Random Thoughts.....What Are You Thinking?

So finally had some free time and found all my tools... so time to play with my bike of course!

Well I replaced my battery because new one finally got here... and decided while I had my seat off I might as well pop off the tank and *** with the carburetor and finally get my hunk of junk working proper like.

So got the tank off no problem, started taking the airbox off and of course the damned bottom bolt did the notorious "spin forever even though it isn't really stripped" problem my bike has. So took out the screws and very gently pulled forward on the case in hopes of reaching behind it and jiggling the bolt loose (the standard fix for the problem) and pop! Case just came clean off. I thought I had snapped it and needed a new air box (the big fear of the infinite bolt spin), but everything was in place and not broken... yet.

I soon fixed that problem of not being broken, because I figured while I was taking my carb apart I can shim it... so whipped out the Dremel and sawed the top off my air box and pulled a mad scientist and did brain surgery on it. Got the complete top exposed and pulling in air through the filter side now. Not a world changing improvement (maybe like 1~2HP tops), but in theory should make the bike run a little smoother. Most people just replace the air box with a spike filter, but I like the look of the stock air box and read a couple of guides on modding it... can't even tell it is modded with everything put together, so looks great.

So after my mad scientist experiment I moved on to what I had been avoiding since I bought the bike... rejetting my carb. Well actually not really rejetting it, just tuning it properly from factory stock settings. I had already bought a tool to derp with the air/fuel screw on the bottom because my bike was running so lean when I got it though. First time I did that was a nightmare, I dropped the damned screw and lost it... ending up paying $20 to get a new one. And then proceeded to drop the washer that comes with it when installing the replacement, so I had a washer that didn't quite fit on there.

Anyway, took the cap off the carb and proceeded to the infamous "Scar" mod (made so by Scar of the vtxcafe forums). Basically you clip the spring holding "***" that sets the needle, which allows your jet needle more freedom of motion (instead of buying a smaller needle kit and trying to set and shim that). And since I just decapitated my air box, I followed some advice and added 2 shims (well actually they are tiny washers from radio shack, which I bought on advice as well lol).

Well I pulled out my A/F screw again (was really careful this time) so I could set it to the standards of the new needle movement and increased air flow. Aaaaaaaaaaaand I dropped it off the tip of the special tool I use to get it out (it is a D shaped socket). Well I found the screw no problem, had to do a little searching for the spring... but the washer and gasket were going to be impossible to find, I was ready to cry since they specialty pieces and I would have to order a new A/F screw set... which is $20 because I have had to do it before.

So I went inside and asked for some advice on replacing the gasket (I have tiny washers that sort of fit). Nobody really had an answer, so I tried using a piece of a rubber band on there (the generally consensus to that was "Lemme know if that works."). Well trying to get the tiny screw into the tiny hole, with the spring/washer/fake gasket all balanced on it... yup I *** dropped it again.

Well I found the spring, the washer I was using shockingly, and just had to remake my rubber bank gasket. But the needle had landed on one of the engine fins and I couldn't get to it. Got a bottle of air in a can and tried blowing it to one side and ended up blowing some dirt/sand/crap that had been trapped on the interior of my engine... also heard a pinging sound out the other side. It was the original (or possibly replacement) washer that goes with the A/F screw that had gotten blown out. I laughed, because I had the right sized washer now, but not the right sized gasket.

Anyway, went to screwing it in, but the little *** just wouldn't go in... so I pulled it out (spring/correct washer/fake gasket all balanced on top) and low and behold, it is the gasket that goes on top stuck to the end of the needle. So I put all the correct parts on the needle and screwed it in (without dropping it and no trouble this time), turned it out 2 1/2 turns per recommendation, and boom! Done with the carb.

Tossed everything back together and cranked her up. Started first try, no choke, like a *** champ. But still sounded a little wimpy with the stock pipes on there. So I decided to take a 1/2 inch drill bit and go to town on the outer baffles. Drilled 6 holes in each pipe.

Crank her again... holy ***difference. Sounds total beast mode now with the open air box and dropped pressure in the pipes.