Hello,
This will be the first of my series of "Things to look out for" tips", series of posts to educate my loyal followers.
As you know carbs need air and fuel to make the engine produce rotating energy which propels us forward. The carb is basically a toilet, it has a float and a needle valve just like the "John", in your house. Imagine for a second that there is a straw in your toilet, the business end, not the part that holds water in the back, the carb draws fuel through the straw and atomizes it in a venturi, simply put. The air that the fuel is mixed with passes through the venturi of the body of the carb, mixes with fuel and is drawn into the cylinder by means of a specific passge way, the carb intake boot. The carb intake boot is usually a rubber molded part that joins the carb to the head of the engine with a tight fit, not allowing any air to be drawn in by the connections, only through the rear of the carb. When the "Intake Boot" ages from hot and colt cycles and uv radiation from the sun exposure, they develope cracks. These cracks cause unwanted air to enter the combustion chamber after the mixing of fuel has occured. This additional air entering changes the mixture from just right to lean. The symptom of this problem can easily be detected by being aware of the principles of combustion and a few other tips I have observed over the years: Cracked air intake boots cause the bike to : Caugh , like it has a smokers hack or a cold, crackle from too lean of a fuel mixture, sometimes backfire, engine runs too hot, blue pipes, meaning the chrome header pipes are not a golden color, they are blue. When an observance of blue header pipes happens, pay attention to other symptoms listed previously.
I hope this helps with understanding this common problem that can be easily misdiagnosed .
Blog created to assist motorcyclists with technical, safety and maintenance information relating to the motorcycle industry.
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Is your battery as strong as it could be?
Weak batteries can cause many problems. Here is a list of a few of them. Weak charging, over charging, overloading regulator, burning up regulator, ignition failure, fuel pump loading, no spark, code tripping and the list goes on and on. So why not charge it when you are not riding?
I am going to just cut to the chase, your motorcycle cannot charge a dead or very weak battery. Motorcycles have small stators (Alternators), therefore cannot charge a weak battery. The best insurance against a weak battery issue is to install a battery maintainer. There are many "smart" chargers on the market. Some cost very little and can be found at popular discount tool stores, but I recommend spending at least $30-50 on a maintainer/charger. There is a big difference between a maintainer and a charger. A maintainer simply maintains an already "Healthy " battery. A " charger" nurses a dead/weak battery back to life. A "smart" charger tests, loads, and reports on the health of a battery . My maintainer of choice is Battery tender Jr. from Deltran for motorcycles, atv, snow machines, and watercraft. My battery charger of choice is made by Black and Decker, and has 2-10 amp charging, and is a smart charger. Let the smart charger do the hard work, and let the maintainer do the light work.
I would gladly accept any gratuity from Deltran or Black and Decker for the Blog advertisement. :)
I am going to just cut to the chase, your motorcycle cannot charge a dead or very weak battery. Motorcycles have small stators (Alternators), therefore cannot charge a weak battery. The best insurance against a weak battery issue is to install a battery maintainer. There are many "smart" chargers on the market. Some cost very little and can be found at popular discount tool stores, but I recommend spending at least $30-50 on a maintainer/charger. There is a big difference between a maintainer and a charger. A maintainer simply maintains an already "Healthy " battery. A " charger" nurses a dead/weak battery back to life. A "smart" charger tests, loads, and reports on the health of a battery . My maintainer of choice is Battery tender Jr. from Deltran for motorcycles, atv, snow machines, and watercraft. My battery charger of choice is made by Black and Decker, and has 2-10 amp charging, and is a smart charger. Let the smart charger do the hard work, and let the maintainer do the light work.
I would gladly accept any gratuity from Deltran or Black and Decker for the Blog advertisement. :)
Does your antifreeze look like this???
Seriously? Yea I know, I could not believe it either. I actually drained this out of a bike that from the outside looked outstanding. Someone mixed antifreeze and never drained it or the overflow. Long story short, I had to back flush the entire system 5 times. Let this be a lesson on antifreeze and coolant , a lesson on what not to do. Check your antifreeze and coolant overflow "regularly".
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)






