Yahoo!!

Well, as I said in an earlier post, I was having issues with my bike. It was running rought, especially between 2700 & 3500 rpm. A buddy at work suggested that it might be bad gas or something in one of the carbs although the fact that it didn't do it when revving the engine in neurtral stumped him.

I was riding it 15 miles to work this morning to have him check it out when it started mis-firing pretty badly. I decided to turn around and bring it home. On the way home I realized that it had stopped mis-firing and the vibration is now gone! YES!!!!

I'm NOT a mechanic but I wonder if the bike had never had seafoam before and when I put it to bed last winter, maybe something got worked loose and was plugging something. And on the ride in it finally got worked lose. Sound reasonable?

mikeg

 

mikeg, that is good it stopped BUT, if something did break loose you are riding a time bomb just waiting for whatever broke loose to find another spot to stop. You might want to pull those carbs & give them a little TLC.
Gregg

 

+1 on this. I use seafoam as a preventative measure, now that my carbs are in good working order, but I was finding all sorts of stuff in strange places while cleaning, and as far as I'm aware, nobody had seafoam'd the bike before I did.

On the other hand I suppose it's possible (assuming there is still seafoam in the tank) that it broke something loose, then ate it enough to just throw it into the cylinder and have it burn.

Plus seafoam makes my car and bike not quite run right in and of itself. They run, but they run rough.

Definitely tear into those carbs though man, wouldn't want to drop a cyl at highway speeds or something.

 

Yes, I had the same thought about needing to clean them properly. I'm not sure I'm quite ready to do that yet. I was tickled pink that I changed my own oil. I'm still trying to figure out changing my fork oil.

If not before, I figure I'll need to do them next winter.

mikeg

 

Only problem with waiting to clean is it may find another spot to plug, & this time it may not run. Hopefully that will be in your driveway & not 40miles from home.
Gregg

 

Greg,

I realize that you're correct but I suspect it would take me quite a while considering how new I am to wrench turning. Heck, I'm still trying to figure out how to change the front fork oil. I do want to do the carbs but I'd also like to get in some riding. So I'm going to chance it for now.

mikeg

 

How about throwng up a barrier to any more stuff that might come from the tank? Let's get an in-line fuel filter installed right quick.

You need a service manual.

 

I agree with Bigfitz, put an inline filter in there just to be safe. I understand your desire to ride & the fear of tackling those carbs but it isn't that hard, it just takes time & patients. Hopefully what ever it was has passed thru to the cylinder & been burnt up. The inline filter will stop anything else from entering from you tank.
Gregg

 

For sure install a fuel filter. Get one of those you can see into. If there is something that shows up in the filter you'll know it.

 

Hey Mike....I am not a very experienced wrench either, but one thing I can tell you is use the guide http://xjbikes.com/Forums/viewtopic/t=2908.html
and you can't go wrong, if you are like me and STILL screw it up then post here and these guys usually have the answers *bigthumbsup*

 

at the bottom of your forks are 2 plugs (1 on ech fork) put the bike on its center stand let the pressure out of the forks (on the left ot right fork at the top you will find a valve like the one on your tires) now loosing the plugs and take a hand pump (like the one for a bicycle) and attach it to the valve you just released the pressure with and start to pump SLOWLY! to push the old oil out. now if your forkrs are like the ones on my concours then its aliitle more involved when it come to putting the new oil in, if you have a manual it should tell you how to do it if not post here and well get you setup.

S!

 

Got the fork oil changed. It seemed like a lot of work to get it changed but it went smoothly.

As far as the fuel filter. I've already got one. I plan to put it in when I change the valve cover gasket and check the valve shims. I'm placing the order for the stuff I need today.

mikeg