running too rich and burning plugs

Well Now I know Im running too Rich My plugs keep turning Black . So I was wondering ... Which way do I turn the Pilot Screws to lighten her up ? And what is the process? Lift the tank , Turn the screws a few mm left or right , Check the plugs ? is that too easy ?

 

youre sooting up the plugs for sure but youre not burning them. the excess fuel is keeping them nice and cool, hence the coating of soot...

i believe RIGHT turns them in which makes the mixture MORE LEAN...

youre pretty much on for the procedure. run it, pull the tank, turn maybe the width of a dime, replace tank and go for a run...

i dont know how far you would have to ride to get the plugs cleaned (from the higher temps) but run if for a while, the kill the engine with the kill switch while slightly revving it. that will give you a good 'coating' so to speak...

 

Some of the tuning you need to do you can do without hitting the road.
Put some new Plugs in it.
Lean-out the Pilot Mixture Screws IN ... 3~5 Degrees ... not much.

Run the bike.
Set up an electric fan for cooling.
Rev it up to 5,000 rpm and hold it for 15-seconds.
Hit the Kill switch.
Look at the Plugs.

If you are still Rich you'll see it and hear it.
Based on the performance after Leaning-out the Mixture you'll have to make further adjustments.
Start the bike.
Let it Idle.
Open the Throttle and listen to it coming off-idle.

If it boggs-down before grabbing the Main Fuel Supply ... your still too Rich
If it sputters and coughs ... you have a Lean condition.

You will be tuning to achieve a seamless transition from Idle to when the Throttles Open.
This you will HEAR.
This you will also see as you examine the Plugs.

Plugs that are too clean will require a few degrees of Richness
Too Rich and you tweak the other way.

Hold the Bike at 3,500 rpm.
Listen to the exhaust note.
If the note is unsteady ... (Pop, pop-pop, poppidy-poppity) ... tune-out the miss.
Tweak the Screws a few degrees in each direction until that unsteady note disappears.

Once the unsteady exhaust note is addressed ... you are ready for some road tuning.
BRING EXTRA PLUGS IN CASE YOU FOUL THE ONES IN YOUR BIKE.

Go somewhere where you can do tuning runs.
An industrial park makes a good location.
Run the bike for a few minutes and then do a wide open throttle Plug Chop.
Take the bike right up to high revs ... kill switch and coast to a stop.
If you set up a table with your tools and Plugs you can coast to your work station.

Examine the Plugs.
Closely.
Make individual tweaks to those that ate rich or lean.
Stick-in some cleaned plugs. (Carb Cleaner and toothbrush)

Repeat the run.
Concentrate on getting the Mixture set-up to seamlessly transition from Idle to off-idle.
If it won't "Get-out-of-the-hole" ... make Mixture adjustments to give it enough richness to get going.

After a few runs you'll find Plugs that don't need adjustment and one or two that do.
Make the adjustments to the ones that need the tweak and do further runs.

Before too long you'll fine that you have arrived at where there is no further adjustments to do and the bike is accelerating without delay.

Bring all the tools home.
Ride it.
Do a daily inspection to insure you aren't too lean.
If you get it dialed-in doing Plug Chops ... you'll love the results!

 

what he said

 

I cast my vote. Lets make this a sticky. Colortuning is not everyones thing.
Rickster whatda ya say??

 

Cant wait to get home to try this. Great write up Rick!

 

Sure ... make it a sticky. I was under the impression that everyone knew how to Plug Chop.

Plug Chop is as "Old School" as American Bandstand 'fer cryin' out loud!

While you are doing your Plug Chops ... you can take a Plug that was too Rich (Dark and almost sooty) ... and put it in another Cylinder that read too Lean (Too clean -- too Lean) ... and, the Plug will get cleaned while you are doing the next lap.

Wide Open Throttle Plug Chopping will also leave the Plug's Ceramic Tip and Curved Electrode looking jaundiced (Yellow).

The Yellow is a coloration that is very familiar to those who tune Race Performing Engines.
The "Yellow" left behind by a High-on-the-tach Plug Chop is often referred to as: High-speed glasing!

If you come home from a day of playing Cartoon Beagle Flying Doghouse ... selecting Bogies and shooting-down Bandits while the indicator of your tach spends a good deal of time above 65-hundred revs ... you can expect to have your Plugs lookin' like an Oriental with a sunburn.

It means you had fun and the Bike's ready for Track Day!