What will it take to get you "Dialed-in"?

Are you close to being tuned up really nice?
Do you have a performance issue we should smooth out?
What's holding you back from having the most performance your bike can deliver?

Lets make this a TWEAK Thread.
Let's see if we can get a few bikes running tip-top!

 

Well I started the plug chop process today.
At 6000 the plugs had a nice burnished gray to tan color.
At 2000 #1, #4 were slightly tan, #2, #3 were pretty white.
I put a small dot with a magic marker on the carb body were the slot on the screw pointed.
This way I had a point of reference.
I turned out the pilot screw ever so slightly, it's hard to tell if you moved it at all.
I mean like the width of a dime if that.
Had to crank it longer then normal, with no gas, to get it to start, thought crap what have I done.
After that starts were good, just one extra crank before I opened the throttle up.
Heard the difference immediately, much deeper tone then normal.
Took her for a ride, it seemed that the throttle was more responsive, low end a little stronger.
Looked at the plugs, @2000, when I got back.
Didn't see any difference really, it was subtle, if at all.
Who knows maybe it's all in my head and what I did made no difference.
:lol:

I will continue to tweak each day.
With the knowledge that I can put it back to were it was if I f*** it up, I have more courage to go ahead now.

It would be nice to have a pic of a properly colored plug.
I have seen pics here that I felt were quit dark tan, my shop tells me that the burnished gray to tan color is perfect.

I've learned so much here in the past few weeks still so much to learn.
Answer me this, if I close the throttle and the motor is turning, at say 6500.
Am I now running on the pilot circiut?
So when I crack it back open, it switches betwen the two.
By adjusting the pilot screw I am smoothing this transition also?
Thanks everyone.

 

Depending on where ... within the Fine-tuning "Window" you set-up you will get:

Light Brown / Tan / Yellow after high-speed Chop:

A lean mixture which burns quick and fast. Hard accelerations. Extreme engine braking at Closed Throttles.

Dark Brown / Brown / Tanned after a high-speed Chop:

A rich mixture which burns slower and cooler. Smooth, throaty, pick-up.
Engine coasting when the Throttles are Closed.

 

I wish I could contribute, but my bike's been in great tune for going on 3 seasons now. In fact when I brought her in for inspection, the guy at the shop (who sold me the bike) asked how often I needed to clean the carbs since I bought it. Knowing the size of the orifices in the jets, I'm surprised how well it's stayed in tune with just a little maintenance.

 

I just bought a 1981 seca 550. Is there a thread here that I can read up on to see exactly how the bike should perform and sound so I can see if I need to dial my carbs. Thanks.

 

I need to go back and re-synch the carbs with the YICS ports blocked. Did the Manometer Method w/out blocking the ports and while there was considerable improvement, I believe there is more to be had.

Right now it idles very nicely after warm. Very little hunting, etc. It does have a pop/miss about every 2-3 seconds when holding steady at 3000 rpm on the stand. I don't notice it when driving.

When cold the idle rougher, more hunting, etc. unless I adjust the choke to hold about 1400rpm. Also takes very little choke movement to change the RPM's.

May have an enrichment circuit not as clean as others impacting cold idle in addition to synch not being dead on.

Other than that the bike is coming along nicely. New tires went on last night. Just have 1 horn down now and the tank needs a spray job. Valve gaps will be this winters project.

 

I just colortuned the 900 with a box fan, and a 4 tube homemade manometer, but I cheated- - didn't plug the YICS. Just wanted to play with the new colortune! I was expecting to see the dramatic change from yellow to blue and fade to light blue. What I experienced was more vague and a couple CYL never went yellow, unless I touched the "choke".

Since my plugs were very clean - white, with only a touch of tan, I decided to set all 4 screws 90* out ( 1/4 turn). The idle is now rock steady instead of "loping" and the bike feels and sounds stronger, and less throttle braking. I've averaged 49 MPG, and I don't want to mess up a good thing.
Question- - how far do I ride before I can accurately re-read the plugs?

 

You know you're in when you can let go of the throttle and still have the bike Idle on its own without "Catching it" with some throttle before it stalls.

You're in when you can leave a Red Light and accelerate down the boulevard without any hesitation of bogging-out as you wrist-on the power.

It takes a little time to get the Pilot Mixtures right where they need to be.
Learning that the right spot is within a very few degrees of turning the Mixture Screw and NOT a guarter-turn or half a turn is important.

The Mixture Screws have Ultra Fine Threads for this kind of Tweaking.
So, all you need to do is Open it or Close it down just a few degrees for Optimum performance.
It's something that comes along with the experience of tuning your own Bike.

Relying on the feedback of the Plug coloration is important. The Plugs will tell you how the Bike is running.
And, making adjustments to individual Cylinders, rather than making across the board tweaks helps too.

 

Accually this webpage about spark plugs is a addictive read
Check it out
http://www.usaimports.co.uk/Mopar_Tech_ ... eading.htm

 

Thanks for the site link. Thats excellent info.

 

Thanks, From this photo I'm right there on #1 and #4, #2 and #3 are real close.

 

I can't imagine my bike has much more to offer performance wise. It starts very well, idle good after only a minute two max after a cold start. If anything from reading on this site the bike is probably on the egde and a bit lean. When you twist the throttle you go there is no hesitation You better be ready when you hit it! It has pulled the front wheel on me twice when I wasn't expesting it to. It could prob be richened up if a guy wanted the cruiser throttle responce right now I would say it is more crotch rocket throttle quick on/off but never misses a beat seamless from 1100-10k if you wind it up that far. I should pull the plugs and look at them I put new ones in when I got it but the carbs were a little bit of a mess inside and #2 the diaghram wasn't positioned properly for that carb wasn't working proper.

 

Since winter storage (with gas) I have a couple of low spots in the throttle...
Next fill up i'll try some carb cleaner.

 

guess i need to get in on this. at startup without the choke it starts and runs for bout 1sec. with full choke it starts right up to 1200 rpm in 1 min. it revs to 2000 i let off the choke to bout half it drops to 1300. in another min it drops to 1050 and idles great. riding it warm i notice it doesn't seem to engine brake when i let off the throttle off takes bout 5 sec. to drop back to idle. the plugs have bout a 1000 miles on them. all 4 plugs look the same as the one in this pix. i'm really wondering what's up with no engine braking.

 

The no engine braking could be something other than Pilot Mixture.
Bad sync.
Stuck Diaphragm Piston.

That Plug looks like its on the Lean side just a tiny bit.
A micrometer gradient or two more Rich wouldn't hurt unless you like running like that for acceleration.

That lean SHOULD provide great Engine Braking.
Investigate your Syncs and the Diaphragm Bores.

You are in "The Tweak Zone" right there.
A degree or two either way will change the way that you get out-of-the-hole.

Blazing fast ... probably like you are now ... or, ...
Smooth as silk ... a few degrees Richer!

 

Really hot and humid today.
Riding around town, once the bike was warm it had no power down low.
I've been playing with the pilot screws and thought I had it pretty close, couldn't understand this bogging.
Did the plug chop pulling into the driveway.
#1 and #2 looked really good, I was starting to worry it was something else.
#3 was the culprit, dark brown with a small dark smudge on one side.
This goes to show that Mother Nature, Frank Zappa and tuning don't always go together. :wink:
I had turned it the wrong way on the previous plug chop.
:lol:
So I turned the screw in a little, took her for a ride.
The difference was immediate.
Who'd of thought one cyclinder could make such a big increase in power.
Everything smoothed out, acceleration, idle, slow start almost gone.
Chopped it back at the house and found #3 still a little darker then the rest.
Turned it in a little bit more and on the way to work tonight it was a different bike WOW.
I don't want to touch it 'cause I think this is it, but I have the urge to try and get it better.
Sometimes you have to know when to say no. :lol:

I found that my plugs are just a shade lighter then the one in the large photo.
Which indicates lean but, this seems to be were the bike is most comfortable running.
As long as I've got tan I'm not worried about running to lean.
So i will run it like this for a while see how I like it.
Big trip the end of this week.
:arrow:

 

You're IN!
Now you are done tuning and crossing-over to The Dark Side of TWEAKING!

You can "Play"
No law against that!
Just don't drugged by how well the Bike will perform "Critically Lean"

A Bike likes to scream when they are too lean.
But the aluminum parts CAN'T HANDLE the HEAT!

Keep a close eye on those Plugs if you go Lean.
If they are clean thats a sign of way too dangerously lean.
Piston Crown melt-through dangerously lean.

But, a tinge of color lean is a good sign.
That's about where I like my Bike to be on the weekends and for running up into New Hampshire to ride the twisties.

If you are going anyplace highway ... give it a nudge-over to some more Richness.
Just to be safe!

Nice job getting her tuned-up.
I know you must feel very good about it!

 

Thank you, I do.
I had a shit eating grin on my face the whole way hear and as I typed.
:mrgreen:

 

Rick maybe that pix was alittle misleading since the camera flash went off on that pix so i thought i would get a pix in the day light without the flash.
i put both pixs in so you can get a better feel. lol i thought i was just about spot on.
pix with the flash.


pix in day light without flash.