bongobobny

As Puc mentioned, switch to a 4 brush starter. Search eBay for a good used starter from a 2nd Generation Royal Star Venture which will be a 4 brush one and it should run you in the neighborhood of $60 to $75. They are plug and play. The advantage of the 4 brush is when the bike is hot it starts a whole lot better than the 2 brush. Your starter solenoid is pretty much the same one found in early 60's Fords... EDIT: Just so you know, the fuel pump circuit is designed to only run for 5 seconds or less and then turn off until the bike actually starts! It's actually a safety feature...

It's all about the proper airflow volume with the air filters! Too much and too little cause all sorts of issues as it affects how rich or lean the carbs operate. Your best bet is stick with stock and check into chrome plating the stock plastic covers as the aftermarket metal ones are scarce and prone to pitting...

As far as mounting on your lowers, I personally think there is too much flex on them and you would have a light beam that vibrates and bounces around too much IMHO...

Yup, +1 on the Seafoam and use it regularly! Now, what also was mentioned, there is a distinct difference on how to drive a V4 versus a big V Twin!! Think Ferarri, Maserati, Lotus, McLaren, GT40, etc! These bikes love their rpm's and don't like lower ones! The power band starts around 3500 rpm and keeps going up to 7000 rpm! To give you an idea of the capability, 3rd gear is good up to around 90 mph! Generally, I shift out of 1st around 20 to 25mph, out of 2nd close to 40, out of 3rd around 50 and don't even THINK of using 5th below 60! However, the way you describe your problem as falling out at mid throttle but being fine at the top of the range does suggest other issues may be causing this. One of the very first things I would do, after you put a full can of Seafoam in a full tank of gas and then drive it like ya stole it until the tank is empty, is to either learn how to properly sync your carburetors or find someone who will sync them for you. If your carbs are way off this can affect performance! You can also check your float level adjustment which will also cause issues. Another possibility, but not that likely is a bad Throttle Position Sensor. There is a connector you can disconnect and monitor its performance with an ohmmeter but this is not a normal failure. The TPS seems to be pretty reliable. The third thing is to make sure your engine is firing on all 4 cylinders. It is a known fact that these bikes run surprisingly well on 3 cylinders! You also may have an issue with your plug caps, inside the cap under a little set screw is a spring, a disc, and a resistor element that can develop tarnish or corrosion which will cause a weak spark. One thing to try is to buy yourself a cheap spark gap tester from any auto parts store and test each cylinder. You should be able to pull a spark gap of at least 0.100 inches, I believe the spec is actually 0.109 inches. A quick test to see if you are just plain firing on all 4 is to start a cold bike and carefully feel all 4 exhaust pipes immediately to see if they are heating up uniformly. A quick touch with a finger will suffice... If all else fails then you may be in for a complete carb disassembly and cleaning from the bike setting too long with that nasty corn squeezing gas! Hopefully, some Seafoam will fix things.

No whipped cream?? OK David, if Toeman doesn't want it, it is yours then!

Well!! So they are!! The Utopia mounts a little different than the Diamond R one I have does, mine has holes where the Utopia is threaded. Hmmm, looks like somebody better start sweet talking me! I sort of like "Pretty please with a cherry on top"...

You will need to buy the required longer bolts though unless Chuck included them with the backrest...

Sorry, you're on the wrong side of the state. I am closer to Bradford, about an hour or so north...

The audio wires sometimes get pinched between the fairing and the frame, I've seen totally wrecked harnesses before...

Yup!! My step-daughter has way more than that in her bicycle!

I use speed bleeders and a vacuum pump and never had any problems...

Hmmm, I have a backrest I acquired from MD with studs minus the pouch (It had a small hole anyway and mine is missing) that I was going to auction off at the WNY NE Rally that I could be persuaded to part with for the cost of shipping...

The main thing is it is more heavy duty than the stock setup. You will find it feels more positive and firmer. The main reason is if you tow a trailer a lot two up, or if you have a spirited wrist and want more bite when you launch...

Looks like you need to tweak the bracket a little! I would try clamping the part that bolts onto where the helmet lock went (use a rag to prevent scratching) and bend it just enough to change the angle. Use a big crescent wrench, or a hammer or whatever you come up with to get it to line up! Chances are the real issue is with your crash bar, it probably got tweaked at one time or another. You could try loosening the bolts that hold it and try aligning the bracket again. How does the other side line up??

I just saw a post this morning from Aussie Annie where she had a mishap on her trike. From what I gather there was a group that had to stop abruptly and rather than to plow into them she took evasive maneuvers and hit a pole and then a wall. https://www.facebook.com/annie.collins.39/posts/1611883702254416

The answer to that is to look at your oil level at the site glass with the bike as level as possible when the bike has been sitting for several hours. Yes, quite possibly the excess has already been blown out already. The level wants to be just about halfway up the site glass...

I somehow knew you would eventually find another "Molly" Jeff! What I have learned through life is you never find a replacement for a loved pet, you just find another pet to love!!! Congratulations and good luck, hope she doesn't chew up too much of your stuff...

Sure looks pretty!! Well, there is a LOT to the carbs as they are very complex with several "circuits" for different conditions that can plug up. There are rubber diaphragms that operate the sliders that can develop pinholes and screw things up. The carbs each need to be balanced to each other which requires 4 balanced vacuum gauges or manometers. There is a procedure called "shotgunning" for cleaning the innards of the carbs which if you do a search you should eventually find the procedure, but for now, buy the product called Seafoam and put one can in a full tank of gas and drive it like you stole it! Be prepared to change plugs afterword as they will probably foul out a little from all the crud that will break loose, and the fact that our bikes eat plugs and should be changed every 5K to 10K anyway. Make sure you are running on all 4 cylinders as these bikes run surprisingly well and smooth on only 3... Good luck and welcome!!!

Yup!! Helluva big heavy bike to learn to ride on for sure!! Congratulations!!!

You are correct! The system was something that worked in theory but not necessarily in real life, so with the MK2 they scrapped it which also cut production costs and raised profits...

Yup, all good Steven! Yes, a couple of years ago there was this guy manufacturing fuel injectors that went into the stock carbs where the sliders go, but he went out of business. Flying Fool acquired the blueprints but never did anything with them. Now there is a member down in Florida that had a performance company working on a more proper FI system that added sensors for proper timing and advance for proper acceleration, but I'm not sure how that project is going. So, for now, I guess I'll stick with the stock carburation but I may be on the lookout for a set of VMax carbs which supposedly have even larger throats, but I also sometimes wonder just how much of a difference a 1mm larger diameter really makes...

You're going the wrong direction, Bubber, you're supposed to travel east in time for the WNY NE Regional Rally!!!

Well, I sent him my set of carbs to him at the beginning of the month that Dingy rebuilt several years ago for him to try out on the dyno, but I haven't heard from him yet. I called this week and left a message but no response. I figure he is super busy with the new shop and relocating and trying to get caught up from his hernia operation so I haven't pushed it. The engine is supposedly done but the carb set that was on the engine was in very bad shape. I hope to get everything back together before I'm in a wheelchair...

Yeah, what Condor said! Is it leaning too far for your taste, or are you parking on soft ground or hot blacktop and you want a larger footprint??

I remember from back in the 60's an old trick for decarbonizing old car engines was to keep the rpm's up there and with an eyedropper slowly drop water through the carb throat. The water, through compression, would literally send shock waves in the combustion chamber and bust loose the carbon! No, I am not recommending this procedure, I'm just reminiscing! So far I see two possibilities, an exhaust leak, and excessive raw gas coming from the engine, both are very plausible! I am leaning towards the exhaust leak as the primary culprit as even with some raw gas/unexploded vapors with no source of oxygen they would possibly not ignite, and the only way to get oxygen to them before they exit the exhaust is from a leak. Now, as far as the intermittent stumble, where do you want to look first? Valve adjustment? An intermittent ignition failure? A partially plugged orifice somewhere? A vacuum leak somewhere? Speaking of that, are you still using your plastic YCIS box?? Although in theory, they do help balance the vacuum, they also develop a crack on the seam of the body and can (and do) develop a vacuum leak. All that YCIS box does is to form a collector tank for all 4 carburetor vacuums to balance out. In reality, the gain of the system is pretty much insignificant and many people eliminate them! To properly test them, submerge the tank in a bucket of water, plug off 3 of the 4 ports, and apply air pressure to the 4th port and watch for bubbling for several minutes. You can sometimes fix them by applying a bead of glue or sealer to the seam which is where they usually leak. Just something else to check out...