i put in new spark plugs and i noticed that the wear on my old ones was not even.

would anyone like to diagnose these?

(left on the left, right on the right... brilliant, i know)

Right side=lean
Left side=looks rich but could have oil too, depends, looks like carbon deposits from being too rich

That seems weird that they're so different. How did the bike run? Have you checked your valves? Is it rejetted? For a while one of my floats was sticking and carbon fouling a plug, but it ran like crap, at low RPMs the mis-fire was very noticable.

trey

left is carbon, not oil (it's dry)

the bike runs ok.
when it's cold, it hickups quite a bit.  today while it was warming up, i gave it a little gas and a weird thing happened:  the RPMs dropped about 2000, there was an odd noise (kind of a thund) from the case, and it misfired.

my best guess is that it's not jetted, but it's only a guess, since i'm the 3rd owner and i've never looked at the carbs.

Well.. are you running stock pipe and air filter? If so.. jetting should be fine, maybe they could be cleaned? (while you're in there put in #40 pilots)How many miles are on the bike? Stubborn warm up == tight valves. Mine was a pain to start until I adjusted my valves. Or maybe it just so happened that it stopped getting cold out right after I checked my valves...  

trey

Left side rich, maybe due to high float level?
Right side looks fine, maybe just have the choke on too long during warm-up (that is what gives the blackened threads).

yeah, the right should be a bit more tan, on my comp it looks pretty white, so if the bike is stock that what they will look like. When my plugs came out they also look white, so not unusual, if the bike is stock.

The left, if just carbon I would put money on a stuck float, at least you know that the carbs are not clogged

Check the sync of the carbs. An erratic idle is a typical sign of the carbs out of sync. The left cylinder could be pulling a greater vacuum and making it appear to run rich.

Just remember....the color of the plugs you see now only indicate the conditions of the bike at the time it was shut off. Typically, unless you do a plug chop, you are only seeing the idle circuit of the carbs.

yeah, stock airbox/filter, stock pipe... i seriously doubt that the jets have been touched.

so, i guess i have to check float height, check valves, and sync carbs...

dismantling the carbs...    

how hard is that to do?  i know my way around a screwdriver, but i've no mechanical experience.

Yea I have the exact same problem, only mine is on the opposite sides.  I just checked my valves and they were good, also just rejeted so Im hoping maybe that fixed the problem.  I checked the butterflies on my carbs and both were opening the same.  Mine has been doing it for the last two summers and I havent had to many problems, just gone through two sets of plugs.  I hope I got the dumb thing fixed now though.

Quote from: crashyeah, stock airbox/filter, stock pipe... i seriously doubt that the jets have been touched.

so, i guess i have to check float height, check valves, and sync carbs...

dismantling the carbs...    

how hard is that to do?  i know my way around a screwdriver, but i've no mechanical experience.

It isn't hard at all.. just pay attention to how you took them apart. I was scared to death of them until I did it one day. No problem. Setting float height is kind of tedious, I'd check them with the clear tube method before you take off your tank or anything so you know if you actually have to adjust them.

trey

Quote from: crash

dismantling the carbs...    

how hard is that to do?  i know my way around a screwdriver, but i've no mechanical experience.

It ranks pretty easy on the mechanical skills needed. Do you have a manual yet?
If you have some ratchets and screwdrivers you should be all right. Take your time. Take pictures as you dismantle things it if you aren't familiar with the hoses and cables. You will probably spill some gas in the process so be prepared for that.

There are some good photos and threads on this sight that can help. You will feel like a pro when you finish and your non-mechanical friends will be very impressed with your wrenching skills (but real mechanics won't  :lol: )

i think i'll try it (in a couple of weeks).  i heard it's not so much the taking apart/putting together that's the problem, but tunning it

i guess if i mess up, i can mail it to srinath ;p