Too loud, too fast?

[cogsman]

Hi All,

Ok so here's one for the books. I'm driving home yesterday when some d-bag starts yelling at me at the light. "Turn your choke down, a****le!!!", "too f*****g loud!!!". Then he comes over and grabs my grip to try and lower the choke!

I'm running two brothers pipes on a 97 standard and I do admit the bike is loud. Nothing I can do about that but...

I had some head gasket issues and I noticed after the bike came back from the last mechanic, it is now idling at 1200-1500. I turned the idle screw but that doesn't seem to reduce it.

I also notice that at 500-800 rpms when I first start the bike, it really struggles.  Then it settles into its 1200-1500 range.

Those extra rpms are certainly adding to the volume.

Anything I can do, or do I need to take up Boxing?

[wingrider02]

Did you clock him for grabbing your bike?

Carb's balanced?  If they are, You might have a little air leak causing your RPM's to hang there.

[MarkT]

Wow.  Must have not been a biker or he would have known not to touch the bike.  I can't imagine that happening to me.  After all, I'm extra polite since I'm armed but there's a threshold others better not cross and touching me or my bike is it.  I'm thinking he would get a severe warning followed by action depending on circumstances, if he didn't back off immediately.

[cogsman]

Yeah, royally ticked me off. I told him to back off very sternly, and he did. Beyond that, it's Canada lol. I could probably have apologized him to death, but that's about it 

So I'm going to try balancing the carbs first off.

Where would this vacuum leak be occurring, if there was a vacuum leak? And how does one go about fixing this?

[gordonv]

Where in Canada? How about add to your profile your Loc so others can try to offer some local help.

I've bought one of the digi carb sync meters, just need to pick it up.

If the idle screw isn't working, what else could it be, stuck throttle?

[Tfrank59]

Hi All,

Ok so here's one for the books. I'm driving home yesterday when some d-bag starts yelling at me at the light. "Turn your choke down, a****le!!!", "too f*****g loud!!!". Then he comes over and grabs my grip to try and lower the choke!

I'm running two brothers pipes on a 97 standard and I do admit the bike is loud. Nothing I can do about that but...

I had some head gasket issues and I noticed after the bike came back from the last mechanic, it is now idling at 1200-1500. I turned the idle screw but that doesn't seem to reduce it.

I also notice that at 500-800 rpms when I first start the bike, it really struggles.  Then it settles into its 1200-1500 range.

Those extra rpms are certainly adding to the volume.

Anything I can do, or do I need to take up Boxing?

That's a really strange occurrence – having somebody reach over and grab your bike at a stoplight .    At any rate, Dems be the symptoms of a vacuum leak IMO.  I think I'm starting to get one too – struggles to stay running at first, and idling a little high when warm – and not an even high, kind of up-and-down high.

[Pappy!]

If you want to see if there is a vacuum leak a simple way to do this is to take a propane torch and turn the valve on a little without lighting the torch. Wave it near intake joints and the hoses that come off the intake manifold, etc, The idle will change immediately if you get near it with the propane.
Clean and easy way to find a vacuum issue.

[cookiedough]

 I doubt it, but are you running 91 or 87 octane?

I know running 91 octane my I/S runs about 200 rpms higher at 1200 vs. 1000 rpms on 87 octane plus pulsated up and down at idle from 1100-1300 rpms with 91 octane.  I also added at the time a smidge of 105 octane boost and not doing that again.  

As far as someone coming over and touching my throttle, I would have revved the piss out of my cycle and told him to F off.  No one goes around touching my personal property or myself without permission, unless she happens to be super HOT!   

[cogsman]

I'm only running 87

[Valkrocket]

stuck choke slides? do you use your choke when first starting her up and is the choke lever easy to pull back and forth?

[cogsman]

I use choke for about 30 seconds to a minute when first starting.  The lever is relatively easy to pull down. It gets firmer near the bottom.

[wingrider02]

Just be sure that the choke plungers return to closed when you let up on the choke lever.  Every once in a while they can get bound up before they close, and would give you a higher idle speed.

[Bighead]

I doubt it, but are you running 91 or 87 octane?

I know running 91 octane my I/S runs about 200 rpms higher at 1200 vs. 1000 rpms on 87 octane plus pulsated up and down at idle from 1100-1300 rpms with 91 octane.  I also added at the time a smidge of 105 octane boost and not doing that again.  

This makes no sense.

[Tfrank59]

I doubt it, but are you running 91 or 87 octane?

I know running 91 octane my I/S runs about 200 rpms higher at 1200 vs. 1000 rpms on 87 octane plus pulsated up and down at idle from 1100-1300 rpms with 91 octane.  I also added at the time a smidge of 105 octane boost and not doing that again.  

This makes no sense.

Yeah, I've never heard of the grade of gasoline bumping up RPMs or down?

[Six-Cylinder Hooligan]

Anything more than 87 Octane (85 in high elevation States such as CO) is a waste of money-IMO. Octane is a combustion inhibitor which is why higher compression engines (i.e. >11:1) require it to prevent pre-ignition or "pinging". Our Valks have a relatively mild 9.8:1 ratio.

No need for high test. Buddy of mine uses the argument that the higher price stuff has more additives to clean fuel system. I just shrug & say nothing.... It's his money! 

Cheers!
-Art