droplets and vapor on start up

[bwana #30995]

 water? droplets comming from exhaust on my 2001 std with 12,000 mi.
I changed from 6x6 Cobra back to original and now I get some steam and droplets when starting. It stop when after it heats up.
 I don't know if former owner did a rejet when he went to Cobra.
Could it come from running too rich?
oil - ok
coolant- ok
plugs look ok

[BudMan]

Mine will do that all winter, but not in the summer.  Could be the Cobras are too small to hold enough moisture to show on startup. The volume of the stock pipes and muffler is likely much greater.

[Joe Hummer]

What is your outdoor temps when you notice the droplets/vapors?  What is the humidity level?

It is nothing out of the ordinary.  Your pipes have cold air in the when the bike starts up.  It condenses into water vapor/droplets when the hot exhaust gases hit the cold air. 

Joe

[DFragn]

Not only is the exhaust cold enough but so is the engine to produce condensation.

That's why it's not good to start up the Valk engine is the winter and only run it for a few minutes then shut it down.

In very cold temps it is difficult to burn/boil all that condensed water out of the oil without riding it some distance. The pipes burn it of easier as they heat up. When you still see "steam" in cold riding it's the pipes trying to cool off and moisture trying to burn off within the engine oil.

That's as scientific as I can get.

[F-106]

Nothing to worry over. Mine does that when it as winter gets closer and the temps start to drop.  RIDE ON!!

[Gryphon Rider]

Perfect combustion of a hydrocarbon (e.g. gasoline) produces carbon dioxide gas and water vapor.  When the engine is cold or the outside temperature is cold and the relative humidity is high, the water vapor is very visible.  when the pipes are cold, the water vapor will condense on the inside of the pipes/mufflers and either drip out the tips or out the weep holes in front of the mufflers.  So for a well tuned engine, water in the exhaust is perfectly normal.

Water in the engine oil, however, will vaporize in a hot engine and be directed to the air box where it gets ingested into the engine and out the exhaust.  Crankcase water vapor that condenses on its way to or from or in the air box ends up in the plugged drain tube behind the engine for you to drain away at your leisure.

If you get an abnormal amount of white "smoke" out the tailpipes or a creamy coloured gel in your engine oil, these are signs of an internal coolant leak

[bwana #30995]

Thanks to all for the promt reply. The bike feels like it has more torque with the stock exhaust.