Sluggish

[JStones]

My 550L is running sluggish lately. Not accelerating like usual etc. Could this just be the fact its been pretty cold out? What are some checks etc I could do?

[cowboyup3371]

Were your carbs ever properly dipped and synched? Did you adjust the valves? What condition are the plugs and air filter in? How are your intake boots - are they cracked or otherwise letting in too much air?

[JStones]

Carbs were done 100% to our Forums guidelines. Valves adjusted a year back when I got the bike. Plugs are new, replaced them with Dyna system. Looked good when I checked them this weekend. Intake boots are a little firm but not cracked. I did the "spray test" around them as well. Air filter I did not peak at. I will do that.

Let me say, I rode the bike 20-25 miles this weekend and the ride was fine. I may be nitpicking a bit here. I just didnt feel the responsiveness I normally do. Ran a bit sluggish compared to normal. I dont know how air temp effects these bikes. It may not at all. It was cold and windy when I rode.

[spyug]

Do you use fuel stabilizer? If the gas has sat in the bike for more than a few weeks it has started to go "off". It is always a good idea to use a stabilizer over the winter months too since the bike may sit for weeks or months. I use Seafoam, not just over winter but all season long. Just a cap full with every fill keeps things sweet. Over winter perhaps 1/3 of a can.

I would suggest adding Seafoam to your fuel now (1/3) and using that fuel up. Get some fresh fuel in and repeat. That should take care of any varnish that may have built up in the carbs and you should then be good to go.

Good luck with it and let us know how it turns out.

cheers,
Spyug

[tkent02]

I just didnt feel the responsiveness I normally do. Ran a bit sluggish compared to normal. I dont know how air temp effects these bikes. It may not at all. It was cold and windy when I rode.

Cold temperatures makes the air more dense, there is just more air in a given volume. Normally this gives you more power in cold weather. However, more dense air makes the engine run leaner. If it is very close to being too lean anyway, when it gets cold it gets just a tad too lean, and you lose power. I would guess it is doing this at low or partial throttle, not so bad wide open?
That's because the EPA mandated lean tuning was done at these throttle positions. They did not make the bikes too lean when running wide open or some of the engines would have burned up.

If so, try raising the needles a half step, then retune the mixture screws, or pilot screws as the case may be.