Head Pipe Glowing
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Tourer
Joined: Jul 2012
Posts: 269
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From: Fairbanks
Head Pipe Glowing
Tell me if you think this is right. Last night after work, I decided to fire up the bike. Try to start it every other weekend. 93 Heritage. It was about 5 below outside so I opened the garage door. I pulled the enrichener, stabbed the starter button, let her idle for 30 seconds or so before I locked the throttle just above idle, pushed the enrichener back in and let her idle for a few minutes. The garage was pretty dimly lit on the exhaust side, and I noticed the head pipes were both glowing slightly. At some point, or maybe it still is running either rich or lean. I bought it last summer and put a couple hundred miles on it. I checked the plugs when I first bought it and after the summer was over and the spark plugs looked perfect. You can see the pipes are very blue in my sig pic. I want to replace those pipes but I don't want to do anything before I find out if that is normal to glow. I dont want my new pipes chrome to bake off.
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Tourer
Joined: Jul 2012
Posts: 269
Likes: 0
From: Fairbanks
Something I may need to add here is that it has a Mikuni carb, some type of reusable pink fabric air filter (like a K&N), and the el cheapo drag pipes with no baffles. Plugs were Brown and dry. Do you think my starting method is wrong? I was thinking i should push the enrichener back in soon after starting, but if it is an en"rich"ener, maybe the longer the better huh?
Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 2,130
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From: Tampa
Well, it could have been a lean mixture. Did you have additives or stabilizer in the tank? That could account for some differences. Might have been a temp/contrast thing or...maybe the bike has magic powers, now. If it starts to drive by itself like Christine, I would consider selling it off.
Road Master
Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 957
Likes: 2
From: Carlsbad Springs Ontario
blue pipes.
Tell me if you think this is right. Last night after work, I decided to fire up the bike. Try to start it every other weekend. 93 Heritage. It was about 5 below outside so I opened the garage door. I pulled the enrichener, stabbed the starter button, let her idle for 30 seconds or so before I locked the throttle just above idle, pushed the enrichener back in and let her idle for a few minutes. The garage was pretty dimly lit on the exhaust side, and I noticed the head pipes were both glowing slightly. At some point, or maybe it still is running either rich or lean. I bought it last summer and put a couple hundred miles on it. I checked the plugs when I first bought it and after the summer was over and the spark plugs looked perfect. You can see the pipes are very blue in my sig pic. I want to replace those pipes but I don't want to do anything before I find out if that is normal to glow. I dont want my new pipes chrome to bake off.
Need to see how the plugs are showing now .
When possible , run the bike at full throttle to near your home and then kill it with the kill switch at a point were you can coast into your driveway.
Pull the plugs , identify the plugs as to front or back cyl. and send a pic.
This wierd procedure will enable a very good synopsis to see how the motor is burning the fuel etc.
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Tourer
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 259
Likes: 1
From: Kingston, Ontario
Sounds like you are running lean, open pipes with a mik. Carb and KN filter. Have you ridden it, do you get decel pop?
When I start mine I only use the enriched to get it going, set throttle lock and push it back in, back jug hot time to go. It is totally different then my choke bike.
If you are not going to ride it put it to bed. Starting it to warm it up is bad you are putting moisture in the motor every time you do this.
Cheers
When I start mine I only use the enriched to get it going, set throttle lock and push it back in, back jug hot time to go. It is totally different then my choke bike.
If you are not going to ride it put it to bed. Starting it to warm it up is bad you are putting moisture in the motor every time you do this.
Cheers
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Road Master
Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 957
Likes: 2
From: Carlsbad Springs Ontario
blue pipes.
Blue pipes are an indication of either cheap straight pipes or a lean burn or both . The straight pipes and mikuni carb. tell me this bike has been hot rodded . I again suggest a spark plug burn test to see whats what as its a simple thing to do and will provide a pretty good picture of whats happening in the motor. I would also check the voes. switch for wiring/vacume and operation.
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