What is wrong with this picture?

[Steve]

I noticed the bike had a 4 into 1, is that stock on that particular bike? Could that be adding to your problem?

To the best of my knowledge, none of the GS bikes ever left the factory with a 4-into-1 pipe. Yes, it could conceiveably be contributing to the problem, but the primary concern, and the whole point of this thread is the color of the two pipes. I have never seen pipes on a bike quite that cherry (not cheery) red. The carbs will be coming off this afternoon when the kid gets home from school and we will soon find out what really caused the coloring. I can assure you right now, I'm not that good with PhotoShop, so the picture was not doctored in any way.

While each of the carbs is in for its daily soak, I am going to try my hand at using that valve adjust spreadsheet that all you guys are talking about. Hope I can figure it out. :-\"

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[Chuckster]

That is really a nice looking bike Steve! :-D I've never seen pipes glow like that either! Wow.

[Steve]

That is really a nice looking bike Steve!

Yeah, it's not too bad, but it has some serious competition in the garage, so he wants to get it painted and polished. I am trying to get him to slow down a bit so we can make sure all the mechanical stuff is good before we get into the expensive cosmetic stuff. Wheels are already cleaned and polished, shifter cover is polished. Carb parts will be polished when they are clean.

Since there are several other relative newcomers to the board besides you, here is the competition in the garage:

My bike, 2000 GoldWing SE:



My wife's bike, '82 GS850L:



His brother's bike, '86 Venture Royale:



With what he has in mind for a paint job, it definitely won't be embarassed to be seen in the company of these bikes. \\/


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[Chuckster]

Wow Steve, you have some nice bikes! The Goldwing is beautiful. It looks so comfy I might fall asleep riding something like that! :shock: That's real cool that your wife rides too and can enjoy your hobby with you. That's a really nice bike she has too. My wife is too busy with our 5yr old and 9mo old but maybe one day she can. She does tolerate my passion for it pretty well. That's a real nice Yamaha. It looks like it's been very well taken care of. How does it rate as to tourer compared to the Goldwing? I can see where the new GS might have a complex in your garage but I'm sure it will be top notch when you and your son are done! :-D -Chuck

[Dave8338]

Are they too red? Wow...RED!!! :shock: I wonder if the chrome is blue, now that things have cooled down. :-D Looks like a good project, for sure. I've found the easiest way to clean up old, grunged rims, is to get some aluminum aviation stripper and soak them up real well (in the back of the truck on the way to the car wash)...a couple of bucks in the machine and they come out looking like new and are ready for paint and new clear coat.

[rphillips]

Won't too "lean" or too "rich" cause the pipes to overheat? I remember the old 500 & 750 hondas, the biggest cause of the blue pipes, like most of them had, was start them with the choke on, running rich, and left it for just a very few minutes the pipes would turn blue from overheating. Also if you put a good pipe on a bike & don't rejet, the bike will run lean, causing the pipe to turn blue from overheating. Why would both too lean & too hot cause overheating?

[Steve]

I wonder if the chrome is blue, now that things have cooled down.

I did not see a whole lot of change in the color, but then, I didn't pay particular attention before, so I have to refer to pictures.

Before:


After:

[Griffin]

I'd pay extra attention to inspecting the outside valves when you adjust clearances. That amount of heat couldn't have been good for them.

[bwringer]

Digital cameras are much more sensitive to infrared than the human eye, so it may not have been quite as bad as it looks.

But yeah, it appears the jetting might be screwed up -- way too lean. I wouldn't start it until the carbs are rebuilt, any intake leaks are fixed, and the valve clearances checked.

[Steve]

Digital cameras are much more sensitive to infrared than the human eye, so it may not have been quite as bad as it looks.

Don't kid yourself there, Brian. I had shut off the bike, grabbed the camera and turned it on, so the color had mellowed a bit for the picture. They were DEFINITELY RED.


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[Redman]

Steve,

You asked whats wrong with the picture. I was looking for whats wrong in the first picture. The side panel emblem ("GS850". not G, not L) is from a 78 or 79, and everything else is 80 or later.

Then I see the 3rd picture, OH ! thats wrong.

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[chef1366]

Break out the Jollytime.

[focus frenzy]

that actualy can be perfectly normal for aftermarket single wall pipes sitting on choke.

you have light load and a rich mixture so you will have a nice hot blue flame coming out the exhaust ports.

our old service truck at work had a startall in it, (for jump starting trucks) and it was powered by a Kohler 16hp engine and at night you could see the muffler light right up like rudolphs nose, nice and red. and the center of the muffler would get orangish yellow.
never hurt it a bit.

[Steve]

Steve,

You asked whats wrong with the picture. I was looking for whats wrong in the first picture. The side panel emblem ("GS850". not G, not L) is from a 78 or 79, and everything else is 80 or later.

Then I see the 3rd picture, OH ! thats wrong.

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OK, let's get into the details. It must be from '79 because there was no '78 850, as far as I know.
I have not done any research into if or when they changed styles on the side emblems, so this is nice to know.

OK pop-quiz time: The emblem on the left side of the bike is different. What year bike did it come from?


My son and I have been talking about what he wants to do for a paint job, so we will be getting all new emblems, anyway. They would all match and be nice and shiny for the new paint. The trick now is getting him to wait until we prove that the mechanical stuff on the bike will be worthy of the new paint. I would hate to go to all the trouble of painting the bike just to find out the engine is trash.

[Steve]

Here is a glimpse of the paint job he is considering:




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