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I've posted about this before, and there is even a tech article I wrote under Engine and Drivetrain on how to do it. But I continue to be amazed by how screwed up and WAY OFF the factory settings every RSV seems to be! So I just gotta keep proselytizing about it . . . At Don's maintenance day I just reset the floats on three more RSVs, and out of the 12 carbs, only ONE (one carb, not one bike) was even remotely close to the factory spec! And that was the first carb from ANY of the RSVs I have done that wasn't set unbelievably high. Too-high float levels cause rich mixtures and excessive fuel use at speed. Up to now I have only been able to report on the 10% improvement in fuel economy I got from my own bike by properly setting the fuel level. Others for whom I have done the work all said it seemed better, but they didn't go to the trouble of having detailed before and after comparisons. Well, now I have another. Four of us on RSVs rode together from Texas up to Don's in Ohio, about 1,250 miles. I paid attention to how much gas each of us took at each gas stop. Since we were all riding in the same conditions and the same speeds on the same roads, it was an ideal way to get some side-by-side comparisons. I generally took less gas at every stop, and Ponch took the most - every time. And the difference was quite significant. I never tried to calculate the MPG for each bike, but I know he was buying a lot more gas over and over again for 1,200 miles. So that is the "before" state. On Friday morning while I had nothing else to do, Ponch and I pulled his carbs and reset the float levels to the specs from the Yamaha shop manual. The only other change we did was to put in new plugs while we had things apart. To be completely open here, there was some evidence that Ponch's RF plug was not fireing as well as the others. After maintenance day, Ponch and I rode together on the way back to Texas. This was another fantastic oportunity for us to get a real life side-by-side comparison of two RSVs under identical conditions for many, many tanks of gas, and now with Ponch's bike having the floats properly set. Guess what? Ponch and I took virtually the exact same gas at every single gas stop, no matter if we had been doing 50 in the twisties or 80 on the superslab. That is a HUGE change from what he was getting on the ride up just two days before. Actually, I tell a little bit of a lie - while we weren't trying to compare exact fill levels by looking inside the tanks, Ponch generally took just a tad less than I did at most stops - probably just 0.1 gallons on a 5 gallon fill. So Ponch's bike went from being the worst of four in MPG (by a long shot), to actually being the best. We have no way of being certain how much credit the new plugs get for this, but I'm betting the float levels were the biggest piece. OK, I'll stop for now. But if you haven't had the float levels checked on your RSV, your really should think about it. Even if it is brand new. By all means, do not assume the factory got them even close to the right level!! Ride safe, Goose -
AFAIK there are four affordable (Under $100) carb sync tools on the market for four cylinder motorcycles. The Morgan Carbtue which uses stainless steel rods do indicate vacuum levels about £55 (aprox US$82) or £62 (aprox US$92) with a tool pouch (Mechanical) http://www.carbtune.co.uk/Images/SSL11411SC.jpg Emgo Gauge Set which uses four vacuum gauges to indicate vacuum levels about $70 (Mechanical) http://www.denniskirk.com/denniskirk/b2c/product_images/3/8/0/600pix/38040005.jpg Motion Pro SyncPRO which uses "New mercury-free design uses non toxic manometer fluid" (Liquid) about $100.00 http://www.motionpro.com/images/enlarged/08-0411.jpg And my personal choice the mercury manometer (AKA mercury Carb Sick) that costs about $55 and will NEVER go out of adjustment, however the mercury is not a nice substance to have around your home... and to transport it you need to drain it. (Liquid) http://www.saber-cycle.com/store/media/parts/08-010.jpg CLICK HERE TO BUY ONE if they still exist Does anybody know of any other affordable (under $100) for the home mechanic Carburetor Synchronizer tools that are on the market???????
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Just makin' an offer here - If there are a couple of members that want to get together at my place near the DFW airport to do a little maintenance, we can do kind of a mini carb clinic. Things like set float levels, sync and fuel mixture. Synching carbs only takes 10 minutes or so, but if we set float levels that would be 3-5 hours, depending on drinking and bench racing time. I enjoy working on bikes, and especially with good company. I suggested a couple of members just because I'd like to maximize the efficiency - we could do two or three bikes at the same time, but not much more than that. All you need to bring is some beer and a willingness to work. I'm not offering to be your mechanic, just help you and provide some experience (but if you want someone to do it for you instead of with you, we can negotiate a fair charge)! Just lemme know if anyone is interested, Goose Oh, I also have a standing offer to help members change tires . . .
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I just found this web site. Lots of information the basic operation of carburators, if anybody is interested. I was looking for info on setting float levels, when I just found the site. http://hondanighthawks.net/carbhelp.htm?
