So I am still trying to address my cooling issue. After flushing my system a few times I noticed I had a ton of gunk buildup in my coolant reservoir tank. I unscrewed it and the rear shock (or maybe brake) reservoir but still could not get it out. I see it is also attached to the frame, but I just couldnt rotate it enough and squeeze it out because the rear shock was in the way.

Even if I were to clean out the gunk, would this help in any way to keep my bike cooler? I wouldn't think so, but I still want it clean.

Thanks for any help.

 

you should be able to clean out whatever's in there while it's in the bike, right? Disconnect the hose - figure out how you're going t plug it off, and then fill it with whtever you were going to put in there to clean it out. then let it drain, reconnect the hose and refil with coolant, eh?

I read your other post where you say the waterpump is good, and you've flushed a few times.

At any point did you take the hoses off the radiator to see just how well liquid flows through it top to bottom? Might be worth taking to a radiator shop so they can hot-tank it and test it to make sure there's no leaks,a nd everything flows properly.

All this talk of bikes running hot on multiple threads has me wondering what's up with mine, cause it doesn't run hot at all. I rode around for an hour today in 102* weather, and my needle never gets past halfway, and I've never heard/noticed my fan kick on. From what I have read/heard the needle has to swing a bit past halfway before the fan comes on.

I'm curious if I need to test my temp sensor to make sure it is sending out accurate readings and the fan to make sure it is functional.

My bike is streetfightered right now while I'm working on the fairings, so I dunno if that makes a big difference or not.

 

Flushing the rad and reservoir is never a bad thing. I was able to completely remove the reservoir once I disconnected the hoses and removed the attachment screw. The rear shock wasn't a problem.

 

Thanks for that info, maybe i'll try to remove it again tomorrow. Maybe i'll just try and clean it out with it still in.

Adrenalnjunky- my hoses and everything are clean as a whistle. Water flows through my radiator with ease. I am not positive it holds compression, but I have never had any problems in that area. My bike definitely runs cooler with the fairings off. My fairings keep in a TON of heat. It will be easier when I lay it down for the first time and I get to sfighter it. As for my heating problem- I started a newer thread with a (potential) problem I just found tonight.

Also, if my bike was running lien with a full aftermarket exhaust, putting on an oem header/exhaust would make it a little bit more rich, right? I sort of want that quieter sound anyways.

 

Not necessarily. My understanding of carbs is that you need both more air through your airbox and more free-flowing pipes to change your lean/rich balance. From what I've read, fooling around with more air on these bikes is not as easy as it is, for example, on my VTX. If you did that you would definitely have to adjust your pilot screw and shim your main jet or get a larger size one.

Why do you think your bike is running lean? Have you checked the plugs? Here's some good articles on reading plugs relative to your lean/rich level and carb theory.

http://www.verrill.com/moto/sellingg...colorchart.htm

http://www.hondanighthawks.net/carb14.htm

http://www.factorypro.com/tech_tunin...m_engines.html

Here's some general guidelines:

Is my bike LEAN?

• Very white plugs
• Popping/backfiring from exhaust on deceleration
• Bike wants to die or almost dies in slow maneuvers
• Blip on the throttle causes the engine speed to hang slightly before recovering
• Excess fuel in Airbox (from Carburetor spitting fuel to compensate for lack there of)
• Hesitation or stuttering while starting from a stop in the low rpm range (goes away when higher rpm's are achieved)

Is my bike RICH?

• Black/oily plugs
• Bike hesitates when heavy throttle is applied or is slow to "speed up" (not to be confused with the 1/8-1/4 throttle turn while your bike is at a stop...the A/F screw affects the 1/8-1/4 turn while the needle/shim affects the mid to higher range)
• Blip on throttle causes the engine speed to drop below idle and then it recovers
• Significant gas odor while riding

Solutions for LEAN:

• Turn out (counterclockwise) A/F screw (start with 1/8 turn increments)
• Add shim(s) to the needle

Solutions for RICH:

• Turn in (clockwise) A/F screw (start with 1/8 turn increments)
• If shim(s) exist, try removing them if A/F screw did fix the problem

 

All of those lean symptoms describe my bike except the plugs. They still look fine.

Once I get my carbs decently synched (i messed them up) i'm going to clean them and see what needle I am running and the "clip position'?- which I know nothing about. Also from what I remembered, my D shaped screws were basically all the way in, I couldnt even get a saw to make notches in them- so I just left them.

 

You'll only know where they are at by carefully turning them in and counting the turns. Unlikely they are all the way in or you wouldn't be able to start the bike or ride at slow speed. They may be visually in, but not actually screwed right in. If you have a hard time maintaining an idle, they may need to be opened a bit.

Bikes tend to be tuned a bit lean at the pilot screw. A 1/8 to 1/4 turn counterclockwise to open it can do a world of good with the idle and starting.

Be careful screwing around with the needle. The stock needle doesn't have clip positions. Only aftermarket needles do. Stock needles can be adjusted by adding shims, or very thin washers, to0 allow more gas into the carb. You have to be very careful doing this or you'll end up running too rich.

At most I would suggest a small pilot screw adjustment.