Right bank exhaust cooler than left????

[Hotrodwing]

Started the bike yesterday to go on a ride it was in the 40's as she was running I noticed that steam was coming out the left exhaust not the right.  I could feel the cool exhaust on the left it just seemed strange so I felt the header pipes almost burned my hands on the leftside but the right front and rear pipes were only luke warm while the center pipe was cold. Now all the pipes warmed up after a short ride and she ran great the rest of the day.  Has anyone come across this before?  could I be running on 3,4,5 cyclinders?   

[Ricky-D]

I find my Interstate to be pretty cold blooded.

It does not start to run as good as it should until the carburetors and intake risers get warm which during cold days is usually 10 to 15 minutes of running.

If you drain the bottom of each carburetor a little to get rid of the crap that collects in the bottom of the float bowls you may experience better running right from the get-go.

I would suggest running a rich dose of an additive like Seafoam or Techron through the gas tank. I use B-12 myself and like that stuff, but they all are about the same when treating my complaints.

Remember that the motor may be warm but the distant components are late to be warmed and cold carburetors may not function at 100% if there is contaminants in the float bowls.

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[Pete]

Could be. How long had it been sitting??

Long enough to clog slow jets/pilot passages? When only slightly clogged it can manifest itself as described.

Insert cleaner and ride and hope.

I too have noticed that my 99 interstate is leaner than my 97 standard and it shows up during startup.

[Hotrodwing]

Can the screws on the bottom of the carbs be removed with the petcock turned off?  Should I remove the tank?  Are there any O rings around the screws to replace?  How tight or how many turn to reseat the screws?

[Pete]

yes. no.

about 2 to 2.5  turns out should allow the carbs to drain.
Not necessary to remove them.

[gcook1]

I'm having just the opposite problem.  My 98 standard Valk with 6 into 6 pipes starts out running fine but after 15 minutes or so, starts running poorly.  I took a thermometer last time I'd ridden for an hour.  The center pipes on both sides are cold.  I've run 5 or 6 cans of Seafoam through with no improvement.  Now that my garage is finally cleaned up and I've got the space, I think it's time to start tearing things apart!

[Patrick]

Kinda sounds like this monster has been sitting for a short while.. If it cleared out and ran properly after some miles were put on it, I wouldn't worry about it.. Its pretty normal.. If the bike doesn't get ridden that often then fuel conditioner is a good thing to use all the time..Those little tiny holes in the slow jets are pretty finicky[technical term] about having clean unvarnished fuel in them..

[Ricky-D]

I'm having just the opposite problem.  My 98 standard Valk with 6 into 6 pipes starts out running fine but after 15 minutes or so, starts running poorly.  I took a thermometer last time I'd ridden for an hour.  The center pipes on both sides are cold.  I've run 5 or 6 cans of Seafoam through with no improvement.  Now that my garage is finally cleaned up and I've got the space, I think it's time to start tearing things apart!

You have an ignition problem!

Cylinders #3 and #4 are connected to the same coil and thus get their spark from the same place.

I'd suggest getting a coil set from Pinwall and replacing that coil assy!

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[Baldwin]

Mine was doing the same as the OP.  I ended at the dealership and had all the carbs rebuilt.  Now she runs great.  I tried the SeaFoam, but it did not help and mine had been sitting 3-4 weeks.