My friend dropped off his 96 1100cc Honda Shadow V-Twin last night so that I could change his oil this morning.  To warm up the oil before the change this morning, I took his bike on a short ride.  Obviously, its a cruiser so it doesn't handle like the GS and it weighs a ton.  It did have very good low end acceleration however, lots of torque.  I returned and I changed his oil with Amsoil 20W50 for V-Twins and took it for a ride again to check for leaks.
Tonight I took the GS for a ride, and gosh darn it, it now feels like it's gut-less.  I should have never took that bigger bike for a ride.  The GS felt like a freakin' feather however--that was cool.  If I could just find a way to put a V-twin on my GS.  Oh wait, isn't that an SV?
I'm torn between the great handling of the GS and the extra power of that bigger bike.  How will I ever be happy?

TL motor swap :mrgreen:

Is it still stock? If so, theres alot you can do to help that problem.

 -Anti

Quote from: The AntibodyIs it still stock? If so, theres alot you can do to help that problem.

 -Anti

hey anti, dont you have the stage III kit? I cant remember if that was you or not.

Nope, I have a stage one. I'm happy with it. I didn't want to go too wild. I wanted to keep some of that twin cylinder gas milage too.

 -Anti

That's the problem, it's not stock.  I've put in the K&N pod filter, 125/40, 2 washers and the power increase was very noticeable.  An exhaust will be the next item on the list.
Anyway, I guess that Honda shadow's power spoiled me for a little bit.  I'll get over it.

If you have the pod and not the airbox K&N your jetting should be around 140 if your doing it the Mikuni jet way and not the K&N jet kit.

i wish someone would tell me if my 125.7 mains are good for a V&H pipe and stock filter.

140 size main jets would be too large (too rich) for the elevation and temperatures I ride in.  Farmington, NM is around 5500' above sea level, basically one mile up, so there isn't as much as air as say someone in LA near seal level.  The day time temperatures in the summer are also somewhat high around 90 to 100 degrees.  Between the high elevation and high temps, my bike would run way too rich with the 140.

JasonB, I'd be curious to find out at what elevation you ride.

With my 125 main jet and two washers under the jet needle, the bike runs very smooth and is very responsive.

Ah didnt think about altitude on yours.

Rashad you have 125's or 127.5's? K&N or Mikuni jets?

I would say you need a bit more like 135's or 132.5's or even 130's. Ask if anyone else has your setup and what they are running. Pod filters increase the bike 15, pod and V&H increase it 25 so V&H alone would be 10 or less, prob less cause its a combo of filter and pipe that do the 25. Try some 132.5's.

Sorry they are mikuni 127.5s...lol i get confused.. so many numbers. :mrgreen:

I guess ill have to experiment.. but see, what is the reason for not wanting to run lean? I mean, is it engine life, power increase? i cant tell if the bike is running right or not, i have no comparison. I dont feel like it should be revving out though... the thing screams!! But it scares me too.

Lean you have the chance of melting a piston or valve and burns more oil because it runs hotter. Too rich also will wash the cylinders of oil and cause scoring of the cylinder walls. And carbon deposit buildup that will increase compression and the engine will start to ping or the valves wont open as far. Best way to test is bring a bunch of jets to the dyno and run it and see which gives the best power, and see if they have a wideband O2 sensor so you can see how its running besides the power output.

Dunno if the GS engine makes more power rich or lean gotta ask the racers here and engine builders.

Check out www.bikerballz.com. They can help you out.

I saw some of these hanging from the rear axle of a jacked up Chevy suburban.  From a distance, I couldn't tell what the heck that was.  It looked like he was dragging a plastic bag or something.  I got stuck behind him at a light and realized exactly what was hanging there.
They were much bigger than the ones on the bikerballz site.  It was nasty!