So Close!...
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Took it for a 70 mile test run today. The head gasket is holding in there!..
As it was running well a day ago, I thought I’d put the needle down a notch (from middle) to the 4th notch down, where it’s supposed to be according to the manual. The plug is a richer chocolate colour but it started bogging again. So tomorrow it’s back to the 3rd, middle notch. Make sure it runs as smooth as it was before, then address the pilot jet/airscrew mixture...
I’d never believed a single notch could cause so much change! Wish me luck...
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more variables:
Found 2 new potential problems: 1, the wires for the sidestand kill switch may of been crushed by the seat. 2, I had to fit an inline fuel filter because of the state of the tanks inside, it has been creating a ‘locked in place’ air bubble. I don’t know if it’s been affecting flow at high revs and causing ‘bogging’. I have managed to finesse the air out by holding the tank up and keeping the fuel line vertical...
My next test ride will tell...
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Best colour yet, ever! This is with the needle in the middle slot, also with the airscrew turned out 3 full turns. That is fully open when you look into the air jet!...
Below:
This is the plug that’s been brought up to full temp on tickover only, remember that this is with the airscrew wound full out...
Wet n black! I don’t know why the standard 0.225 pilot jet is too rich on my particular bike, but it is. I have a 0.20 Mikuni jet I’m gonna try tomorrow. Wish me luck
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Found another potential yesterday, the long breather pipe that hangs down on the kickstart side leads to a hole at the top of the ‘tube’ that the needle jet fits into. (I guess it’s to let the fuel level go up and down inside the jet, equalising the pressure, maybe? Fluid won’t rise in a closed environment, like an upside down cup in water) where the slide housing joins there is potential for mischief. My gasket is so compressed I have to use sealant. I’ve tried hermatite red and silicon. The silicon was kinda vulcanised by the fuel at the bottom of the slide where the breather pipe join is. So I’m going with the red but I’ve had so many inconsistencies I really want a new gasket. Anyone know of?...
I think the vent has been causing some of the mid throttle bogging and inconsistency... -
Went down to a .20 pilot and it still ran wet plug with the airscrew fully out! Since put in a 17.5 and it ticks over well, the plug is still slightly black but not dripping wet at 1.5 turns...
The proof will be in a test ride though...
I’m using this thread as a memory diary, if I don’t write it down I forget!
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@calum
I’m not sure why you think that is super hot bud, 90* is perfect running temp I think. If it’s doing it while under load at high revs is even better! You’re running 200 twin radiators aren’t you?I’ve managed to reign mine in a bit. I put another radiator on it that I managed to finesse back into usefulness. I straightened some fins and removed the outer edge of the worse with a Dremel type tool.
My old radiator had so many fins folded over on the inner side that it wasn’t funny! Why the inside gets the brunt of it I don’t know. I’d of thought that it would be the outer ‘wind in’ side that caught it?... -
@spookdog It went mental on Sunday 100 degrees centigrade under very light riding. I came to a stop at the traffic lights and the engine just started to rev it's nuts off on its own. I killed the engine (nothing) turned the ignition switch off nothing. Had to kill the fuel in the end.
So yeah, it just seems to run WAY too hot that it's igniting on its own
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Since I’ve had the ‘new’ radiator on I’ve had a lot better temps during the hot days recently. I’ve swapped out the standard tailpipe for a BigOne that’s been laying around, this seems to be beneficial as well. It seems to be running even cooler. Not sure why...
The plugs been dry since I fitted the 17.5 pilot jet, the midrange seems good as well going by the plug. Top end/main jet is still buggered. The last two times I snapped the throttle open fully I had heatseize symptoms. Both times I whipped the clutch in and coasted to a stop, both times it started up straight away. I haven’t been in a position to recreate the symptoms to see if it was a genuine heat seazure (sp?) or a totall bogout due to main jet being wrong. It’s a 210 ATM, it was a 180 before...
Problem on top of problem after problem being an invisible problem 🤯
Oh well it’s all in fun and we live and learn while the World falls apart around us!
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Turns out it was heat seazures. 4 point seazure marks on piston, 1 bad enough to have ‘the look’ of sliding metal. More eating away of the piston crown and scoring to the barrel 🤨 it all happened before I changed the radiator. Oh well! We live and turn 🤪
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@calum
Pics to come when I fix phone!Has anyone had dealings with Athena gaskets that are 3 layers fixed together with 2 brass rivets?...
Anyone? The outer 2 are black with the usual coating, while the centre 1 is silver...
@Dtr&nsr
It’s definitely heat caused, mostly my own ignorance
I understand that mixture being lean can run too hot, but it wasn’t solely that. There was even plenty of oil in the barrel and around the crank. Although it is a bit sooty and scorched!...@Everyone
I have problems with my temp gauge, normal running temp is showing at 5mm above the C (for Cold) and any variation above doesn’t really show very much. It was below the halfway mark when the head gasket blew!!
The old radiator was a lot less efficient at dumping heat than the new one, it was OK when the ambient temp was not ‘heatwave hot’. The new one throws away BTU’s nicely.
Ideally I’d like to adjust the temp gauge with a resistor or something, so as that ‘normal’ temp is in the middle of the gauge... -
@spookdog @spookdog a heat seizure is caused by the piston expanding to much/fast. From a lean mixture burning to hot. The piston basically becomes to big for the bore it's running in, and seizes. The fuel in a richer mixture actually takes heat from the piston crown. Lean mixture is backed up by the detonation you've seen on your piston.
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