carb synch?

[Anonymous]

hey another question...
my bike is cold blooded to begin with.
with that established... after it has warmed up it runs crappy until i hit 2500-3000 rpm, and will sputter on occasion. off idle it doesn't want to pull much, then it'll sputter a tad, hit somewhere in the 2600rpm area and take off nicely.
does this sound like something that a carb synch would fix? i have never synched my carbs and i have no idea if the previous owner did or didn't.
although i have put a few thousand miles on the bike, so it would probably be a good idea to do this anyhow, i am just trying to track the symptom to the cause, as is the goal of all mechanical procedures.

[SqDancerLynn1]

A carb sync would be a good place to start, I would check the valve clearances first & then do the sync

[Anonymous]

oh man... i totally DONT want to mess with valves! maybe the local shop would do a valve adjustment on it for a not too steep price, and then a carb synch on it. labor is expensive as hell around here though.
i am intimidated by the what, 8 valves that a 78 has... glad i DONT own a newer model with 16! i am not saying that i dont like the idea of the added performance, just valve adjustments would be a huge hassle. i am hoping to get a stroker streetbike... so that would be one less bike i have to worry about valve adjustments on! ha ha ha, no its a neat bike, so thats the main reason.... maintenance would be relatively easy there.
ha ha ha, thanks for the input. i can ask the shop about how much a valve job would cost, and then maybe inquire about a synch. thanks.

[Anonymous]

I was scared at first to check the valves, it sounded difficult and time consuming. One day I decided I was just going to do it and behold it wasn't near as bad as it sounds. It is rather easy actually, you are going to pay way to much to have a shop do it. Your first time will take you a few hours to do but after that you will get the hang of it.

[Anonymous]

You don't realize it, but you wish you did have a 16 valve eng. The valve adj is much quicker, cheaper, & easier on the bikes with 4 valves per cyl. No adding & subtracting of measurments, no shims to be trying to find & swaping around & keeping up with , no special tools to get the shims out.

[Poot]

Should I wait till i get my hands on a micrometer before I try my valve clearance???? I just dont want to have to take the cover off for more than necessary, to wait to measure shims if the clearance is off.

they should be printed on the bottom i guess, but....not too sure here. ive got the depressor now and the feeler gauge, so i should be set...?



poot

[Anonymous]

well, i am not denying that a 16V engine would more or less smoke an 8V, it just seems like it'd be more difficult to do the valves. i have the manaual for my bike. BUT i would have to get the gaskets and stuff for the cam covers? i would imagine so. i dont like re-using gaskets, as that is just ASKING for a leak.

[SqDancerLynn1]

The 16 valve motors need valves adjusted every 5-6k miles the shim type set them and forget about them for 15k miles My 850 I think has been adjusted once when I did it last year, the bike has 40K miles

[Anonymous]

mine has about 43,000 and i have never done the valves in the 4000-5000 miles i have put on it. might explain a few things. its an 8 valve motor though, not a 16V, but i dont know if the previous owner had done anything like that with it. he had it for a few years, but i dont think he does much maintenance with his gear besides oil changes. i definitely want to do the valves as that will probably help performance a lot. carb synch would be good too.... but that is definitely a job for the shop, as i dont have the equipment to do it. i may try to do the valves over the weekend. although i need to do some research on what tools it takes to do a valve job. i hear the mention of shims... do you have to buy adjusting shims from a shop? i am unfamiliar with GS valves... the most i ever did was help do the valves on a VW. its a basic concept, but from my experience, tedious work. which is why it is good that i have the next weekend off... so if it takes me a while i do have some buffer space.

[SqDancerLynn1]

On the shim type You measure the clearance If it needs adj You use the tool to depress the tappet & remove the shim. Compare the shim size stamped on it then add + - to get the correct shim size. Put the new shim in. It does help to have a dial type calaper to measure the shims.

[Anonymous]

that might present a few hurdles... as i dont have a dial caliper as far as i know. i have a basic tool set, and acess to other tools. but i dont think there is a gauge like that anywhere in the garage. i may have to haggle with the shop to the best of my abilities. or start searching for local shops that do that kind of work. carb synch i know i cannot do, as i DONT have the tools to do that, and i have never done a carb synchronization in my life (hey, VW's have one carb!). so i may have to dump a few bucks to to it. oil still leaking... anyone know of a good shop in WA that could do the seal replacement without killing me on budget? cause i have to split the cases for that.... and i dont think i have the skill to do it. not unless, i take everything off, dont change any settings, put the seals in, and carefully bolt everything back together... but to remove the head, i have to take off the cam chain.... that presents a bit of a problem, cause i have never had to dig into an engine that far for maintenance purposes.

[Poot]

for doing your valve clearance, you need 2 things basically.


1: Tappet-depressor tool
2: Feeler gauge


the thickness of the shim is stamped on the shim itself, so you dont really need to measure it.

I'm just now going to get some different shim sizes (I can reuse 2 or 3 of the shims i have now) but it was pretty easy (especially so if you've got a clymers manual).

[bwringer]

Cycle Recycle II carries the shims for $5 each and the tool for I think $25.

http://crc2onlinecatalog.com/

It'll be a lot easier if you hunt around for a metric feeler gauge. I found mine at Pep Boys.

[Anonymous]

Hmm. You don't want to do the valves yourself or mess with the gasket, etc., you don't want to pay someone else to do it, and you want your bike to run great.

From here, I guess I'd suggest prayer, or voodoo, because for an older bike like this, there are probably 25 fundamental areas to nail down if you want a good-running reliable engine.

[earlfor]

Hmmmm, I've been looking for that kind of a deal too. Hey Robert, wanna drop by and install those "O" rings I've been getting. :-) :-)

Earl

Hmm. You don't want to do the valves yourself or mess with the gasket, etc., you don't want to pay someone else to do it, and you want your bike to run great.

From here, I guess I'd suggest prayer, or voodoo, because for an older bike like this, there are probably 25 fundamental areas to nail down if you want a good-running reliable engine.