New to me XS 650...

teamWicked said:
So the end of the season is here. What is the consensus, full tank or empty? I did fill up ethanol free 91 octane but it is easy to drain off if needed. The pipes will come off so I can put the bike on a bike jack for compact storage. Then I can at some point check the needle jet size and verify the bowls are clean. Of course I will drain the float bowls.
Click to expand...
Started a thread last year on just such a dilemma... here.
Short story is I parked the bike full of ethanol free premium and threw a cover over it. Started up in the spring and worked fine all year.... just like in the old days when we didn't have ethanol and didn't know any better. :rolleyes:
 
teamWicked said:
So the end of the season is here. What is the consensus, full tank or empty? I did fill up ethanol free 91 octane but it is easy to drain off if needed. The pipes will come off so I can put the bike on a bike jack for compact storage. Then I can at some point check the needle jet size and verify the bowls are clean. Of course I will drain the float bowls.
Click to expand...
I leave mine full of E0, but I admit that I do some riding all winter.
 
Yes, I fill the tank and drain the carbs. I don't use any stabilizer and have never had an issue with that full tank going bad sitting through one winter in my unheated garage. The small amount in the float bowl (maybe an ounce) is another story, so I drain them.
 
So today I ordered 2 steps smaller jets. 130 and 127.5. Also a set of Uni 2" x 4" foam filters. My current pods have some suspect areas. Finally, a Superbike bar, 2 1/2 rise with 4.5" pull back, 29 inches wide. Hopefully I can cut an inch off each end. We will only know when they get fitted. And mirrors, lifting my arm and swinging my torso to see the image in my current mirrors might be dangerous. But... I have some goo on my lower front brake line and this should be dealt with too. In another thread I saw mention of brake line length, particularly with lower bars.
 
Yes, 90cm is good with lower bars. That's what you see here with my Euro bars. They're pretty much the same height as Superbike bars but they droop down a bit more on the ends .....

SecvIYM.jpg


Lb47yPc.jpg
 
So I request some input. The blue tracker will get a few changes over the winter but will not be started again until it is off the lift and the exhaust can be refitted. I did not fog the engine. Actually, I have never fogged an engine. But, on that vein, is it a bad idea to shoot some PB Blaster in the spark plug holes while cranking over the motor. Motor has been running rich, maybe since it was built and may have a lot of carbon build up. Does anything help clearing a carbon buildup? Carbs will be dry, exhaust is off and plugs are out? The blue tracker is in a garage that does not (or rarely) gets below 32 degrees F (I have plumbing and a slop sink in the garage). The bike has a "Battery Tender". I wonder if just a regular charger every couple of weeks is just as good or better.
 
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jetmechmarty said:
I put an ounce or so of Marvel Mystery Oil in every fill-up.
Click to expand...
Hi Marty,
back 'ome we used RedeX.
Just about the same wonder-product as MMO and the same one shot per gallon of gas.
And there was the "RedeX tune-up" where you slowly poured a containerful of RedeX into a car's carburetor on high idle.
Dunno that it actually did anything except fog up the neighborhood but oh boy, that, it did..
 
The Marvel Mystery Oil looks to be on the same line as SeaFoam, STP Gas treatment and other fuel additives. MMO does not add IPA (isopropyl alcohol) it seems.
marvel-mystery-oil.pdf (marvelmysteryoil.com)
Microsoft Word - 91-sfmt-40-SDS-v20161205.docx (seafoamworks.com)
Safety Data Sheet: STP Gas Treatment - bottle (fmpco.com)
The manufactures have dumbed down the SDS online. I searched these very subjects 6 or 8 years ago and the Sea Foam sheet was much more detailed. The basic mix Naptha (solvent) Kerosene, Diesel or Stoddard Solvent (lubrication) and IPA (moisture control.
I regularly add naptha ($8/qt vs $8/ 1/2 pint of the other products) to my small motors to dissolve varnish deposits if the motor sits for a few months.
With drained and disassembled carbs I think I will not have deposit problems.
 
teamWicked said:
With drained and disassembled carbs I think I will not have deposit problems.
Click to expand...
I think you won't.
I have also been known to add an ounce of two stroke oil to a fresh tank of gasoline. Somewhere along the line I switched to MMO.
 
Iwas able to drop a float bowl today. I discovered a small amount of sediment, very small, and am not worried about it. The needle jet seems firmly seated and I wonder how much pressure I need to remove it. Do I need to order O rings for every time I pull needle jets out? Further, I am feeling a little foolish here. After reading more in the tech section I realize I should have been more concerned with my needle jet than the main jet in curing my rich condition.
 
teamWicked said:
Iwas able to drop a float bowl today. I discovered a small amount of sediment, very small, and am not worried about it. The needle jet seems firmly seated and I wonder how much pressure I need to remove it. Do I need to order O rings for every time I pull needle jets out? Further, I am feeling a little foolish here. After reading more in the tech section I realize I should have been more concerned with my needle jet than the main jet in curing my rich condition.
Click to expand...

Hi tW,
re-posting this lil' trick from years back:-
If you don't have a drill press, you should have. For safety's sake, unplug it before this sort of use.
Remove stuck carb. jets & screws & such by putting the driver bit in your bench drill chuck and placing the carb body on the bench drill's work platform.
Lower the driver bit into the screw's slot, bear down on the drill's feed arm to keep the bit engaged and hand-turn the drill chuck to back out the screw.
 
Thanks, sorry.
I scanned through the thread last night and must have missed those couple of responses. I did know it was pushed in with an o ring and assumed I could pull it out with fingers.
 
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The needle and needle jet have a big effect on plug color because they control the midrange mix strength and that's where you spend most of your time running. So, you should get that needle jet out and inspect it. You may need to replace it's o-ring if it never has been, but then you shouldn't need to every time you remove it. Needle jets can wear and that would make them run richer. When you look in the top end of the needle jet, you'll see it steps out to a smaller diameter a few MM down into the jet. That's the metering orifice, quite large compared to a main or pilot because the needle has to move through it. Look to see that it's not worn oval, that it steps out all the way around. When they wear, it's often on one side from the needle rubbing against it, and you'll see the step worn away there.

The needle jet should just pull out but may be stuck in there with gas residue or varnish. If you have to pound on it from the top to get it freed up, use something soft like a wood or plastic dowel, so you don't deform it.
 
16349584641578551014062347283867-jpg.200316


650Skull said:
Jet needle looks to be awfully worn. If the needle is so would the needle Jet be.........
That has to have quite an effect on the jetting sizes
Remember XSjohn's needles, when he was doing his initial work on the needles. He sanded the thin coating off the Jet needle to enrichen, then made his main jet a half size bigger, (with a guitar string), to compensate..........
Click to expand...
..
 

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