Fuel mileage, stalls

[CaptainJoe]

I've got about 2000 mile on the bike now and went from 42 mpg to about 37 mpg. It will also stall at a red light after about a minute of sitting idle. It does this not as I'm slipping the clutch to pull out, but as I twist on the throttle to rev it up before pulling out.

Will try some Seafoam as soon as I get back from dealers, but I really don't want them messing with my carbs...

Remember reading somewere about syncing carbs and needing a tool? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

[massey130]

sound like maybe a carb sync could be in order. wait till it comes back from the dealer. u will need a sync tool. there are a couple general types. gauge type or liquid type.

 

i have the gauge type. it just depends on how a person thinks. use the search button on the top menu bar. you will get a lot of reading material to look over. i have just recently learned how to use it. once learned, always sync'd.

[CaptainJoe]

Thanks,

Whatever is more accurate I will learn to use. Like to do things myself as my dealer is 45 miles away.

[massey130]

both types are accurate. both work off vacuum. i have used vacuum gauges since i learned to change oil. the liquid type are fine too, just what you prefer.

 

going to a maint day in your area and having someone help you out on the first one is a super plus. i can read and then do. some folks can't.

 

in a quick nutshell -

you will hook up the vacuum hoses from the gauge of preference to the carbs with a warm motor. sync front and rear of each side. the sync the 2 sides. you will be adjusting idle as you are doing this also depending on how much the sync is off.

[CaptainJoe]

That doesn't sound to hard at all.

If they are both equally acurate....

Do you happen to know where the best place to get the guage type?

Thinking it would be more durable than liquid type???

[massey130]

i have forgotten where i got mine. i remember posting that, though. do a search on carb sync. you will have to look at a lot of posts to find the thread where we talked about where to buy one. i think i paid about 45 bucks with shipping. they can run up to about 120 bucks. take some time to look around. i will do a quick search too.

[massey130]

Ok, i found the thread that i read that lead me to get the set i have.

here is the website with the vac gauges -

http://www.sportingforless.com/servlet/the-50/Carburetor-Synchronizer-carb-sync/Detail

 

here is the venture thread with the discussion. one of many should i say -

http://www.venturerider.org/forum/showthread.php?t=42041&highlight=carb+sync+tool

[Seaking]

The book says to set idle to 1000 RPM to do your carb synchs...

 

Afterwards to set carbs to proper IDLE...

 

What is the warm engine IDLE rpm setting. not while synching, but everyday engine idle?

 

Weirderships both tell me they do it by ear.. 'what sounds normal'.. ergh.. it's a V4 and neither of the two shops know how to play with this bike.. So I set it where I think it sounds normal, gauge shows roughly 650 rpm..

[massey130]

this gauge set has little valves that go in the line that "choke" down the vacuum signal. you have to use them, otherwise the needls jump so much you can't read or adjust the carbs very easily. once you have worked with it, you will say - ok, so i know what you mean now.

 

the directions are a bit vague, so i put my "choke" valves an inch or so below the gauge.

[massey130]

i have a tachometer on my bike and i let the engine warm to normal to normal idle at about 950 RPm. after each adjustment, the throttle is bumped to really see the difference the adjustment made. as you make adjustments, the side you are working on either comes toward the same setting or moves away. if your adjustment moves away, adjust the other way. once that side is the same setting, repeat for the other side.

 

what setting??? each carb will be where it is on the scale, you don't adjust to a setting. you make them match, by turning the adjustment screws. for example, once i hook up the gauge to my warm motor, the gauges will read 10 20 30 40. I have 4 gauges.

 

the right side has one carb at 30 and one at 40. i adjust till the are the same, say each one adjusts till the both gauges read say 35. or where ever the become equal.

 

repeat for the opposite side.

 

now there is another screw so you equalize the left to the right using the same procedure.

[massey130]

my every day idle is 950. close enough for sycning.

there is a thread here that talks about an inexpensive digital tachometer. around 40 bux or so. i have a digital tach made by Yamaha. it was about 50 bux.

 

having the motor warm is the key as i have learned. vacuum pressure is what the gauges read, so if the vacuum is weak or non normal, you sync will be off.

[Yammer Dan]

I have the mecury guages. Work as good as the carb-Tune but not as easy to handle. Carb sync can be done in 20 min.

[massey130]

seems like the liquid type are most popular. being able to use the one you get is what ultimately matters.

[Seaking]

my every day idle is 950. close enough for sycning.

there is a thread here that talks about an inexpensive digital tachometer. around 40 bux or so. i have a digital tach made by Yamaha. it was about 50 bux.

 

having the motor warm is the key as i have learned. vacuum pressure is what the gauges read, so if the vacuum is weak or non normal, you sync will be off.

 

I have that little black box tach, you wrap a wire around one the spark plug leads and set it on mode 1 for dual ignition etc..

 

If I set my idle at 950 or 1,000 for the synch'ing, it's waaaaay to high for a normal engine idle for the bike.. waay too high..

 

And yes, you're right.. a proper synch is done on a hot engine.. sucks cause it's hot where you have to pull the plugs and hoses and such lol.. But makes a huge diff.

[CaptainJoe]

Many Thanks guys!

Only thing left, is to order tach and meter. May purchase a tach I can permanetly mount.

When I was at the Virginia M&E someone had 3 different guages where his cassette player use to be. One was battery, one was tach. Don't recall what other one was. Will either do it that way or put them on handlebars.

Hopefully I will get my bike back soon so I can ride down and watch the launch.