five-speed concours?

[julianop]

Well I'm tellin' ya, Steve, this improvement has definitely pushed the passion of swap right out of my head for now. On the other hand, there'd be nothing wrong with having one of each, would there?!

I was saying to a colleague today that with this experience I certainly won't swap (if ever I do) until I stop my insane commute between Minnesota and Illinois; for all its refinement the beemer has a much higher price per mile, and I'm just not up for that.

On the subject of the commute, the significantly reduced vibration I experienced last night is clearly going to make a huge improvement to my fatigue level on long trips. My hands used to feel sore for two days after each journey. I did a quick fifty mile trip last night and felt like I'd popped around the corner for a newspaper. And the cams are going to make it even smoother? Wow!

I always suspected from the general reputation of Japanese bikes that the Connie ought be smoother than mine was, but I must say I really like the deep sound of the Connie over the lighter Jap bikes - and something you don't get from the highly refined beemer. So with the cam change, the 7th gear mod (I do still keep reaching for that extra gear at 70mph), and an after-market cruise control to round it out, I have a strong suspicion I'm going to have a bike that'll keep me company for another 150,000 miles or more.

I'm so sorely tempted to take the bike back to my dumb dealer and show him what it "shoodaben" like when he sold it to me ;-)

[julianop]

A sweet running Connie is like a fine wine beer.

Glad yer all squared away on the carbbie issues. Wait till ya get the cams in. That will put an even bigger grin on yer face.

Yeah, really, let's not get too lah-di-dah with the wine thing - the beer association is just right!

Yup it was definitely worth the three week wait to get it all squared away - I was getting really frustrated with the beast as it was, especially as I had to do a 1300 mile four-day weekend for family logistical reasons the week before I took it down, and that was pretty tough.

Yeah, I can't wait to dig up the money for the cams. I am really impressed with this improvement already, and it has given me the confidence to invest more in the bike by way of Shoodaben upgrades. If only there were more time to enjoy that upgrade this season. I rode the bike to work yesterday and today in 34 degree weather 'cos I'm a nutcase and a die hard, but I'm neither Superman nor Rubeus Hagrid and can't fly, so I will have to put it away when the ice and snow come. Now at least I have something to look forward to over the winter.

[Nosmo]

Yeah, really, let's not get too lah-di-dah with the wine thing - the beer association is just right!

Yup it was definitely worth the three week wait to get it all squared away - I was getting really frustrated with the beast as it was, especially as I had to do a 1300 mile four-day weekend for family logistical reasons the week before I took it down, and that was pretty tough.

Yeah, I can't wait to dig up the money for the cams. I am really impressed with this improvement already, and it has given me the confidence to invest more in the bike by way of Shoodaben upgrades. If only there were more time to enjoy that upgrade this season. I rode the bike to work yesterday and today in 34 degree weather 'cos I'm a nutcase and a die hard, but I'm neither Superman nor Rubeus Hagrid and can't fly, so I will have to put it away when the ice and snow come. Now at least I have something to look forward to over the winter.

You're doing great.  It took me four YEARS to get mine "squared away" and I'm still trying to improve it.

[julianop]

No, by three weeks to get it squared away I meant it was down for three weeks with the carbs out. Steve got them back to me in good time, but then I had to wait for the Carbtune for another week, then my buddy whose garage/workshop I was borrowing was sick. It was a long three weeks, knowing that the bike was going to be spectacular just in time for the winter.

By the way, Nosmo, is that snow in the background of your picture? I'm damn impressed if it is.

[Nosmo]

By the way, Nosmo, is that snow in the background of your picture? I'm damn impressed if it is.

Yep, that's snow, a mile or so down the road from Paradise Inn (5400 feet) on our Mt. Rainier, so I'm at about 5000 there.  It's not really as severe as it looks, this was in the late spring, and down below there a bit it was sunny and not that cold, and of course the roads were clear.  A larger pic is below along with another of Connie in my little town and the Wee-Strom also up on Rainier, but on the other side.
 

[julianop]

Thanks for posting those.

On a very related subject, I'm getting accustomed to receiving strange looks. It was 46F and raining in Rockford Illinois this evening when I stopped in to my local supermarket for some milk etc. Folks were looking at me like I was crazy, or not human, or something, dressed up in my motorcycling gear. The funny thing is that most people aren't yet dressed for the weather, so despite the fact that I'm riding the bike around in the rain, I'm warmer than they are walking to and from the parking lot.

A question for you and anyone lurking (yes I know I was going to let this thread die!): my bike is getting a little reluctant to start in air temps below around 45. I don't know if it's a side effect of SISF's jets, but I have had at least a couple of nights this cold before the update and I didn't experience this.

Any clues, experiences, suggestions, anyone?

[Steve in Sunny Fla]

Are you using full enrichener on cold starts? There's nothing in my jetting that leans the low rpm operation, in fact it's richer than the factory tuning. I physically put jet drills through the pilot and enrichener circiuts and then see them flow before the carbs are buttoned up, so I know the circuits are all flowing properly - Steve

[T Cro ®]

.... my bike is getting a little reluctant to start in air temps below around 45. I don't know if it's a side effect of SISF's jets, but I have had at least a couple of nights this cold before the update and I didn't experience this.

After sitting for how long? You've now got overflow tubes which open the carb bowls where the fuel is exposed to the atmosphere and even in the cold there will be some gas evaporation after sitting overnight or for more than 8 hours; thus requiring the use of the prime position of the fuel tap before attempting to start the engine to replace fuel lost to the Angels.... As well as the Choke as commented on by Steve.

[vinny]

You could always do away with the carbs and go with fuel injection  .

[Steve in Sunny Fla]

Hey vinnie, got a price for that? Steve

[vinny]

Not my kit - but the guy at this company - Matt - is developing a kit for larger capacity bikes.
Have a look and see what you think - I have a set of ZX6r throttle bodies that I want to hook up - I would not use a sinle TB.

http://www.ecotrons.com/

[turbojoe78]

I've got overflow tubes, SISF's jet kit and never use prime to start the bike.  Last time it sat was for four days, till yesterday afternoon ... full enrichener and hit the button and it always starts right up ... it was in the mid 50's here yesterday afternoon.

[julianop]

Are you using full enrichener on cold starts? There's nothing in my jetting that leans the low rpm operation, in fact it's richer than the factory tuning. I physically put jet drills through the pilot and enrichener circiuts and then see them flow before the carbs are buttoned up, so I know the circuits are all flowing properly - Steve

Yes I am. It would never start if I didn't do that. Are you suggesting I shouldn't need to?

[julianop]

After sitting for how long? You've now got overflow tubes which open the carb bowls where the fuel is exposed to the atmosphere and even in the cold there will be some gas evaporation after sitting overnight or for more than 8 hours; thus requiring the use of the prime position of the fuel tap before attempting to start the engine to replace fuel lost to the Angels.... As well as the Choke as commented on by Steve.

Just overnight, T Cro, and at the ambient temperature we're talking about the angels aren't getting much ;-)

[julianop]

I've got overflow tubes, SISF's jet kit and never use prime to start the bike.  Last time it sat was for four days, till yesterday afternoon ... full enrichener and hit the button and it always starts right up ... it was in the mid 50's here yesterday afternoon.

I had a "four day weekend layover" problem like that once, before SISF got his hands on it, but that's not what I'm talking about here. SISF might be onto something, because I found that I had to back off the enricher somewhat from it's usual starting position to get a peak in rpm with the throttle at idle - implying that it's naturally richer than it was before his mod (which, of course, it is).

What happens next - both before and after SISF's mod - is that at some point as the engine warms it will surge quickly up to a new RPM and stay there. It's like somebody just cracked the throttle a little. I have to quickly bring it down so it doesn't over-rev. Then it'll warm up a bit more, do that surge thing again, I bring it down again, and then it'll finally settle down into a gentle increase in rpm until it's warm enough to ride.

It's a strange behavior, but it's always been there. I'd think it was a carburation problem, except that Steve's just fixed that.

[Jet86]

After sitting over night in the cold my bike wont start either without full enricher, stock carbs no over flow tubes, now in the summer mornings i can some times start it without choke but if she has been sitting a few days or more then i need choke.

[Jet86]

It's a strange behavior, but it's always been there.

Same here, at start up i have to back off the choke little by little or she will raise the rpm's to high, i like keep rpm around 1500k til she warms up.

[Steve in Sunny Fla]

that revving up behavoir is common to the carbs, there's nothing wrong with them, it's how they work. You should need to use the enrichener on cold/first starts, so everything is working normally. Steve

[2fast]

Steve, do you typically put the trap loop in the overflow drain tubes? Ever since you told me to do that with mine, it starts normally with full enrichener, which gets backed off very rapidly.

[SteveJ.]

Yup, but probably wrong Steve.