Hey guys I'm new this website/forum. So short and easy my father bought and 78 shovel ten years ago and rebuilt it all custom. He handed the bike down to me last year since then I've been doing my regularly checks and adjusting everything to run well. He passed away a few months back so don't have anyone to ask questions about my bike. I was out for a cruise today and after about half hour of driving it started smoking a blueish white smoke from pipes and it felt like it wanted to die. so I shut it off and let it sit for a hour or so. My idle was running really high I adjusted it back down to a slower idle. After starting bike from hour break it ran very well again no smoke nothing. So question why did it smoke after running for thirty mins?

 

Ps when I ran it for that thirty mins I pushed it pretty hard little more than usual.

 

Guys used to forget to put the carb brace on, then their knee would knock the carb and upset the rubber manifold seal, engine would suck air big time and die or fast idle. Have the heads been re-torqued? Shovels are good for sucking oil thru the oil passage sealed by the head gasket.

 

I'm assuming they have been he got the whole engine rebuild it was a 1200 I'm thinking he mentioned it's around 1600 now. So assuming so. See I don't know much about it lol. It's sad. With time I'll learn this bike. U don't think I blew my engine or anything? Like I road it after and it ran great no smoke nothing.

 

Have you checked the oil since that incident? Blue white smoke is oil burning. Go on the shovel forum and see if they can help. I had a shovel but it was long ago and my mind seems to be drawing a blank right now. Also check the plugs to see if they are fouled.

 

It was running hot for some reason. The oil got hot and thin allowing it to smoke. Re torque the heads and check the intake gaskets.

 

Getting hot can be one of 3 things on a shovel one being the oil pump quit( least likely), second is a bad intake leak and 3rd is timing is way off. The last 2 would give you issues starting and running right at any time not just all of a sudden. What kind of mechanical skills do you have ? There's going to be some involved checks to be done to find what caused it first then onto the smoking problem , while related they are not the same problem.