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Foozle
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« on: April 22, 2020, 06:59:27 PM » |
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04-22
In the medical profession, there's a saying often told to young physicians: When you hear hoof beats, think horses - not zebras.
If only I took this advice to heart. Having just cleaned and reassembled my carbs (a good "quarantine" activity) AND installed a pair of glass packs (never change just one thing - it makes diagnosing subsequent problems far too easy!) - I took her out for a spin. A little disappointing, to say the least. It's the first real ride of the season, but yet, it seems sluggish . . . . . a little unresponsive. I seem to remember the experience being a little more spirited. Bad gas, maybe? Or, worse still, maybe I'm just getting old and nostalgic. Still, I expected more from my efforts: New slow jets, complete Redeye kit, new spark plugs, OEM air filter, fresh coolant, etc. She's not being very appreciative.
I smell gas, so I'm thinking my upgrades have me running a little rich - possibly necessitating some adjustments to the pilots (also with new o-rings and springs). Damn . . . . . more tinkering on what should be (and used to be) as smooth as a Swiss watch. Why can't I just leave well-enough alone? I search the tech board and find an interesting read about using systematic changes in exhaust header temps to identify rich and lean cylinders. Okay, I can do this. I'm not looking forward to it, but it beats random 1/4 turns of each pilot screw. I wonder where BigBF is currently at?
Just as I'm about to dive headfirst down the rabbit hole and order an IR thermometer from Amazon, I decide to take her out for another quick jaunt. Maybe, just maybe. No dice: Same thing - unchanged. It's a beautifully cool, still evening and I'm liking the sound of the glass packs - both of which almost distract me from how "oddly" it seems to be running. But something's definitely not right. Back home, I pull all six spark plugs in preparation for some deeper diagnosis: The rearward 4 (#3-#6) are a little on the dark side, but decently tan - not sooty or gas-soaked. However, the front two (#1 and #2) are shiny and pristine (i.e., unfired) - just as they were when installed several days earlier.
I reach down and do a quick touch of the headers: #1 and #2 are cool to the touch. The remainder, you can rest assured, were most certainly not! Back on the VRCC tech board, I find someone with a similar problem and, it turns out, an easy fix. In fact, embarrassingly easy. Could it be that simple? I lift the front part of the tank and . . . . . . lo and behold, one of the wires is dangling from the left front coil - evidently pulled off during my Texas death match with the infamous air box.
In summary, it turns out the Valk runs surprisingly well on only 4 cylinders - though the addition of the other two make for a much fuller symphony. However, the lesson in all of this, kids, is not to do the bowel resection before you rule out indigestion. On a brighter note, my bike and I are once again on speaking terms - and I can cross "mechanic" off the growing list of occupational callings I may have missed.
As always, as in life, YMMV.
Terry
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