should I rejet? Maintenance Day?

[baaloo.phd]

Hey gang! Two questions. First, I purchased my RSV a couple months ago. Its a 2011. Its been sitting for 3 or 4 years. I changed the tires and gave everything a once over. Ran some Seafoam through it. The problems... bad backfiring, low gas mileage (26-28), and slow throttle response. I am going to pull the plugs and take a look. Thought I would shim the needles. Considering a jet kit. Its 100% stock. My question is what are your thoughts on shimming and on Ivans check kit? Should I rejet or does it cause more problems than its worth?

 

 

Second, what is maintenance day? Does maintenance actually occur there?

[bongobobny]

Two VERY good questions!! Without the Ivan's and reshimming the needles you still should be getting around 40 MPG! Chances are, due to being stored for many years, and if the carbs were not drained and/or having any kind of stabilizer in the fuel, the carbs will most likely need disassembling, thorough cleaning, and rebuilding!! Chances are you have plugged jets or passageways and varnish buildup. Ethanol is a very nasty thing for carbs to bear for an extended period!

 

As far as Maintenance Day goes, yes indeed there is some actual maintenance going on with some skilled people present. It is primarily for minor scheduled maintenance but there is also some more major maintenance done in the past such as clutches, forks, etc. No, there has never been a complete engine rebuild done there, but we have seen some serious issues come up and resolved there. Maintenance Day was started many years ago by our site owner Freebird as a get together with a few friends to get their bikes ready for the summer, but continued to grow and grow! At its peak, I think there were close to three hundred people in attendance! Nowadays it is just as much a social event as it is a maintenance event with a M&E dinner on Friday evening, and there was a talk of a band being there this year as well but I'm not sure if it is going to materialize...

 

So, welcome aboard, and if you haven't gotten your issue resolved before then, maybe there will be a carb specialist that can help you out! Regardless, it is a great event to learn things and to meet some of the members here!

[Freebird]

I personally wouldn't even consider a jet kit. Absolutely not necessary unless there have been some pretty major changes made to exhaust and air intake. Several things could be causing the poor mileage. As stated already, carbs gummed up, a bad coil, etc.

[vzuden]

A carb sync may help also

[Freebird]

Yep, and carb syncs are FREE at Maintenance Day.

 

Have you RSVP on the calendar yet? Come on, what are you waiting on. We have several members coming from Michigan.

[baaloo.phd]

Giving it some thought. I have to work it out with the ol' lady. Are non-Royal Stars welcome? Also, there are some nice roads down your way that I want to try out.

[Freebird]

We don't care what you ride or what your friends ride.

[Flyinfool]

All bikes are welcome, this is about the people not the bike. If it is not a venture, you may have to put up with some good natured ribbing.

[snyper316]

Don't non Ventures have to park in the back 40?

[Jayceesfolly]

Jeff........It's not about maintenance, it's about RUUUM BALLLLLLs , Pond Monsters, and Apple Pie!

 

 

Jim

[ragtop69gs]

Jeff........It's not about maintenance, it's about RUUUM BALLLLLLs , Pond Monsters, and Apple Pie! [emoji481]

 

 

Jim

APPLE PIE! YUM.... I'LL BRING THE ICE CREAM ! 👌

 

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[snyper316]

APPLE PIE! YUM.... I'LL BRING THE ICE CREAM ! 👌

 

Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk

 

apple pie pie? or apple pie liquar

[ragtop69gs]

apple pie pie? or apple pie liquar

Lol.... it's liquid pie 😉

 

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[snyper316]

Lol.... it's liquid pie 😉

 

Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk

I didn't even know the made the latter till I seen it at the grocery store on sale for $12.99 a bottle. They had a couple other flavors to.

 

"Never ride faster then your guardian angel can fly."

[bongobobny]

Giving it some thought. I have to work it out with the ol' lady. Are non-Royal Stars welcome? Also, there are some nice roads down your way that I want to try out.

We've even had cagers come!!!

[XV1100SE]

Okay....back to the topic of the thread....

 

You mentioned a few issues, when you start the bike do you have to leave the choke on to keep it running? You do turn the choke off, correct?

 

You shouldn't need to rejet. If you haven't already....try the following :

- bike cold, start it and as it starts to warm up, check the exhaust pipes (not the shielding) to see if the pipes get hot roughly equally. This confirms that the cylinders are firing and would rule out coils being the issue.

- since your having issues, I'd add a FULL can of Seafoam to the gas. Even if you have half a tank of gas, add a full can and go for a ride. Movement of Seafoam thru the carbs at various throttle positions will loosen up and remove any gunk in the carbs. Leave the bike sitting overnight and the next day fill the tank and go for a ride

- definitely do a carb sync. From the factory they should be close but do require adjustment/checking periodically. I usually check mine at the beginning of the season and then around mid-point, but I have Carbtune and can do it any time. If your carbs were never sync'd this will make a big difference in the popping/backfiring will improve mileage.

- inspect your plugs for equal "burn". The four of them should be roughly the same colour and if any are not "normal" this will help narrow down a possible coil issue. Torque them down per spec...even a loose plug could cause issues

 

A 2011 isn't an old bike and this basic stuff should fix it up. If you do come across any problems, check with your Yamaha dealer on original date of purchase. With the 5 year warranty, if it is still covered I'd be checking the rear shock for squeaks or leaks. Replacing it under warranty saves you around $400

 

One other comment....these bikes use regular unleaded. You don't need to use higher octane gas Using the higher priced gas isn't necessary. Occasionally add a quarter to a third of a can of Seafoam to the gas to keep things clean and use Seafoam for storing the bike. Occasionally a hundred or so miles before an oil change add a little to the oil as well. It might burn off and the exhaust might be a little "blue" but it will clean the bottom end too.

 

FOR THOSE THAT KNOW THE WET CLUTCH DETAILS....comments on adding Seafoam to the oil? Just struck me that with the wet clutch, is this a good idea or would Seafoam be considered a friction modifier and be a bad thing?

[CaseyJ955]

If your at elevation or ride at elevation that might require some rejetting, but probably not. CV carbs are pretty good at adapting to altitude.

I agree with all of the above, stored with ethanol for any length of time can do bad things to carbs. Sounds like blocked jets, not so much incorrect jetting.

 

I found out the hard way that to store one it should have a full tank of pure gasoline/no ethanol and a couple oz of Seafoam or Stabil run long enough to get through the carbs. When ethanol sits you get corn squeezings blocking everything up, if a Shotgun failed to work than those carbs are coming off. On the upside it's not a terrible job to do.

[Dragonslayer]

Jeff........It's not about maintenance, it's about RUUUM BALLLLLLs , Pond Monsters, and Apple Pie!

 

 

Jim

And don't forget about the Black Death.

[leo3wheel]

Okay....back to the topic of the thread....

 

FOR THOSE THAT KNOW THE WET CLUTCH DETAILS....comments on adding Seafoam to the oil? Just struck me that with the wet clutch, is this a good idea or would Seafoam be considered a friction modifier and be a bad thing?

 

I put Seafoam in crankcase shortly after my RSV was broken in. Put fresh oil and added recommended amount of Seafoam, rode about 20 miles at highway speeds, and then changed oil again. No negative change to clutch performance...

[Carbon_One]

All good advise from the previous posts. Baaloo depending on your location in Michigan we could get you squared away well before Don's MD. I'd willingly offer a hand helping get your bike running as it should. I'm down in the south east corner of Michigan. PM me for further information.

Larry

[steamer]

And don't forget about the Black Death.

 

Different rally Dragonslayer:no-no-no:

[bongobobny]

No Steamer, Black Death WAS introduced at MD before it became a staple at the WNY Rally...

[MiCarl]

To summarize:

 

Your motorcycle is broken. It needs to be repaired, not re-jetted. Most likely you've got issues with the carburetors.

 

There are a lot of parts that need to come off to get at the carburetors and the carburetors have lots of tiny internal pieces. With all that is going on at Maintenance Day I wouldn't attempt them there.

[baaloo.phd]

Okay....back to the topic of the thread....

 

You mentioned a few issues, when you start the bike do you have to leave the choke on to keep it running? You do turn the choke off, correct?

 

You shouldn't need to rejet. If you haven't already....try the following :

- bike cold, start it and as it starts to warm up, check the exhaust pipes (not the shielding) to see if the pipes get hot roughly equally. This confirms that the cylinders are firing and would rule out coils being the issue.

- since your having issues, I'd add a FULL can of Seafoam to the gas. Even if you have half a tank of gas, add a full can and go for a ride. Movement of Seafoam thru the carbs at various throttle positions will loosen up and remove any gunk in the carbs. Leave the bike sitting overnight and the next day fill the tank and go for a ride

- definitely do a carb sync. From the factory they should be close but do require adjustment/checking periodically. I usually check mine at the beginning of the season and then around mid-point, but I have Carbtune and can do it any time. If your carbs were never sync'd this will make a big difference in the popping/backfiring will improve mileage.

- inspect your plugs for equal "burn". The four of them should be roughly the same colour and if any are not "normal" this will help narrow down a possible coil issue. Torque them down per spec...even a loose plug could cause issues

 

A 2011 isn't an old bike and this basic stuff should fix it up. If you do come across any problems, check with your Yamaha dealer on original date of purchase. With the 5 year warranty, if it is still covered I'd be checking the rear shock for squeaks or leaks. Replacing it under warranty saves you around $400

 

One other comment....these bikes use regular unleaded. You don't need to use higher octane gas Using the higher priced gas isn't necessary. Occasionally add a quarter to a third of a can of Seafoam to the gas to keep things clean and use Seafoam for storing the bike. Occasionally a hundred or so miles before an oil change add a little to the oil as well. It might burn off and the exhaust might be a little "blue" but it will clean the bottom end too.

 

FOR THOSE THAT KNOW THE WET CLUTCH DETAILS....comments on adding Seafoam to the oil? Just struck me that with the wet clutch, is this a good idea or would Seafoam be considered a friction modifier and be a bad thing?

 

Thanks for the info! I only need to choke for a few minutes for a cold start. I need the choke far longer on the Roadstar. I purchased a carbtune and will sync it as well. My guess is that it hasn't been sync'd in 6 years. I am planning to work on this this weekend. I need to do an oil change very soon and will add a little seafoam to that for a hundred miles. No warranty on the bike. Sold the first time in 2011. It only has 5000 miles on it and it has been sitting for a couple years. Suggestions for sealing an exhaust leak? Right side (sitting on the bike) at the junction point.

[baaloo.phd]

All good advise from the previous posts. Baaloo depending on your location in Michigan we could get you squared away well before Don's MD. I'd willingly offer a hand helping get your bike running as it should. I'm down in the south east corner of Michigan. PM me for further information.

Larry

 

Hey, Larry! Thanks for the offer! I may take you up on it after I try some of the things mentioned here. I will keep you posted.