Service
Service
GLAZED BRAKE PADS ASCOT AT ALTITUDE BEST USED BIKE ASK Kl
RAY NIERLICH
After a few more stops like this, reader Loren Silbaugh’s Honda 919 shouldn’t have any issues with glazed front pads.
AUTO-CHRONDRIA
Q: Let me start by saying my dad calls me an auto-chrondriac—I always think there’s something wrong with a vehicle when it is perfectly fine. That may be the case with what I am experiencing on my Honda 919, but I thought I might ask just to be safe. At low speeds, I can hear at least one of the front rotors grazing the pads once a revolution. Is this something to be concerned with? Or is this common and a nonissue? There is also an accompanying light squeal during low-speed braking. I recently had the front wheel off and could see that the pads have plenty of meat. I bought the bike used with 4,500 on it, and it has always done this. I am at 11,500 miles now. Brake feel is good with no pulsing.
LOREN SILBAUOH VIA CYCLEWORLD.COM
A Moms not always. are always (Only right, kidding... dads B Please send all angry emails to Editor-in-Chief Mark Hoyer.) It’s great that you actually notice when something doesn’t sound right to you. That new rattle you noticed 5 miles ago just might be something essential departing company from the rest of your bike.
In this case the grazing noise and also the light squealing are a nonissue. When brakes are used very gently, the rotors and pads are likely to get a bit of glaze on them and will be more prone to annoying noises.
You’re not one of those folks who thinks they’re saving the planet by never using your brakes, are you? More than 11,000 miles is a lot if your pads still have plenty of meat. Practice more stoppies immediately.
RICH ASCOT
I have a 1982 Honda FT500 Ascot. It has the stock carburetor * (California?), stock air filter, and a SuperTrapp muffler. It does not, however, have the vacuum-actuated fuel petcock, which was plugged and bypassed by the previous owner. My bike accelerates
and pulls well to redline, but it leans or stalls briefly when I close the throttle to change gears or just back off after hard acceleration. The elevation here is 4,950 feet. I’ve richened the main jet one size thinking the bike was too lean but to no avail. Any ideas?
TIM HILL WELLINGTON, CO
A symptoms, Based on your don’t description assume your of the Ascot is lean. It’s more likely rich. The symptoms of either too lean or too rich can be downright confusing. This is why the French “carburetor” translates to “leave it alone” in English...
You don’t mention checking your spark plug color. This is the first thing to do. The insulator should be significantly less tan than Heidi Klum after a weekend on the Riviera.
When you chop the throttle on a carbureted engine, the mixture momentarily goes too rich for proper combustion—not a noticeable problem unless the ratio is too rich to start with. Then, as you reopen the throttle, the engine clears its throat before firing the mixture normally again.
Also, if your bike were running lean, it most likely wouldn’t accelerate to redline well and might actually pull harder with the throttle slightly closed up. On top of all this, you are in thin air at that mile-high altitude, which will make the stock mixture rich as well.
You say you went up one size on the main jet with no positive result. Another clue that perhaps you’re heading in the wrong direction.
Put that original main jet back in and inspect the needle and needle jet. If there is any noticeable wear, the mixture will be too rich where the needle spends most of its life...at cruising speeds. Sometimes dropping the needle one position on the clip will be enough to correct your problem.
CHIP OFF THE OLD TANK
QB in My its 2006 gas tank. Suzuki A small C50 has shop a chip * is fixing it, but they need the paint code. I have no idea where I can get it. Is there a code on the bike somewhere? If not, where can I get this information?
GOT A MECHANICAL OR TECHNICAL PROBLEM with your beloved ride? Perhaps we can help. Contact us at cwservice@cycleworld.com with your questions. We cannot guarantee a reply to every inquiry.
ASK KEVIN
QB What on using are Sea your Foam thoughts Motor * Treatment in a motorcycle occasionally to clean the injectors?
I know Sea Foam has worked great in my snowblower, lawn mower, and gas-powered string trimmer.
It even took care of some of the problems I’ve had with them as far as carburetors are concerned.
DALE CESKE VIA CYCLEWORLD.COM
A This is a tough one. Makers of fuels and oils employ the usual range of additives such as dispersants and other surfactants to prevent deposit formation orto keep fuel injectors clean. Would these additives work even better if we added more of them in the form of one of the scores of engine treatments on the market? The only people who know from actual measurements are the chemists in fuels and lubricants labs. We laymen have only product advertising (“Brownell’s EngineBrite Cleans Engines Clean!”) or personal experiences (“My friend Bob uses Brownell’s, and his bike runs great”). I knew a man who swore by revving up his car’s engine and pouring water into its carburetor. The resulting shock cooling did indeed blow a storm of carbon out the tail pipe. Did that make this a desirable practice? Readers are advised to let common sense be their guide here. -Kevin Cameron
JONATHAN KRASKO VIA CYCLEWORLD.COM
AH isn’t If your very local local, Suzuki or very dealer B motivated to help, contact Color Rite (colorrite.com), which has an excellent database and lists paint colors for your C50. That said, the color you get from a code might not be a perfect match for your bike, as it is now eight years old, and the original finish will likely have faded to some degree. Plus, paint batches can vary slightly in final color from one to the next, even though they are the same code. One other option is to find a professional auto body supply store that has a spectrometer device to scan your existing paint to achieve the closest match.
DUC, DUC, GOOSE
QB is My an 1994 awesome Ducati bike. 900SS On * Ducati forums, however, I learned about an engine problem that occurred during the mid-1990s and concerns me. Seems that the oil galley in the crankshaft has an aluminum plug that can loosen and back out, resulting in zero oil pressure. Have you ever seen this or had any experience with this in real life? The people on the forum talk about replacing the plug, but no one has firsthand experience of a massive engine failure caused by not fixing it.
DAVID KINSEY PARCHMENT, Ml
A have Older problems, Ducatis never so this B is impossible... First off, whenever changing engine oil, closely inspect the drained oil and screen it for any metal swarf (chips, flakes, shavings). This will give you advance warning of the oil-trap plug coming out or other ills.
After much research, we’re still trying to find someone with firsthand experience of this particular problem. So, yes, it theoretically can happen; but really you should be worrying about frame cracks propagating (there was a recall on 900SS models), rectifiers frying, and cam-belt tensioners seizing whilst rounding that favorite highspeed sweeper, instead of this oil galley plug thing.
DRAINAGE PROBLEM
I have a 2008 Triumph Daytona 675 with some * electrical issues. I have had the regulator/rectifier replaced as it was recalled a few years back. However, if I leave the bike for more than a few days without riding it, I have to bump-start it. There’s nothing that should be draining the battery, and after the regulator/rectifier change, the shop told me the battery was putting out the appropriate voltage. Any ideas?
JACOB DERSE MILWAUKEE, Wl
A You’re a biker—always question authority. Checking B for a significant drain is simple: Get a good quality 12-volt test light. With the ignition key in the off position, disconnect the ground post on the battery and put the light in series between the wire and the post to complete the circuit again.
If the light glows even the least bit, you have a pretty significant drain that no battery will survive for long.
If you’re a charter member of the Kevin Cameron fan club, use a digital multimeter set on milliamps instead. Typically, normal drains are less than 50 milliamps. To find the source of the drain, isolate various components until the light goes out (or milliamps drop) and you have your culprit.
Now, after all that, the real problem here is that you probably have a bad battery. If the shop only checked voltage, this will only give a very general indication of charge. It should be 12.6 to 12.8 volts on a full charge.
If a battery is sulfated from old age or abuse, the voltage will be low.
What you really need to see is if you have amps. The most common sudden failure comes when a plate cracks internally, creating high resistance. Voltage may read as normal with no load, but as soon as a load is applied, the crack won’t transmit enough amperage across it and the starter will not crank. CUM
