V7Goose

Either they do not know what they are doing, or your tire is defective. Call Dunlop... Goose

I suspect your problem is in the carbs - no real reason I can explain - I just do. Here is a very simple test to verify if you actually have a usable spark on each cylinder: First, go get some spray starting fluid (ether). Turn off the gas and drain the carbs. Now pull the two vacuum lines and two vacuum caps from the intake manifolds (like you were going to sync the carbs). While hitting the starter, spray a shot of starting fluid in each vacuum port, one at a time. If there is good spark at the right time, you will hear the cylinder fire a couple of times. No need to crank long, this is an instant test as long as you get the spray into the vacuum port. You can do the same test by taking the air plenum boots off the top of the carbs and giving each carb throat a quick shot of the fluid while cranking. But you have to do each carb individually or you will not know if each cylinder starts to fire. One other point I do not remember seeing covered in this thread - have you checked the spark plug caps for high resistance? If you do not have an ohmmeter, just swap the caps and see if the problem stays with the same cylinders. Goose

OK, I just went and reviewed the schematic again to refresh my memory of this. All four coils have +12V supplied via the Red/Black wires directly from the Kill Switch (that is how the kill switch works, it simply removes the power from the coils). The OTHER wire on each coil (different color for each) goes directly to the ignitor for the coil trigger. The trigger wire for coil #4 is white. This is what we would normally refer to as the negative side of the coil, even though it does not actually go to ground. Our coils are completely isolated from the battery ground other than what the ignitor may provide as a trigger. The trigger wire for your tach goes to this terminal on the coil. I DO NOT KNOW YOUR SPECIFIC TACH, but it should normally have four wires, +12v, ground, trigger, and light. Your original post sounds like it is probably hooked up correctly. Goose

As I have said many times over the years, a stock RSV will NOT bang or pop on decel unless something is wrong with it. 99% of the time this is caused by something upsetting the complete fuel burn, and the majority of times it can be traced to vacuum leaks. A bad header leak will also cause it even when all else is good - that is because a header leak simply lets air in even when the AIS valve tries to shut it off during high-vacuum situations. The after-fire (it is not a backfire) is simply caused by excess unburned fuel getting spit into the exhaust system, then being ignited when it is mixed with oxygen. There are always SOME unburned hydrocarbons in the exhaust, and this is one of the worst causes of air pollution. The AIS is simply a low cost passive way to allow much of those hydrocarbons to continue burning (not exploding) before they are spit out into our air. Too much unburned fuel leads to explosions instead of a clean burn. The excess unburned fuel is normal when you snap the throttle closed, and that is why the AIS valve CLOSES under high vacuum conditions, to stop the flow of extra oxygen into the exhaust header. But if something else is wrong that upsets the normal full burn, such as a lean condition from vacuum leak, a bad plug or weak spark, then the excess fuel being dumped into the exhaust is too high all the time, and you get the explosions happening before the AIS valve can react to the sudden increase in vacuum. Goose

I've never touched a 1st gen carb. Of course you can obviously set them properly by measuring on the bench, but you would first need the correct spec to do it - otherwise it would be just trial and error. If you want to try that without a spec, start by checking and recording the measurements when you first open them up, then set them all equal about 1/10th of an inch lower than the starting measurement. Now go out and honk on it hard at high RPM - the higher the revs under the greatest load with the throttle wide open is what you are interested in. If the floats are too low, you will be able to get the bike to briefly starve for fuel under those conditions when it sucks the bowls dry faster than the fuel pump can re-supply them. Of course a clean fuel filter and tank screens are important before trying a test like that. Frankly, I don't think all that would be worth the effort unless you had some reason to think the float levels were way off to begin with. Goose

29 is way low unless you are running 85+ or have a significant head or cross wind. 75 should generally keep you in the mid to lower 30s even when heavily loaded. But because there are so many variables, especially related to wind drag and road conditions, that is why I stressed "CONSTANT" readings - one or two tanks of gas are not enough to tell anything. You are likely running on 3 or 3 1/2 cylinders, have significant carb sync issue or have a really bad fuel mix due to other carb problems. Goose

Yes, it is in the shop manual. But for some strange reason, I have never been able to get an accurate reading with that method - always way low, as if the liquid is sticking in the tube instead of rising to full height. Might work better with the engine running (vibration), but I never tried that. The only method I use is manual measurement with the carbs on the bench. If your floats have never been changed from the factory, they most definitely ARE set too high. If they have been set properly once, then there is almost zero chance that they have ever changed. Lots of things can contribute to bad MPG numbers, but not generally the floats (depending, of course, on just what you mean by "bad"). In general, ALL 2nd gens are set way high from the factory, and properly setting the float level will usually give you about a 10% boost in MPG (3-4 miles more). Few people would label a loss of just 3 MPG as "bad". If your MPG numbers are CONSTANTLY below 33 at legal highway speeds, then you have something else wrong. Goose

Those two big bolts do not hold on the fin covers - they are the mounting points for the dog-bones, or upper engine mounts. As long as the bolts are tight, I see no problem with putting something under them. I use a set of chrome wind deflectors in the winter that mount to one of those bolts. Goose

The corroded plugs say that the drain holes on two of the heads are plugged. This often happens from mud-dauber wasps. Pull the fake fin covers and make sure the drains are cleaned out so no water stays around the plugs when you wash it or get caught in the rain. Goose

This is discussed in many old threads. The test is simple, but you only have about 30 seconds to do it on a cold engine. As soon as it starts, reach UNDER each header with your finger to feel the pipe temp right next to the head. The pipes will begin heating immediately, and within one minute they will be hot enough to burn, so be quick. It is important that you do this test on the real header pipes, not the chrome shield, that is why you reach under the pipes. It is also best to be able to do this test WITHOUT using the "choke", as that add adds extra fuel to the starting circuit and can mask plugged jets. If any cylinder is not getting full fuel or spark at idle, it will stay cool MUCH longer than the others, so this is the quickest and most simple test to verify clean pilot jets on all four carbs. Goose

Your symptoms are consistent with one or more pilot jets being somewhat plugged and/or carbs out of sync. If one or more cylinders are not getting full idle fuel for a hard burn, then the explosive force into the pipe when the valve opens will be less. In this case, the temp of the exhaust gas will also be noticeable cooler than the other one for the first few minutes because the pipes will not be heating evenly. The fingertip test on the cold header in the first 30 seconds of starting is also a good indication of this problem. If all the headers are heating up quickly, then I'd suspect more of a sync issue. Goose

That is very very low for this bike. reported numbers on the 2nd gens are all over the place, with a few insisting they stay in the 40s, but the vast majority of owners find they get mid to high 30s. I track my mileage with every single tank, and with over 100,000 on my '05 I can say that the biggest single factor is speed - this is not a streamlined bike, and anything over 60 MPH really starts dragging those numbers down. Of course, any type of headwind simply equates to the same air drag as just riding faster too. I generally ride the highways at 70 MPH or a tad higher whenever I can, and those speeds usually get me MPG numbers in the upper 30s. When just cruising in the mountains and twisties around 45 MPH, I have gotten 50 MPG. Anything in the 20s says you are only running on three cylinders or have other significant problems. Goose

What vacuum are you pulling at idle? It is possible the pilot jets are mostly plugged and you have the idle stop cranked up to run off the mains - this would cause the problem while the carb "waits" for the slide to get sucked open where you normally get the transition from pilot to main. Normal vacuum at idle is around 10" - anything lower than 9" is a real problem. Goose

All you did was crank open the throttle so that it is sucking your idle fuel through the main jets. Goose

Your idle jets are completely closed due to gunk - gonna need to pull them and soak in a cleaner to blow them out with compressed air. Your main jets are going to have some stuff in them too, so once you have the carbs out, do not neglect to do them all. Also possible that your diaphragms have pin holes at this age, but that is not yet a common problem with the 2nd gen bikes (and would not be related to idle problems). Do some research here on old threads, particularly in the tech section for instructions on how to pull the carbs. While you are in there, make sure to set the floats properly - they are NEVER correct from the factory. I have a detailed set of instructions for that in the tech library. And be very aware that those four carbs have THREE different main jet sizes, so do NOT mix them up. Pay attention to what carb each comes from and only do one carb at a time to be cautious. Since you seem knowledgeable about mechanics, you need to spend a couple of days on hear just browsing lots of old threads in the tech section to learn about this bike. And go back several years. Many things are well documented, but some of us old guys just get tired of saying the same things over and over again, so the best info is the older info. Welcome, and good luck, Goose

I do not know what manual you are using, or even if the coils on your bike are the same as the '99 & newer bikes, but be aware that the shop manual is WRONG on the coil resistance test for the 2nd gens. On these bikes, both windings share a common terminal, and there is NO path to ground (you can see this on the schematics). To properly measure the resistance of each winding you need to use that common terminal for each test. Goose

Actually, changing the filter is really quite simple. Many people do simply re-locate the filter, but I do not see any need for that - just use a similar sized $4 generic replacement. I have done a write-up in the past - you can probably find it with a search. The short of it is that you can just use your finger to push the filter up and out of the rubber sleeve without having to remove anything but a side cover. Been a while since I have done it, so maybe there is another minor step or two.... Goose

Do not jump to any conclusions when comparing your new tire to that POS you had. ANYTHING will handle much better than that Brickstone turd. Even when compared with other brands in the same size, the Brickstone has a TOTALLY different profile which causes its bad handling. Do some additional research on older threads, and in particular see my sticky thread in the tech section for a LOT more info on this subject. Goose

I would be a member, but every time I contact them I get so disgusted by the amount of spam Tim sends out, flooding my email, that I refuse to sign up. The organization has a good purpose, but he is his own worst enemy. Goose

This is nothing more than a blocked idle jet. Assuming I am right, if you open the throttle about half way while the engine ins running, that cylinder should heat right up because it will be running on the main jet. Goose

Very happy you found the problem and got it fixed. Now consider that that carb work would have cost you between $150 and $250 at just about any shop - you got it fixed for free... Maybe membership here is worthwhile? Welcome, and ride safe! Goose

Actually, no - this is not correct. the RSV fuel pump has a positive shutoff in it, so when the key is off, it will NOT leak fuel. But it SHOULD leak with the key on but not started, just from the fuel pump pressure; however, the RSV pump is a very low-pressure design, so you might have to wait a while if the leak is small. But if it really only overflows when the engine is idling, and not when the engine is off and key on, then it seems most likely related to a float valve just barely shutting off and jiggling open from vibration. That would either be caused by a badly misadjusted float, or one that was not fully floating. The fuel pump is going to be putting out the same pressure with the engine running or just the key on, so the only other variable is the vibration. And engine vibration does NOT cause a float valve to leak when the float has normal pressure on the needle. Goose

Actually I was referring to the upper arrow in your picture - stupidly referred to it as the middle arrow since it was pointing to something in the "middle" of the carbs. Sorry. The slide needle is what controls the fuel through the main jet, and no, it dos not actually close it. Goose

Everything you say points to a problem with the float valve or float. If it is a leak through the valve, you should see it with just the key on so the pump is pressurizing the line. Possible causes are bad valve seat, bad needle tip, bad o-ring under the seat, terribly high float setting, foreign object stuck in the valve, or a float that does not float. I do not know what that middle arrow is pointing at. Also, you say you see the fuel bubbling in the carb at idle, but you do not say anything about the vent/overflow tube. If that is routed correctly, a stuck/leaking float will cause fuel to run down inside one of the lower front cowlings (the vent is routed near the opening of the air filter. Goose

Carburetors are simple, reliable, and much easier to tune than EFI. Good fuel injection systems are great, but many of them are NOT good. Surging and abrupt responses are two of the most common and VERY hard to live with problems. BMW and Ducati are both badly plauged with these issues on some models. Frankly, I am totally satisfied with the carbs on my RSV, and if they came out with an EFI version tomorrow, I would not buy it. Your worst problems with carbs these days are caused by infrequent riding of the bike and the TERRIBLE quality of fuel you are forced to purchase. If you do not ride the bike at least several time each week, the simple solution to prevent these problems is to just use a small amount of Seafoam or other fuel treatment in each tank of gas. Welcome to the group! Goose