ON A SLEEPING DOG..NOT EVEN YOUR OWN.


                    I would rather trust my bike to a "QUACK" that KNOWS how to fix it rather than a book worm that THINKS HE KNOWS how to fix it.

                    Comment

                      #11
                      All in all its a working plug but I think Colortune has the absolute edge as far as clarity and seeing the color nice..was a cool little thing to do though. I will just rebuy another colortune should this one go bad.
                      MY BIKES..1977 GS 750 B, 1978 GS 1000 C (X2)
                      1978 GS 1000 E, 1979 GS 1000 S, 1973 Yamaha TX 750, 1977 Kawasaki KZ 650B1, 1975 Honda GL1000 Goldwing, 1983 CB 650SC Nighthawk, 1972 Honda CB 350K4, 74 Honda CB550

                      NEVER SNEAK UP ON A SLEEPING DOG..NOT EVEN YOUR OWN.


                      I would rather trust my bike to a "QUACK" that KNOWS how to fix it rather than a book worm that THINKS HE KNOWS how to fix it.

                      Comment

                        #12
                        Originally posted by azr View Post
                        subscribed. Thanks. I really like my colourtune but it's all made of plastic, it's only downside.
                        any idea what kind of plastic they use in the middle? or could be used?
                        I work in a plastic factory.....
                        we have some teflon that melts at 625 F, but I wouldn't want to be involved if it melts inside a motor.

                        and why is the center electrode recessed? did I miss something? I would have made it flush with the end of the plug.
                        Last edited by exdirtbiker; 09-05-2013, 07:48 PM.
                        1980 GS1000G - The Beast - GOING... GOING... yup, it's gone. I'm bikeless !!! GAaaahh !!!
                        1978 KZ1000C1 Police - GONE !
                        1983 GPZ750, aka ZX750A1 - restored, fresh paint... Gave it back, it was a loaner !!!
                        Check My Albums for some of the 30+ headaches I've dealt with

                        I know -JUST- enough to make me REALLY dangerous !


                        Comment

                          #13
                          All in all its a working plug but I think Colortune has the absolute edge as far as clarity and seeing the color nice
                          Yes, they've got a nice product, that's for sure. But after a bit of fiddling with depth of the electrode within the plug, I got a very clear combustion flame colour visible through the epoxy. Which brings me to exdirtbiker's question...

                          and why is the center electrode recessed? did I miss something? I would have made it flush with the end of the plug.
                          The centre electrode in the original Gunson 'Colortune' is very recessed... and at first I thought I would make my tuning plug with a 'normal' electrode flush with the end of the plug, as you suggest.

                          BUT the thing was that while the cylinder was firing along nicely, there was hardly any combustion flame colour visible.

                          So I recessed the electrode to be more like the Gunson item, and suddenly I got a much more visible combustion flame.

                          So I think having the electrode sufficiently recessed makes a BIG difference as to how visible the combustion flame is.
                          Last edited by Guest; 09-06-2013, 06:32 AM.

                          Comment

                            #14
                            AHHH!! What I did was make the electrode go all the way down like the regular spark plug and rebent the outer one over and set the gap. Maybe I will rebend the center one and give it another go.
                            MY BIKES..1977 GS 750 B, 1978 GS 1000 C (X2)
                            1978 GS 1000 E, 1979 GS 1000 S, 1973 Yamaha TX 750, 1977 Kawasaki KZ 650B1, 1975 Honda GL1000 Goldwing, 1983 CB 650SC Nighthawk, 1972 Honda CB 350K4, 74 Honda CB550

                            NEVER SNEAK UP ON A SLEEPING DOG..NOT EVEN YOUR OWN.


                            I would rather trust my bike to a "QUACK" that KNOWS how to fix it rather than a book worm that THINKS HE KNOWS how to fix it.

                            Comment

                              #15
                              I wouldn't be too fussy about setting the gap... in fact, it seems a nice wide gap of 2-3mm or so seems to work just fine. Remember this is a plug for low speed (idle) mixture setting, so gap prob. isn't that critical. Main thing is to have a nice fat spark, so a nice wide gap seems to work just fine.

                              Comment

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