Maxim-X & Colortune

I tried using the 12mm colortune I just bought from Chacal but the compression is so much higher in the X that its obvious I can't install it the same way as I do with the other (14mm) bikes, I'm going to have to tighten it down much more firmly and wonder how other X owners go about inserting & removing the colortune.

Also, there's a copper crush washer that does not fit snugly which came with it, do you use that as well & how do you easily extract that considering the small hole for the spark plug to fit in? Long Hemostats?

Thanks!

 

16mm socket and an extension. Long needlenose for removing the colortune plug once it's loose. Inserting the plug can be accomplished by threading the lead wire onto the plug, then starting it in the hole.

I got a set of cheap picks w/handles from Harbor Freight. Seems to work well enough for that task at least.

 

A few tips that I can add if I may.

The colortune plug can be used without the copper washer for the X.
If you have a 5/8" spark plug socket, layer some electrical tape inside to hold it when installing and extracting the colortune plug. See Picture Below.

Also, if you get the spark arcing to the head with the lead provided, use some rubber vacuum hose to help reduce the tendency to arc. I had them send me an updated version that still arcs, but less frequently. Picture shows the replacement on the top, with the original modified just below it for reference.

As far as the "Color" settings go, I like to back out the idle screws to see the yellow/orange flame, then turn in the screws 1 to 1 1/2 from there. You are very close to sea level so I would keep them more toward the rich side.

If you want to get into re-jetting and would like more tips on that let me know.

Good point about the seafoam. Having that settle in and clean up any carbon buildup probably helped.

Now maybe a compression test and valve clearance check would be a great idea, just to verify that all is OK. I know the manual doesn't call for it until 26K, but making sure there all within spec is good insurance.

 

I forgot to add that just snugging the colortune plug is enough and works well. Needless to say, over-torquing should be avoided on the aluminum threads.

BTW, what size jets are in your carbs? Curious to know what yours came with from the factory as it should have 37.5 pilots and 105 mains.

 

Thanks for the suggestions! I tried snugging the colortune in and used as much force as I do with the XJ11 & 650 and I could hear the pressure escaping past the colortune. I can only guess it's because of a structural difference between the 12mm & 14mm colortunes or because the X has so much greater compression. My guess is it is because of the greater compression in the X?

Dang... I never bothered to check the jetting values on the carbs and I have them back in the bike now. Normally I pay attention to those things but this time all I wanted to do was be sure everything was totally clean and new rubber everywhere. I even checked the fluid levels on each carb to be sure they were dead on.

I appreciate the concept of getting more power out of a bike but normally I like to leave things stock and to get more power I'd get a bigger bike. I want good gas mileage and the XJ11 averages maybe 37 MPG. The 650 Maxim gets a reliable 50 MPG. No idea what this X will be getting but it's only 50cc more than the 650 and it's a more efficient engine so I'm expecting mid 40s and for a bit more power, I wouldn't want to take a MPG hit.

That said, the XJ11 has air filters you can't get off the shelf any more so I made a K&N filter for it which gives more airflow than stock offers & because of that I decided to put a Dynojet kit in it and put it at the minimal jetting to make up for it. The minimal setting is if you have a non-stock air filter and stock pipes. I think it was a good choice, the XJ11 has plenty of balls and it gives better MPG than before when I had a homebrew foam filter in it with stock jetting.

As to the arcing on your colortune, that Teflon Tape for plumbing is just the ticket to stop that. Teflon is a phenomenal insulator of high voltage and that tape will with just a couple of layers, make a huge difference. I have some teflon coax cable for my ham radio amplifier and it is 1/2 the diameter of the TV cable in your house but it is designed to handle 10 kilowatts. So just give it a try; wrap several layers for your own piece of mind around the exposed metal parts at the bottom of the connector, pull it snug & wrap the tape into itself to hold it in place and you really ought to be good to go.

 

Not sure why you are not getting a complete seal with the colortune plug? Haven't had any trouble with mine while using it on the X.

My suggestion of dialing in an optimal tune of the A/F ratio will help with the overall power and may give you slightly less mileage. The main point is being sure that your not running it too lean (based on running at or near sea level atmospheric conditions) and helping with engine longevity.

Thanks for the tips on using the Teflon. I do have the Dyna coils so it may be a case where the additional voltage is causing the arcing?

 

With the XJ650 or the XJ11 (and the XJ11 has new rings and a valve job so it has full compression), all I have to do to seat the colortune is twist it in finger tight by the stem and it seals nicely enough to do the test. I tried that with the X and I heard the pressure powerfully escaping when it was running. I didn't want to tighten down too tight with it and then have problems extracting it from the well so I backed it out and asked here what others do with their X & colortune. I suspect I need to use more torque to have it seat properly.

I'm in Boston at the moment so I can't look at the plug but the part that dead-ends when you tighten it down, at the top of the threads, has a bevel on it. I don't recall that bevel being there on the 14mm plug. If I'm recalling the plug correctly, it's like the mating surface on the head would also have to have a bevel to match completely. Can't be sure about that till I get back & compare the two. Perhaps that gasket that looks like a copper crush gasket is an adapter to mate with flat surfaces? It is pretty thick...

I do enjoy working on these XJ bikes and I've learned a world of new knowledge from so many here who freely share their knowledge & thoughts. It seems like the X is quite a bit different than the other XJs and it's more of an area I'll have a harder time getting definitive answers to but I can tell it's going to be a lot of fun to fix up and even more to ride. Even with the carbs Borked and it running badly, when I took it out for that first ride after the Seafoam treatment, I was shocked to find I was passing cars on the interstate moments after leaving the "on ramp" and I felt like I hardly got into traffic and the speedo said 85. This is going to be a fun little sleeper.

 

Fun sleepers they are....and you will get double takes from onlookers wondering why it looks like a V-twin style cruiser and sounds like a sport bike.
Most people have no clue of how quick they really are.

The 12mm colortune plug has a taper on it and I've used mine without the gasket. Spin it in by hand, then snug it up firmly with the ratchet.