michaelbc

Hello again, my '01 is stock except for a K&N and dynojet kit: 190 rear 185 front main jets and needles at 5th slot as per the instructions. Starts and idles fine, seems a bit sluggish until 3800RPM then its like an afterburner. No flat spots or missing etc, just sluggish at low end. Pulling the choke out when underway doesn't seem to affect it, I'm thinking its running rich at lower revs so I need to drop the needles one notch. I am getting faster at pulling the carbs, but its still a lot of work when I could be riding. Any thoughts?
Thanks

xeris

I'm guessing the RLOD comes on at about 50 miles rich. LOL

michaelbc

Ya lost me...

Wolverine

He's implying w/ that set up you should be plenty rich, which will also reduce range. How many miles do you get per tank?

Wolverine

And the reason he lost you is because you ran out of petrol and he did not, lol.
Please fill out your user profile and let us know where you're from. Click user profile then edit your details on the left.

xeris

Yeah, it was a bit left field.

michaelbc

I got about 42MPG my last fill up. It's a Canadian bike, so 200 miles range. I live in BC near the border. It's about 80 miles to the top of Mount Baker, one of the best rides in the Northwest.
So, I gather my settings are further off than I thought?

xeris

Guessing that your bike has the same speedo error as mine, +9%, that would put your fuel economy at around 38mpg. Which is good for a SH. That mpg would yield about 110-117 miles til RLOD, not 200 (that I wish I could get).
Not being combative, just giving you the facts as I know them.
For those that say a speedo healer doesn't change the odometer also, well...

michaelbc

I mentioned mine is a Canadian bike, has a 19 liter (5 US gal) tank. I still haven't seen a response to my setup question. Am I on the wrong page? Maybe this is the witty repartee section? ;-)

Wicky

Never heard of a UK 19L tanked bike doing 200 miles between fill-ups - approx 140-150 tops on steady throttle dual carriageway / motorway miles.

Maybe more down hill in Canada or a good tailwind... As suggested earlier is there something fiunky with the bike's gearing resulting in optimistic milometer/tripmeter.

As a comparison my K&N equiped 16L VTR, set up on dyno does 80-110 miles at best between fillups with similar set up. https://www.vtr1000.org/phpBB3/viewt...p?f=36&t=28029

michaelbc

Hmmm.. so if I'm getting 38mpg as you say, and I have a 19 liter tank, which I do, and 19 liters = 5 gallons, and 38 x 5 = 190, isn't that close to 200? I've been riding up and down Mt Baker nearly every dry Monday in the summer since 2008, on a dozen different bikes; I do know the distance. My odo is definitely not out 9%.
That said, how could the bike be running rich???

CrankenFine

I am thinking your instinct to drop the needles a notch is correct. I think it may be possible to make that change without fully removing the carbs. Worth a try.

michaelbc

Thank you. Next rainy day I'll try that.
Cheers

xeris

Have you looked at the plugs? Have you read the carb set up thread?
As Crankenfine said, drop the needles. I would do it more than less as a start.
You know that the stated tank volume is not what is actually available. There is at least a third of a gallon that is just sloshing around, wishing that it could convert to noise, er power (there's a Harley joke in there). That is also after the RLOD has been on for while.
Have you used a some accurate method to verify that your speedo is on. Like GPS? 200km would be just about right.

michaelbc

You got me thinking. First I checked my odo against my GPS; it's accurate to .5%. I thought I'd try a complete round trip to Mt Baker which is 276km (172 miles). I ran out of gas at 261km (162 miles), fortunately less than 100 meters from the first gas station I saw in 35 km! Filling to the top took 4.04 gallons, not the 5 it should have. 4 gallons is 15.16 liters which, based on your comment above, makes me suspect that I have the USA 16 liter tank after all, despite this being a Canadian bike. So, at 40.1 mpg, I guess it isn't running a rich as I thought!

Wicky

How do you ride as 160 miles is still twice as far as a lot of owners get?

What do your plugs look like? And has the bike been dynoed?

Also why was a K&N filter fitted?

michaelbc

Hey, I'm asking the questions here! :-)
Don't know, plugs look good - tan colour, no, and why not?

xeris

If your bike is actually getting that range, you need to figure out why and then sell it as a fix. I will be first in line to buy.

michaelbc

I'm keen to get at those needles now; aiming for 45MPG! We have spectacular riding weather here right now, so it'll have to wait.

waltr

I am surprised this has not been said yet but based on what I have found the larger tank never came to North America. Some have claimed that Canada got some but I have never seen any proof. I would love to have one but it seems they are popular in Europe and getting scarce and expensive.

I have gotten over 40MPG a couple of times but am usually in the high 30's. I consider it a 100 mile bike but if I behave I can go 120 or more miles on a tank. I started carrying a couple of 1L fuel bottles on trips. Its not much but might keep me from having to walk.

I did have the RLOD come on before 80 miles one time. When I stopped for gas it was 86 miles and it took 3.89 gallons! That is about 22MPG. I was NOT riding at 65MPH though! That is the worst I have ever done.

rktdoc

They can be changed without pulling the carbs just takes some finesse to get the springs back in without letting them roll over and unwind.
Having Allen head screws in place of stockers makes it a little easier job as well.

xeris

A little bird whispered an answer to the super mileage mystery. It said, "maybe the bike never revs over 3K". ??

michaelbc

I'm old but I'm not dead! The fun meter sits at zero until about 4500 RPM, but I confess I never go past about 8k, and only up there when I'm passing a pylon.
Thanks for the tip on not pulling the carbs. I'm a bit arthritic in the hands, hence a bit fumble-fingered. I can see myself losing something down the throat.
Cheers!