Hi, all...
Sunny Sunday - though very hot - so I decided to take the TX out to see if my new battery held a charge. I just sort of roared around locally for about half an hour, trying to spend some time at about 45-50 mph on secondary roads and reversing direction by going through neighborhoods. Little kids, teens and some adult males love me. Most others, maybe not so much.
Anyway, the bike fires on the first hot kick. Before it's warm, just off the choke, there was a little bit of stumbling off idle, but that was likely because I might have taken it off the choke too early, or because the pilot circuit might be a little dirty from sitting too much. That seemed to go away as the engine warmed, within a few minutes. I have some Seafoam in there too.
The bike seemed to run really well. Even shifting and dropping into first was better today... not sure why. Out on the road, the charging system does seem to be generating normal numbers on the volt gauge. And the bike seems to idle more stably now... I'm shooting for around 1200. At this point, I think that any shortcomings the bike has in terms of the way it runs could be timing or valve settings; I did the timing with a light when I installed the PAMCO last season, and I think I did it right, but wouldn't bet on it. And I still have not done the valves because I really do want help with that.
Also, once I got home, I shut the bike down from idle, let it sit a minute, and it started right back up, first kick.
Question though:
One thing I noticed is that the charging system will seem fine out on the road. But when I bring the bike in the yard and let it idle for a minute or so - take my helmet/gear off and the like - the volt gauge will be a little slow to respond when I crack the throttle or bring the bike up to 3 grand or so. But the more I do that, the more normal the numbers appear.
So, I have a theory that these mechanical charging systems (unlike modern/solid state/computerized ones) might need a little time to recognize what you're doing with the throttle after they idle for a bit, and are then asked to resume their duties. In truth, I think I may have, out of ignorance, assumed that this behavior was a charging system fault, when in fact there may be a brief "lag time" because it is basically a mechanical system. I love RG's idea of running a volt gauge, but boy, I watch that thing like a hawk and worry about it a lot, hopefully without need.
Does this make sense? Please say yes.
So, today at least, I'm keeping the bike. Still don't trust her or myself.
Current mood: Cautiously optimistic
TC