Decarbonizing head every 2,000 miles!!!!!!!!!

[birdog4549]

Well, I was reading the Haynes manual on "Routine Maintenance" and it says that for every 2,000 miles you should "Remove the cylinder head and carefully scrape off all carbon deposits on the piston crowns and in the combustion chambers... If necessary, remove and regrind the valves". REALLY. I would bet that my bike has never had that done (18,000+ miles). Now I would agree that I "could" do that next winter but is that really necessary? I searched the forum and didn't see anything but, to me, head removal is a big deal and not a 2,000 mile routine maintenance. Please give me the benefit of the wisdom of this.

 

[jamesgs4]

every 2k?? no way am I going to do that.

 

[Classic]

I'm crazy about maintenance but that's just silly. I can't imagine pulling my engine every time an oil change is due.

 

[grizld1]

Don't believe everything you read in aftermarket manuals. That service interval isn't specified in the factory literature for the XS650--or for any other 4-stroke motorcycle, for that matter. Hell, I've never seen head decarbonizing specced that close in a 2-stroke service manual.

 

[Tomterrific]

The high temperature detergent in Techron will remove deposits over a short time period if you pour some in the tank. About a third of a bottle [per tank ought to go the job.

tom

 

[DirtyErnie]

If someone's carbs are running so fat you need to tear down every 2,000 miles and de-coke the heads, then it's time to trade that bike for something with injection...

... I would suggest the bus, diesels have injectors, right?

 

[birdog4549]

Now that is what I would have thought. I wonder what that manual writer was thinking. Here I thought the manual was an authority but there was no way I was pulling the head every 2,000 miles. Just like everything else you injest. You have to spit out the "seeds". thanks

 

[I am Carbon]

use seafoam and dont run the carbs to rich you should never have a carbon problem. imho

 

[retiredgentleman]

It was likely just a typing error..................should have been 20,000 not 2,000 miles.

 

[KenN]

You could try an old aircraft trick and spray a light mist of water into the intakes with the engine hot and running at part throttle.

 

[bbillington]

use seafoam and dont run the carbs to rich you should never have a carbon problem. imho

^^^this
it really works wonders for my old cars/truck as well.

 

[Marvelicious]

You could try an old aircraft trick and spray a light mist of water into the intakes with the engine hot and running at part throttle.

Did wonders for the compression on my Benz, but it has over 250000 on it, so it has a right to have carbon gumming up the rings. As for the XS, I'm sure retiredgentleman has the right of this one.

 

[I am Carbon]

Did wonders for the compression on my Benz, but it has over 250000 on it, so it has a right to have carbon gumming up the rings. As for the XS, I'm sure retiredgentleman has the right of this one.