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so the other night on the way home, the bike started to misfire (i think that's the best way to describe it), an occasional popping / sputtering on throttle.
died once going up a slight incline. got it started again and made it back to the house, had a drink.
i had suspected for awhile that the bike was running rich. pulled the plugs and found this:
btw these are B9ES plugs. replaced them since with B8ES.
instead of simply replacing them, i also pulled the airbox, replaced the weatherstripping, cleaned it, removed the 20 yr old alarm someone had drilled into the bottom of it and covered those bolt holes with some electrician's tape, checked the carb intake boots to make sure the o-rings had been replaced in recent years, and put some blue rtv sealant around the airbox hoses as they felt a bit hard and i didn't have any replacements on hand.
replaced airbox.
checked ignition, found a "pip" on one of the points where the metal had transferred. replaced points and condensers, taught myself how to set points gaps and set static engine timing with a multimeter for continuity. (pretty proud of myself at this point, though still sad that i haven't been riding to work for like a week now).
a bit concerned about the ignition. it's Sudco from Z1, but it looks like the "bad" picture from the clymer manual. Think this is worth trying to get warranteed?
texted TimTom to b!tch about my stupid replacement spark plugs which are "the wrong kind" since they don't have the threaded rod on the top. Learn from TimTom that the threaded rod is hiding under the rounded cap. Feel dumb, but not for long and not enough to not share it here
replace spark plugs with B8ES plugs.
turn key, choke, cross fingers and hit the starter - nice solid roar. no more sputtering, less choke needed before closing it and settling into a nice idle. rode around for a few miles, gave it WOT going up a few hills in second and third.
rode to work this morning
new plugs are still in the bike. might pull them when i get home tonight and take some photos. never done chops and dont quite know what i'm looking for, or what to cut for that matter, and my dremel is lent out, but thinking i might still get some good insight just from pulling them and looking at them whole.
anyway I'm hoping that the hotter plugs will help. most of my riding is really short trips into work at SLOW speeds (Lincoln Tunnel during rush hour) - my walk from my parking spot takes almost as long as my ride. so that's a potential culprit as well for incomplete burns, from what i understand. will hold off on adjusting mixture until i see how these plugs do, and if the new ignition helps, etc.
might strip and reconnect the plug caps, or replace them (think they're stock)
thoughts and comments welcome:
old plugs were fouled, but anything more concrete to infer from looking?
points - send em back?
plug caps - whatever they sell at z1? do i need to worry about angles, lengths?
how can i tell if the bike is running rich at this point? checking the newly installed plugs i guess right?
died once going up a slight incline. got it started again and made it back to the house, had a drink.
i had suspected for awhile that the bike was running rich. pulled the plugs and found this:
btw these are B9ES plugs. replaced them since with B8ES.
instead of simply replacing them, i also pulled the airbox, replaced the weatherstripping, cleaned it, removed the 20 yr old alarm someone had drilled into the bottom of it and covered those bolt holes with some electrician's tape, checked the carb intake boots to make sure the o-rings had been replaced in recent years, and put some blue rtv sealant around the airbox hoses as they felt a bit hard and i didn't have any replacements on hand.
replaced airbox.
checked ignition, found a "pip" on one of the points where the metal had transferred. replaced points and condensers, taught myself how to set points gaps and set static engine timing with a multimeter for continuity. (pretty proud of myself at this point, though still sad that i haven't been riding to work for like a week now).
a bit concerned about the ignition. it's Sudco from Z1, but it looks like the "bad" picture from the clymer manual. Think this is worth trying to get warranteed?
texted TimTom to b!tch about my stupid replacement spark plugs which are "the wrong kind" since they don't have the threaded rod on the top. Learn from TimTom that the threaded rod is hiding under the rounded cap. Feel dumb, but not for long and not enough to not share it here
replace spark plugs with B8ES plugs.
turn key, choke, cross fingers and hit the starter - nice solid roar. no more sputtering, less choke needed before closing it and settling into a nice idle. rode around for a few miles, gave it WOT going up a few hills in second and third.
rode to work this morning
new plugs are still in the bike. might pull them when i get home tonight and take some photos. never done chops and dont quite know what i'm looking for, or what to cut for that matter, and my dremel is lent out, but thinking i might still get some good insight just from pulling them and looking at them whole.
anyway I'm hoping that the hotter plugs will help. most of my riding is really short trips into work at SLOW speeds (Lincoln Tunnel during rush hour) - my walk from my parking spot takes almost as long as my ride. so that's a potential culprit as well for incomplete burns, from what i understand. will hold off on adjusting mixture until i see how these plugs do, and if the new ignition helps, etc.
might strip and reconnect the plug caps, or replace them (think they're stock)
thoughts and comments welcome:
old plugs were fouled, but anything more concrete to infer from looking?
points - send em back?
plug caps - whatever they sell at z1? do i need to worry about angles, lengths?
how can i tell if the bike is running rich at this point? checking the newly installed plugs i guess right?
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