[tomw]

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I finally got the '83 Aspencade running pretty good.I had two clogged main jets.Totally clogged.I'm happy with it now.Just 22,000 miles on it.

If the carb balancer set up was $10 I'd get one in the morning.But I gotta go for $50 or more including shipping.I can only spend a dollar once.Its either carb balancers or something else.

How much better will balancing the carbs make it run?What symptoms of carbs needing balancing will I notice? I ride highway miles mostly.80mph is fast enough for me.I don't break three figures.This bike hauls itself and me real well for a 25 year old carb'd bike.It was a ressurectionn project from the start.Got delivered on a flat bed.Tank was out,wrong forks,rebuilt correct set,rear tire had to be replaced,seat replaced,carbs needed work,brakes off and in a box,calipers rebuilt,master cylinders rebuilt Right now I'd say I have about $2200 in the bike and its been fun.

I'm not opposed at all to getting the unit and I could use it on another bike too that has just two carbs but will it really make that much difference?

Opinions?

 

[exavid]

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How much difference it makes depends on how well they are currently balanced. If you don't hear rattling or knocking as you get under way, and have a good idle along with a good smooth pull up to higher rpms you probably won't see much gain. If you don't have the above you will see improvements. You can make up a manometer for less than a couple bucks from a bit of scrap wood and some vinyl tubing that will do a decent job of balancing your carbs. It won't be as quick and easy as gauges but it will work and cost near nothing. Do a search in the forum using "manometer" or "homemade manometer" and you should get plenty of information on the subject.

Here's a link to one example of a home made manometer. Mine is about the same with the addition of an aquarium air valve in line on one leg to smooth the pulsations in the fluid. I also added a wooden base so the thing will stand on the floor.

http://www.650ccnd.com/mano.htm

 

[tomw]

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No rattling.No knocking under way.Good idle but holds a bit on the high side.Tries to climb to 1050 or 1150 on its own.Smooth pull up and when I get on it the response is what I'd expect.Getting on it as in entering the flow of traffic on I-40.Gotta pull it right up to 75 without hesitation and it does.
So...maybe I'm alright for now.

Thanks for the link.I checked it out and will keep it in favorites till I need it.

 

[Bagmaster]

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I've got 2 sets of gauges here right now. Just point the old girl down I-85 till you get to Spartanburg then take 176 east to just 2 miles over the county line into Union county. Pull into the trailer park 1/2 mile past Disney and blow the horn.

 

[tomw]

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Now that'd be a sweet ride...all 400 miles of it round trip! Looks like wet weather coming next few days though.I'll be on standby for when I get a good day and the itch to travel.
Thanks Bagmaster.

 

[SC]

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A homemade manometer is the way to go, 1/4" tubing a stick and a couple of plastic ink pen ends is what I use



The longer the tubing the more time you have to adjust



:waving:

 

[exavid]

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Forgot to mention one other symptom of out of sync carbs. Sync problems can cause the rpms to drop slowly when you suddenly close the throttle instead of dropping almost instantly. That can make shifting somewhat awkward.

 

[chris in va]

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My knock went away after a rebuild and synch (several, actually). Driveability issues were caused by float levels out of whack though. One cylinder was getting too much gas.

 

[dingdong]

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tomw wrote:

No rattling.No knocking under way.Good idle but holds a bit on the high side.Tries to climb to 1050 or 1150 on its own.Smooth pull up and when I get on it the response is what I'd expect.Getting on it as in entering the flow of traffic on I-40.Gotta pull it right up to 75 without hesitation and it does.
So...maybe I'm alright for now.

Thanks for the link.I checked it out and will keep it in favorites till I need it.

Idle speed rising on it's own is one of the symptoms of out of sync carbs. The secondary fuel circuits are trying to compensate for the "out of sync" idle circuits.

 

[RB]

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You need adapters for the intake ports; here is a good price and you can get gauges at harbor Frt for $10 so for about $30 you can have a gauge set..

If you decide to build a set with tubes Add the valves or use clips to constrict the tubes..makes it a lot easier and you won't suck your fluid into the cylinders so easily.

http://www.casporttouring.com/store/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=CST&Category_Code=TWINM

 

[morram]

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synced carbs offer better gas mileage as well

 

[twilson]

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RB wrote:

You need adapters for the intake ports; here is a good price and you can get gauges at harbor Frt for $10 so for about $30 you can have a gauge set..

If you decide to build a set with tubes Add the valves or use clips to constrict the tubes..makes it a lot easier and you won't suck your fluid into the cylinders so easily.

http://www.casporttouring.com/store/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=CST&Category_Code=TWINM

I used these adapters and the gauges from HF. You'll need line restrictors of some kind (clamps, valves or inserts) or else the gauge needles will jump all over the place. I just used a clamp on each tube and it worked fine.
I will say that while it is possible to sync the carbs two at a time (like I did), it's a PITA. Better off doubling-up and having all four hooked-up at once.

 

[William_86]

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before you can buy them, you can always mechanically sync.

 

[frankenpak]

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How about this symptom.....poping thru the right side carb like a spark...some back fire....idol surge up & down, running rough. One side exaust is stronger and hotter than the other.........what ya think???

 

[cycleman]

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tomw wrote:

No rattling.No knocking under way.Good idle but holds a bit on the high side.Tries to climb to 1050 or 1150 on its own.

A high hanging ideal is usually an indication of a lean condition.


Something that will help this condition is by adjusting the pilot screws. Start by turning them all in ( carefully ) to see what they are currently set at. Each model of carb has a base line setting for how many turns out they should be. My 77's base line is 2 1/2 turns or 2 3/4 can't recall exactly but I've found running mine at 4 turns out works the best for my bike & riding. You can do a search on this site and you'll find out what your base line should be. Once you have them all set to this standard, start the bike and let it run until it warms up ( fan cycles on & off ).

Set the idle to about 1100 if using stock tack. Then slowly turn out the pilot screw on carb #1 until the motor speeds up ( and/or sounds smoother ). Do this to each carb until you get the best/smoothest running idle. You will normally have to readjust the idle after each carb is adjusted. After you've done all of them take the bike for a ride. When you come back you might have to adjust the idle again and on the stock tack I'd keep it in the 1050-1100 range.What you are trying to do is to turn out the screws until the bike idles at its smoothest and no futher. If you go too far the idle will slow down. Once you've got it set right the bike will come off choke better and sit and idle like a trooper.

The above process will make the bike run a little bit richer but that is better than too lean.

I've done the above both with and without gauges and I find that the adjustments are so slight that they rarely if ever change the vaccum reading. Periodically have a look at the plugs to see if they are a light tan colour.

I've tried the Honda method but find it almost impossible to do with stock tack and it is designed to set the bike up on the lean side.

 

[cycleman]

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frankenpak wrote:

How about this symptom.....poping thru the right side carb like a spark...some back fire....idol surge up & down, running rough. One side exaust is stronger and hotter than the other.........what ya think???

I would do 1 easy thing first.

Drain the carbs and use a Sea Foam treatment. Search the site lots of info on this stuff. If that doesn't help then you'll have to go further.

Sounds to me like you got some fouled up carbs.

 

[sandcastcb750]

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You can adjust the carbs with one cheap vacuum gage. The unadjusted right rear is the reference. Make sure you bend/crimp the tube a little to reduce the massive pulsing of the gage needle. Then move about the other cylinders. You need 3 plug/caps to cover the other when using one gage.