Rough ride......high fuel consumption. Cause? Cure?

[Semi-retired]

I went for a short (50 mile) ride yesterday and noticed that during the course of the 'trip' the bike seemed to feel more and more "reluctant" to run. A sense of 'hesitation' got more and more pronounced as I rode along.

 

My first reaction was to POWER through it, thinking that maybe I had a temporary condition of some sort brought on by dirt in gas, fouled plug.........bad AIR!!! I was really grasping for 'causes'. But, the more I gassed it, the worse it seemed to get. When I 'backed off' to what the 'normal/neutral throttle grip position' SHOULD have been for the speed I was going......the engine again sounded somewhat erratic and "hesitant" (for lack of a better word). The sensation was similar to what you might get when running out of gas.......but I had just filled up before leaving home......and was showing "all bars" on the gas gauge when I left the driveway.

 

I could almost SEE my gas gauge going down, however, while driving along! I ended up burning what looked like about a quarter of a tank over the fifty miles (80 km). (I was TWO or THREE bars down on the gauge by the time I got home!) YIKES!

 

Being an old-time mechanical type (but not a mechanical genius, by any means), I fiddled with the gas tap while riding along (which did nothing).....and moved the choke button all the way out and back in.........several times.........which, strangely ALSO DID NOTHING!!

 

Shouldn't pulling the choke out have made the bike run "rough"......kinda like the way it was ALREADY RUNNING?? Therefore, my training told me, maybe the choke is stuck ON.....somewhere in the mechanism "beyond the button".

 

When I tried to search this site for a thread on the subject/problem, I came up with http://www.venturerider.org/forum/showthread.php?t=65183&highlight=choke, where the conversation centered on the OPPOSITE problem....."choke won't come on".....and reference to sticking linkage.

 

Is it possible I have the same cause......but opposite symptoms?

 

Anybody else ever had this problem? Choke stuck ON? Rough running? Horrible gas consumption?

 

(Background info: I HAD just removed/replaced my tank while doing a coolant flush last week. Also, I had just (the day before) removed/replaced my front brake lever in order to lubricate its action and take out some of the play in it. (I took out too much play, apparently, because I notice the cruise control wouldn't stay ON during my ride; but I don't think THIS problem is related to the rough ride/high fuel consumption............IS IT???)

 

Thanks for any hints, tips, tricks!........then get out there and enjoy your Sunday ride!

[friesman]

hmmm perhaps you adjusted the brakestoo far and it was engaging the brakes causing a drag to hold you down and cause a lot of gas consumption?

 

Brian

[93 venture]

Sounds to me like you might have lost a coil, or spark to one or more of the cylinders, is it idling ok? or just when its pulling down the road, start it up cool and check each one of the exhaust pipes coming from the heads, if you got one cold then you have found the problem. then just got to see if its a bad plug or plugs wires, or coil pack.

[MikeWa]

Sounds like a fuel problem. How is the idle? If rough or very smelly maybe a stuck float. If the idle is ok check the fuel filter and pump.

Mike

 

 

Hahaha no shortage of opinions here.

best of luck

[93 venture]

hmmm perhaps you adjusted the brakestoo far and it was engaging the brakes causing a drag to hold you down and cause a lot of gas consumption?

 

Brian

 

Might be, but you would think he would have a fire or some smoke after 50 miles

[GeorgeS]

I would suspect low fuel pressure, possibley a leaking fuel line between the output of the fuel pump, and the input point of the carbs.

 

You said fuel usage was high, ??? hmmm, maby a leak somplace, Any Smell of gasoline while driveing ???

 

I would open each carb fuel , bowl drain screw, let pump run, make sure you have fuel thru all 4 carbs,

 

Possibley a Plugged Screen in the Fuel Petcock, at the tank ???

 

Maby, your fuel filter is plugged !!! How long since you change the filter ???

[MikeWa]

Oops I missed the background info. If the brake is dragging you will get that burned asbestos smell after riding. Also it will be very difficult to push the bike in neutral. And of course letting off the throttle the bike won't coast but instead will quickly slow to a stop. Should be pretty obvious.

 

If the tank was off the vent hose could be blocked. Running with the gas cap off is the easest way to diagnose this. The petcock could have been damaged or garbage stired uo and blocking the screen. Remove the fuel outlet hose at the petcock (with the engine off) to see if you get a good fuel flow.

 

If these are ok then it is back to check spark, check fuel filter, check fuel pump, check carbs. Be patient.

 

Mike

[Semi-retired]

She's sitting out in the garage, cold (well, as cold as it can be when it's 75 degrees outside!), so now's a good time to do the thing Darrin suggested......which is fire it up.....let it try to idle......keep feeling the pipes to see if they ALL get warm/hot.

 

From there, if indicated, I'll move on to fuel filter, float bowls and electrical.

 

I've been a LITTLE bit concerned about the purity of my gas since I've been "hand-pouring" out of 5 gallon gas cans that I fill up each time I cross over into Niagara Falls, NY to gas up our cars. (gas in my home town in Ontario is about 30% higher in price than 12 minutes across the border!) Cheap(er) gas is a good thing......but I may have buggered myself on purity by messing around with too many caps covered in spider webs and grass trimmings.

 

I'll report back as I make progress.

 

Thanks again to all of you! Happy Father's Day to those who ARE!

 

Mike

[Semi-retired]

OK....just started from cold.

 

Fuel pumped cycled as always when turning the key on by the way.

 

Started just fine.....with about 1/3 choke.

 

After idling for about 2 minutes, left rear pipe could still be grabbed.......other three were untouchably hot!

 

Pull plug next, you figure? What color should I expect.......depending on whether it's a dead plug or a clogged carb? (I'm assuming it's not a coil....on the basis that I'm assuming there's a coil for each PAIR of plugs.....am I right?)

 

The plot thickens! (or thins!)

[BOO]

One coil for each cylinder I'm thinking.

Sure check the plug and if it's getting fuel and no spark it should be wet with gas.

If it's bone dry then it's probably a float/Carb problem of some sort. (read plugged)

Good Luck,

BOO

[mm482]

There are four coils on youe bike, one for each cylinder. If there is no fire to the plug it should be wet with gas. If the carb jets are blocked the plug should look good and if the carb is running too rich the plug will be black.

 

Earl

[Squidley]

The G2's are somewhat notorious for loosing the coils to the rear cylinders. I remember in '07 in Ft. Collins at the International Rally Stardbog lost one of his coils and he still rode it around for the rally till the replacement coil came in. I still laugh thinking about when his bike would backfire going through the canyons

[BOO]

And I believe he said the gas mileage was down in the low 20's.

BOO

 

 

The G2's are somewhat notorious for loosing the coils to the rear cylinders. I remember in '07 in Ft. Collins at the International Rally Stardbog lost one of his coils and he still rode it around for the rally till the replacement coil came in. I still laugh thinking about when his bike would backfire going through the canyons

 

[Redneck]

Most likely a bad coil. The choke is not a choke as you know it there is no butterfly its just a valve that adds fuel. Look at the plug in the dead cylinder it will probably be washed clean and wet. Your oil will probably be contaminated with gas (smell the oil fill cap).

[Semi-retired]

The G2's are somewhat notorious for loosing the coils to the rear cylinders.

 

Thankfully, Brad.......I don't think it's a coil. When I was out in the sunshine, and pulled the offending cylinder's plug, I was pretty sure I saw a spark off the SIDE of the plug when I held it up against the head....but nothing down by the gap, no matter HOW hard I tried. So, I'm going to assume it's a "bad" plug. And by that, of course, I mean "bad owner"!

 

Just realized I hadn't replaced or even LOOKED at my plugs since buying the '03 back in '06. Those are some OLD plugs in there. Shame on me: uninspected...... for 6 years!!

 

So, in addition to buying a new set of plugs.....I also had a lot of cleaning up to do on the choke linkage. (MAN, there's a LOT of linkage in there, isn't there!!??) Thirty-five squirts of WD40 later....I can finally get EVERYTHING moving back and forth by pulling on the choke knob. (Any chance of a fuel injection aftermarket kit!?!?)

 

I was hoping to get a set of Iridium plugs for it, but my Canadian Tire Store only had the NGK DPR 8EA-9's which is what's coming OUT of the bike......after nine years.....so I figure they'll do the job for another 5 or 6!

 

Anybody know if they come pre-gapped?

 

Oh, and, anybody know if there's any special trick to getting those FRONT plugs out? They look like a bit of a b**ch at first glance!

[ragtop69gs]

Oh, and, anybody know if there's any special trick to getting those FRONT plugs out? They look like a bit of a b**ch at first glance!

 

Remove the motor mount, change the plug, replace motor mount, do the same on the other side. It's only 4 bolts on each motor mount, easy job.

[darthandy]

 

Anybody know if they come pre-gapped?

 

Oh, and, anybody know if there's any special trick to getting those FRONT plugs out? They look like a bit of a b**ch at first glance!

 

Haven't had to pull mine yet so I don't know if there's a good way to pull out the front plugs. As to the gap ... even if they came pre-gapped, I wouldn't risk it given the bouncing around those plugs take when they are shipped. Get a spark plug gauge (The "wire" type is best) and check them yourself. It's a very cheap tool and then you'll know for sure that you have the correct gap. An incorrect gap can have a bad effect on how well the bike runs.

 

Andy

[Redneck]

Thankfully, Brad.......I don't think it's a coil. When I was out in the sunshine, and pulled the offending cylinder's plug, I was pretty sure I saw a spark off the SIDE of the plug when I held it up against the head....but nothing down by the gap, no matter HOW hard I tried. So, I'm going to assume it's a "bad" plug. And by that, of course, I mean "bad owner"!

 

Just realized I hadn't replaced or even LOOKED at my plugs since buying the '03 back in '06. Those are some OLD plugs in there. Shame on me: uninspected...... for 6 years!!

 

So, in addition to buying a new set of plugs.....I also had a lot of cleaning up to do on the choke linkage. (MAN, there's a LOT of linkage in there, isn't there!!??) Thirty-five squirts of WD40 later....I can finally get EVERYTHING moving back and forth by pulling on the choke knob. (Any chance of a fuel injection aftermarket kit!?!?)

 

I was hoping to get a set of Iridium plugs for it, but my Canadian Tire Store only had the NGK DPR 8EA-9's which is what's coming OUT of the bike......after nine years.....so I figure they'll do the job for another 5 or 6!

 

Anybody know if they come pre-gapped?

 

Oh, and, anybody know if there's any special trick to getting those FRONT plugs out? They look like a bit of a b**ch at first glance!

The bike in ft collins had a weak spark on a dry plug out of the cylinder but would not fire under compression.

[Semi-retired]

The bike in ft collins had a weak spark on a dry plug out of the cylinder but would not fire under compression.

 

I suspect the same.........so.....OUT THEY ALL COME!!!

[bongobobny]

Yah! New plugs, drain the gas in your tank and use it for your lawnmower or killing weeds, and get a tank of good fresh gas. Use up a can of seafoam, 1/2 can per tankful, and drive it like you stole it. Nothing wrong with the NGK plugs, Iridium plugs may be a waste of money in a bike as motorcycles tend to be rough on plugs, some members change their plugs annually.

 

As was mentioned, you could be experiencing a weak coil so be prepared to replace one. Hey, a spare coil laying around is not a bad thing...

 

PS no, spark plugs do not necessarily come pregapped, always check and adjust your gap when instaslling plugs!!

[Cougar]

# 1 Coil.

[Semi-retired]

Remove the motor mount, change the plug, replace motor mount, do the same on the other side. It's only 4 bolts on each motor mount, easy job.

 

Thanks, Jay! I was hoping someone would say that. (Otherwise, I was going to have to scout the neighbourhood for a tiny little employee of Mitsubishi Electric.....where I used to work, actually........to get his tiny little hands in there and do the deed. Those are TIGHT QUARTERS!! And you don't wanna be dropping stuff up/in there!)

 

Mike

[Semi-retired]

Remove the motor mount, change the plug, replace motor mount, do the same on the other side. It's only 4 bolts on each motor mount, easy job.

 

Hey, Jay.......just wanted to thank you again, my man! I think you just saved me a thousand or two! (No.....LITERALLY a thousand BUCKS or two!!)

 

You said to remove the motor mounts to get at the front plugs easier. I had actually tried, and succeeded, (with some banged-up knuckles mind you) in removing the left front plug. But when I went to replace it with the new one, I took your advice...and it went IN much easier than it came out. Thanks!

 

Here's the money saving part: I then immediately removed the right-hand motor mount in order to REMOVE the old plug......so that I could actually SEE what I was doing. (as I had learned on the other side!)

 

And BOY, did I ever see!! I looked in at the plug and saw a loose bolt sitting right down in beside the spark plug....a spot from which it would easily have fallen INTO my cylinder had I proceeded blindly as I had on the left side. (Pic #1 is the great view...with the "spare" bolt removed)

 

I never grabbed a pair of needle-nose pliers so fast in my life!! Got that little bugger out of their.......and only THEN thought to grab the camera to pass along my story in pics! (Would have been more dramatic, I know, to put the bolt BACK IN.......THEN take pictures.......but, sorry, I'm not that brave.)

 

I was taking a shot of the bolt (pic #2) to ask if any of you knew where it might have come from......when I saw the "offending" source myself: one of the rocker cover bolts had either VIBRATED loose and fallen beside the plug (pic #3)......or the PO or his dealer had DROPPED it there and just didn't bother retrieving because it was too much work! (Hard to imagine....but sometimes &%*%@$-ed up people do lazy things!

 

So, after all that drama....one look at my plugs and you can see in pic #4, I was waaaaaaaaaaay overdue for replacement.

 

A couple of other questions though:

 

1. That plug with all the corrosion is the right front. It looks as though it's had multiple baths of liquid over the years.....and the weird looking "device" in my photo (#1) with the plug still in place looks like a "frost plug". Is it possible that there's been some kind of leakage going on?

 

2. I've also seen what looks like "rusty-colored residue/overspray" around the top of my rad and around the back of my steering head; are all these factors related to a coolant "situation"? Note: I did do a coolant remove/replace just a couple of weeks ago.......and lots came out, so it's not like I was "running DRY" or anything.

 

Thoughts?

 

P.S. Thanks, again, Jay.........I owe you SEVERAL cold ones. If you ever get to Niagara Falls area......call me. Without your tip, my next post might have been: "How do you turn one of these things upside down and shake it?"........or, "What kind of pistons and valves make the best replacements on an RSV??" DOH!

[Cougar]

So is that fouled plug from cyl number one then?

and if so it is not getting spark to it I guess.

[RSTDdog]

FYI the bolts for the Cylinder Head Stay, Yamaha speak for the upper dogbone engine mount you removed on each side to get to the front plugs, All four bolts get torqued to 46.1 Ft lbs. When I changed my plugs they were no where near that tight. PO had the plugs changed before me.

 

You probably did it , but now is a good time to clean all the crud off the spark plug boots (rubber bits, etc). I like to use silicone spray on rag for this since it won't damage rubber parts.

 

Hope the plug maintenane got you up and running.

 

RSTDdog