first ride this weekend anything i should know?

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CDNJPN

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weather is finally cooperating enough to take the JPN out for our first ride together. i started it up today and warmed it up, and the choke dosnt seem to be working right, it needs about 1/2 choke to run smooth, if i move the choke lever to the off position (no pull on the cable) the bike hardley runs, and starts to smoke. the engine is supposed to be rebuilt, and all the parts overhauled. i will have the ride recorded on the gopro helmet cam, will post on youtube when edited.
 
hi cdnjpn,no pull on the choke cables equals choke on,for starting,run it until it warms up and then open the choke ,assuming you are using stock amal carbs
 
Yep, the choke cables are counter-intuitive.

Slack cable=choke on, tight cable=choke off
 
thx a ton, kinda makes sence, gear shift on right side, rear brake on left, signal light swith on right, would only make sence the choke worked backwards,..lol throttle twists the right way? jk.
 
If it's the first time out, bring a propper spanner for the exhaust collars. It's very annoying to have them come loose away from home.
 
I would run the bike for a few miles and then take a break, look over all the fastenings you can find, chain, wheel tires and OIL LINES, brake line, cables. Yes take the cell phone. The first major run I made this year I lost an exhaust valve cover! Studs, gasket and all. Went back and found the cover laying in the middle of the road. I realized during this search that I had heard the first stud when it dropped out but ignored it. So the moral of the story is...when you think you hear something fall off the bike, you should stop and have a look, cuz you probably did!

Russ
 
+1 on a short ride and fastener check- I lost a bar end mirror due to vibrating set screw. And BEFORE you go, safety wire your exhaust collars. There may already be a small hole in one of the flanges for that purpose- if not, easily drilled. Has kept mine on, and tight, for many a year now. I'm a big fan of safety wire. It's possible my entire bike would fall apart if I removed all the wire. Good luck! And avoid goats...
 
I would as suggested just ride it a few miles, a loop if possible and check things at home so you don't have to carry a tool chest of tools with you. Making sure fasteners are tight before you leave is better than checking on the road and a few mile shake down shouldn't be an issue. The exhaust nuts should stay tight for quite a few miles if tightened initially. They can be re torqued several times after additional rides when hot. If you need a quart of oil for a new bike as suggested earlier I think you have bigger problems to worry about. I usually have someone follow me in my pick up for first rides, that way I can just load the bike and head home until I am comfortable that the bike is reliable. Working on a bike along side the road isn't much fun. The main thing I do is listen for odd sounds, get a feel for the way it runs, carry a few basic tools maybe for carbs and points if you decided to keep them and most of all enjoy the ride.
 
WOW,... what a riot,... this bike is like a 12 on the cool scale. very stable, hit 97 mph,.. rode 37 miles,.. only problem is that the idle seems a little low, nothing like kicking a bike over when the light turns green. other than that no issues. the stock exhaust is very quiet. whats the correct way to increase idle rpm?,.. its about 650 rpm now.
 
CDNJPN said:
WOW,... what a riot,... this bike is like a 12 on the cool scale. very stable, hit 97 mph,.. rode 37 miles,.. only problem is that the idle seems a little low, nothing like kicking a bike over when the light turns green. other than that no issues. the stock exhaust is very quiet. whats the correct way to increase idle rpm?,.. its about 650 rpm now.
Click to expand...

What's wrong with 650?
 
swooshdave said:
CDNJPN said:
WOW,... what a riot,... this bike is like a 12 on the cool scale. very stable, hit 97 mph,.. rode 37 miles,.. only problem is that the idle seems a little low, nothing like kicking a bike over when the light turns green. other than that no issues. the stock exhaust is very quiet. whats the correct way to increase idle rpm?,.. its about 650 rpm now.
Click to expand...

What's wrong with 650?
Click to expand...

idle-how-low-can-t8758.html#p95287

Can you tell which brand mufflers you're running? There seems to be a difference between brands as far as noise level goes. To set the idle use the idle adjustment screws. On the Amal it's the one pointing upward, not the air mixture screw. The carbs may need to be sync'ed for idle and cables. A pretty cool way to do it without gauges or Carbstix is to get around 10ft of clear plastic tubing that fits the barbs for the balance tube. Make a mark at the middle and mount the tubing on a piece of wood or something so you have a U about 2-3ft tall with the mark at the apex of the curve. Siphon in enough oil so it's about a foot high on each side and hook it up the the balance tube barbs. When the engine is idling the levels will seesaw back and forth but it's easy to see which one is pulling more vacuum because the oil level rises higher on that side. When you open the throttle you can see which one opens first. More vacuum means means that slide is lower than the other.
 
britbike220 said:
If you need a quart of oil for a new bike as suggested earlier I think you have bigger problems to worry about. e.
Click to expand...

Listen wise guy, I've owned a Norton Commando since 1971, and I am sure I know a lot more about them than you will ever learn.

My post said, "depending on the length of the ride" take a quart of oil with you. I did not say he will need a whole quart. It is a good idea to bring a quart of oil with you if you are going on a ride of a great length.

Always with these put downs from you punks, eh.
 
I will bring some oil, the JPN has a big trunk so a quart wont be in the way, better safe, motor was rebuilt last year, so its pretty tight. the exhaust are the correct JPN pieces, not the peashooter style, the have a small hole in the back cover. Going for a bigger ride today, maybe 100 miles,..
 
[quote="bpatton Can you tell which brand mufflers you're running? There seems to be a difference between brands as far as noise level goes. To set the idle use the idle adjustment screws. On the Amal it's the one pointing upward, not the air mixture screw. The carbs may need to be sync'ed for idle and cables. A pretty cool way to do it without gauges or Carbstix is to get around 10ft of clear plastic tubing that fits the barbs for the balance tube. Make a mark at the middle and mount the tubing on a piece of wood or something so you have a U about 2-3ft tall with the mark at the apex of the curve. Siphon in enough oil so it's about a foot high on each side and hook it up the the balance tube barbs. When the engine is idling the levels will seesaw back and forth but it's easy to see which one is pulling more vacuum because the oil level rises higher on that side. When you open the throttle you can see which one opens first. More vacuum means means that slide is lower than the other.[/quote]


Bob, this is a great tip. I have a vacuum gauge that you place on one carb intake, measure the vacuum and then move it too the other, but the above gives you more information.
 
I second the checking of exhaust bolts....first ride on the new bike lost my muffler...never to be found again....
 
Having a exhaust ring bolt come off at speed sounds similar to blowing a head gasket at speed shock. Oil filter can also work loose if not nipped up good or strapped on. Carb bolts can work loose and let gasket flutter for mystery mis fires that go away on throttle that suck em up tight - for a while. Clutch cable can snap away form home. Brake fluid can leak out master cylinder undetected until too late. Wires can break inside insulation to work fine to start but road bumps to engine vibes drive ya nuts to figure out but runs smooth when engine vibes enough to keep em touching, mostly. Boyer trigger wires famous for this, fix that prior to the inevitable. Greg Fauth has kit.

OH yeah a slow tire leak will just feel like a bit of wind gust or road texture nuance, until ya slow up to lean a mild turn, then all hell breaks loose and fork and control actions all reverse from innate normal riding reflexes. HIGHLY Recommend some low air testing in parking lot near air station to serve as better handling training than racers get and last ya a life time it never experiencing it again.
 
Russ, I got it off a BMW AirHead list. I thought it was ridiculous when I first saw it, but I'm mercury averse so I tried it. It actually works pretty well and it's cheap. Like me. OK, I won't work that well anymore, but I am cheap :D
 
Nickle.98 manometer set up.

http://www.powerchutes.com/manometer.asp
first ride this weekend anything i should know?
 
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