can someone evealuate this for me?
i have an 06 F with 18k miles, 11k of which i put on in the last year. i don't know of prior service but when i got the bike(7k miles) it was running fine. idle held very steady at 1300 rpm(what i remember). i've yet to check the valves because it runs great.
my symptoms now are:
1. idle(needle) hovers ~1250-1350 rpm.
2. AT WARMUP-the right side(when sitting on bike) exhaust pipe gets orange(in the dark) when i have the choke on while the left side does not change color. this started happening maybe 3-4k miles ago. also the same time that i noticed that the bike was emitting more than normal heat during warmup(due to right side pipe getting hot.this is roughly the time i took the fairings off and running naked. with fairings on, i don't notice the heat.
3. the bike after warmup runs fine. no problems at all. acceleration is the same as when i bought it.
4. the only major difference i know of is that with the choke on, originally the bike would sit at~3k now it is at 4k rpm.
5. mpg is still the same since i got the bike. i'm at 45 mpg with fast accelerations from a stop and higher rpm during cruise. otherwise i'm into the 50's.
so is one exhaust manifold getting hotter than the other normal? could this be a valve adjustment needed?
Or the right side running too lean? Time to clean and adjust your carbs?? Dunno. Odd that your exhaust header would be orange hot at low rpm like that.
since you haven't checked the valves in 11k miles you should probably do it soon. Maybe an exhaust valve has gone to 0 clearance? I don't know if it's your problem but it's definately worth doing anyway.
When a twin cylinder bike is out of sync one cylinder is working harder than the other :dunno_black:
it's weird to me because when i first got the bike and it idled at ~3k, it would backfire a bit. now that it idles at ~4k, the backfires are not as loud. it's more like a puff sound as opposed to the original pop sound.
even at startup, when i adjust the choke idle to ~3k, it makes a puff rather than a pop sound. the bike definitely sounds better at choke idle now than it did originally. that's why i ask is this normal. i don't think it's a lean condition causing the right side manifold to become orange.
is it possible that only one side of the manifold was made weaker or has worn more than the other? the left side manifold will get a hue of orange but only at the mounting flange to the head.
if it's a rich condition causing the right manifold to get orange, it isn't showing it in my mpg when i'm riding.
if it's a valve adjustment needed, it definitely doesn't feel like it when i ride the bike because it rides just fine and hasn't shown any reason for any concern.
the plugs in the bike have been in roughly the same time that i noticed more heat to the bike, but is also the same time that i took my fairings off. i checked both plugs and they look the same. they have about 4k miles on them.
someone tell me that your bike does this too and it's normal. lol.
Deeeefinitely check the valves. 11K and no check? Yikes!
I would check your valves. Also, you said your plugs looked the same, but you didn't say what they looked like. Are they super white and ashy? Also, sorry for coming off like a jerk, but is there an actual problem here? Are you burning tons of oil or loosing power? The idling at different speeds is a red herring, that's just weather or some other random variation you can't control. Your bike should be idling at 1200 RPM, you keep mentioning 3000 and 400. You should turn your idle down so it is right. It could just be that your bike is idling super hight all the time and overheating when it isn't moving...
the idle i'm talking about is when the choke is at full. at full when i got the bike was ~3k then it eased itself without me adjusting anything up to ~4k by itself about 8k miles of riding. no big deal because ~4k is still normal. just odd that it did it by itslelf. so maybe a carb issue came up?
the bike has no symptoms besides the right side manifold getting orange while the left side manifold doesn't when i warm it up with the choke on. the bike rides fine and i have no hesitation about riding it. i'm just not sure if something is going on that is causing only one manifold to glow orange.
and yes.....i haven't checked the valaves because from my reading on here, it is an oddity for needing a valve adjustment below 40-50k or so. the bike runs fine. as expected to be more precise.
Your bike will act completely different in the spring than in the winter, especially when it is warming up. I wouldn't worry about it unless you notice something else wrong. You should probably get the valves checked by 20k at the latest. I think the recommended interval is 4k :cookoo:
Quote from: caliswangin916 on May 13, 2009, 12:05:59 AM
the idle i'm talking about is when the choke is at full. at full when i got the bike was ~3k then it eased itself without me adjusting anything up to ~4k by itself about 8k miles of riding. no big deal because ~4k is still normal. just odd that it did it by itslelf. so maybe a carb issue came up?
the bike has no symptoms besides the right side manifold getting orange while the left side manifold doesn't when i warm it up with the choke on. the bike rides fine and i have no hesitation about riding it. i'm just not sure if something is going on that is causing only one manifold to glow orange.
and yes.....i haven't checked the valaves because from my reading on here, it is an oddity for needing a valve adjustment below 40-50k or so. the bike runs fine. as expected to be more precise.
Oh, just at idle with the choke all the way on? Who cares what that idle is, it is unpredictable. There is no specification for the idle with the choke on other than the bike is still running. Also, it is an air cooled bike, so if it isn't moving it will get hot. How long are you warming up for? You should need less than a minute. If you're letting it sit for like 5 minutes every time you start it, you're letting it get too hot. I'm surprised you haven't melted your front fender yet...