How Hot Should it Get?

[Alan_nc]

Went for an hours ride.  Out in the country steady 55 mph, 60 degree f temp.  Got home and the bike sort of smelled hot.  The lower side cases on the engine were so hot that you couldn't hold your hand on them.  Checked the plugs (they are new- and the correct plug), they were white and clean but not really burned looking.   There were a couple of times that I felt I was loosing power just for a moment.  Hard to tell as it was windy.  Bike idles perfect.....runs through the gears perfectly all the way to red line.

So....is the cases being this hot normal?

[BockinBboy]

Hot is normal - you shouldn't be able to touch your engine hot... but, smelling hot? Nothing I have ever noticed... I would suspect its because you are running lean.  White plugs mean it is lean, and the bike does runner hotter when lean.

- Bboy

[Janx101]

Mmmm yup ... What Bocky said! ... I suspect he will know a lot more than me on this .... I haven't delved into the engine and cases much at all!

Smelling hot is not really normal though .....  If your oil and other fluids level is fine and no drips or leaks then I 'think' that it would have to get very bloody hot indeed for the scorched metal smell I would associate with a problem ....

In that area of smells...... Which 'hot' is it? .... On cars or trucks - brakes smell different from clutch which both smell different from radiator (which the GS doesn't even have!), which all smell different from washed off degreaser, which is different from having run thorough a puddle of water and made steam on the pipes... Or even oil/grease/road kill which could get flicked onto pipes etc... Oh and nice warm to hot rubber from active driving/riding has it's own smell too.. Or a under inflated/flat tyre, which you would notice more if you went straight into the relatively still air of a garage.... Oooh another one, freshly blacked or rust treated exhaust.... All different smells 

So 'what "hot" have you got' .... Lol!

I don't directly remember how hot to touch my side cases get after a good run.... Yes they will get pretty hot, even just from heat radiation down from the engine... Metal transmits heat eh! plus the oil in the clutch etc , is exactly the same oil that circulates through the engine .... I'm thinking though that one of the lads that do track days or race regularly might well have actual numbers on case or oil heat... Plus there's so many Techy people on the board that are likely to have temperature data also...

So if you 'appropriate' your wife's cooking thermometer  for a short time and set the bulb up against the case etc after a ride you may be able to compare any numbers!   

That's about as much as I can think of to assist right now, cheers for the email too bro! , though I think you might need to ask more mechanically inclined heads if it turns into a definite issue where something is wrong/malfunctioning 

[The Buddha]

Plugs white = bad ... you have a perfect idle ? In a way its OK to be a hair lean @ idle. But not lean enoiugh to be white ... light grey is better.

Of course you can be a hair lean @ idle, stinking rich @ 1/4 throttle and lean as a flying pig @ full throttle ...

So OK you should tell me jetting and set up etc.

Cool.
Buddha.

[Alan_nc]

Thanks for the replies.

Plugs have maybe 200 miles on them so may still be white from being new.
Changed the oil about 200 miles ago (twice with 30 miles ride in between) and filter.  Oil is right at the top and clean as when put in.
I don't know my jetting as I bought the bike used and haven't had the carbs off yet.
The bike is a standard naked 02 which from what I have read you don't have an option on setting timing

Starts very easy (even after sitting for a week or more because of ice and snow).  Has the usual warm up issues but then runs great from idle up to redline.  I'm used to bigger bikes (Vstrom, Triumph Bonny) and this bike really does hold it's own on acceleration.

I know I can set the idle air screw to get it to run richer at idle but that doesn't solve the problem at 55 mph.  Short of changing the jetting or raising the needle is there a way to get it to run richer?

It runs so well I hate to mess with the carb settings.

[Janx101]

Put 1 line of duct tape around the filter? 

Better let Buddha and the other carby type people give a yay or nay on that one though!

With these carbs (according to most who have changed them) .... It is fairly simple .... It just sounds scary and complex when you haven't done it before! ....

Which is part of the reason why I bought a carb book from a forum member , haven't used it yet (knowledge wise) ... But been browsing through it..... And one of these days I might even get into my carbs!! 

Edit .. Oh and the plugs with 200 miles...... That's about 195 more than you would really need to change the colour I think 

[Alan_nc]

Tape is a good idea.  It lets you try different settings with out actually pulling the carbs.  With about 25/30 % covered I get a slight brown tint to the plugs (after 10 miles),don't seem to loose anything in acceleration.  At 50% coverage I get about the same brown tint but I loose the ability to give it full throttle.  Still runs fine and will reach 80 mph with no problem you just can't open the throttle all the way.

It's the standard air box so I'm not sure why I'm running so lean.  The Vance & Hines exhaust maybe the reason.  Didn't someone post a listing of jet sizes and what to expect from each?  Can someone point me to the link?

Thanks for all the help.

OH...and the cases are noticeable cooler to the touch

[The Buddha]

Yea you're lean ... just about 1 size ... just what we say needs to be done to the bike ...
You do know you can reverse all the changes .. .which is why we actually put jets in place of doing funky crap like drilling the things.

Cool.
Buddha.

[BockinBboy]

Standard airbox.. but, the filter... is it original, stock replacement, aftermarket - if the latter two, what brand?

- Bboy