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/cgi-bin/YaBB.pl General Category >> Rubber Side Down! >> Jeans on Fire! Thanks for your help! /cgi-bin/YaBB.pl?num=1121482257 Message started by Paula71 on 07/15/05 at 19:50:57 |
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Title: Jeans on Fire! Thanks for your help! Post by Paula71 on 07/15/05 at 19:50:57 Hey all. Okay jeans didnt really catch on fire, but they are smolder'n. Two times in the last week while riding I have experienced scorched denim, and felt it once! This occurs during the ride with my feet on the pegs. It is at my calf just below my knee where the engine is. Bike is now at 1200miles. The more miles the more lean it gets? My question is does this sound like it is time to get that jet kit I keep reading about? White spacer and idle mixture screw? Or is there another explanation here? :-/ |
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Title: Re: Jeans on Fire! Jet kit time? Post by Reelthing on 07/15/05 at 21:06:22 I would re-jet the bike - it will run cooler - you really don't need no stinking kit - just a 150 or a 152.5 main jet, a little less spacer, pull the plug over the idle mixture screw and gently close it (clockwise) and bring it back out 1.5-1.75 turns and your good to go |
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Title: Re: Jeans on Fire! Jet kit time? Post by Paula71 on 07/15/05 at 21:39:48 Thank you for the information, will be doing for sure, was rereading some of the older threads and locating some things on the bike, wondered about an entire kit, I'll be getting that new main jet then. Thanks again :) Reelthing wrote:
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Title: Re: Jeans on Fire! Jet kit time? Post by Greg_650 on 07/16/05 at 08:00:04 Paula71 wrote:
First, why is your denim touching the engine? Is it REALLY scorched is that just figurative? Usually you can feel heat radiating off the engine in hot summer traffic, but you are still a long way from spontaneous combustion. Second, "lean" is not a condition that developes with miles. You can change the jetting if you want to modify the performance of the engine, but it isn't mandatory for any stock bike. Also, if you consider that various parts of an engine are running at temps of several hundred degrees, you will understand that you will get burned even if you change the jetting....what is a just few degrees to an engine will still inflict a 2nd - 3rd degree burn on you. Okay, back to "jeans on fire"....all our bikes are essentially the same and the only way that I have been burned is by direct contact with the wrong part. Let me ask, do you ride with your legs tightly clamped on the gas tank? |
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Title: Re: Jeans on Fire! Jet kit time? Post by Paula71 on 07/17/05 at 05:42:48 Greg_650 wrote:
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Title: Re: Jeans on Fire! Jet kit time? Post by Greg_650 on 07/17/05 at 07:56:44 Paula71 wrote:
Paula, you need to understand that I don't know how this can happen. I understand that you scorched your jeans, but I don't understand how. Not by just riding normally (the same as I do) :P Jetting will not appreciably change engine temperature to the point that you can not scorch your jeans, because you still have internal combustion going on regardless. So, what is different, missing, wrong, or changed on your bike? Do you have an exhaust leak, a missing heat shield, a different muffler or head pipe?....That is what I am saying. Anyone else with any ideas? |
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Title: Re: Jeans on Fire! Jet kit time? Post by Paula71 on 07/17/05 at 08:58:33 Greg_650 wrote:
Greg_650 thanks again. I will be continuing to check for possible problems with my bike. I was hoping someone else had experienced this. Guess I am a loner on this one :) The scorch is just like what you get when you hold a piece of paper over a burning candle. The paper does not touch the candle flame but still burns. For now I will consider buying jeans with a heat shield built in or redneck it and use tin foil!! ;D |
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Title: Re: Jeans on Fire! Jet kit time? Post by red2k1 on 07/17/05 at 10:57:07 This is truely curious. Very recently, like yesterday, I experienced a hotter than usual right lower leg while riding. However, did not burn the jeans. My problem was caused by a loose muffler clamp and was solved by tightening the clamp. It seems to me that it would be possible to burn your jeans if the inside lower leg part of the jeans rested against the crankcase for a period of time. You could test this by simply securing a small bungee cord around the bottom of your jeans so as to keep them away from the crankcase. I think I would also check to see that there is the adequate amount of oil in the engine. |
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Title: Re: Jeans on Fire! Jet kit time? Post by WD on 07/17/05 at 21:29:35 The last few times I rode mine, it also seemed hotter than usual. Had one pair of rain pants literally catch on fire, with NO pipe contact. >:( No exhaust leak either, I fixed that little problem last month (me and my little flux core welder... ::)). My GUESS (and that's all it is) is that the current summer blend fuel in my area, at 10 or 15 percent ethanol, just burns hotter than normal. For what it's worth, the screwy bike I'm currently riding does the same thing, and it's liquid cooled with ground scraping pipes... ??? -WD |
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Title: Re: Jeans on Fire! Jet kit time? Post by Savage_Rob on 07/18/05 at 05:57:14 Wow, this all just sounds freaky to me. I've never noticed that much heat coming from the engine or exhaust on mine. |
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Title: Re: Jeans on Fire! Jet kit time? Post by Paula71 on 07/18/05 at 06:03:04 hey everyone thank you for the input, I have wondered if it could be oil related, it all started within 400miles of my first oil change. The "summer" fuel is a good thought, too. And now I am starting to get the gold discoloration. It is hotter now then it was. It seems to run fine, so I am not to worried. And if it seems to happen once in a while for a few then I guess I fit right in :) WD thanks for giving me heads up, will be getting rain gear with heat guards!! |
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Title: Re: Jeans on Fire! Jet kit time? Post by Greg_650 on 07/18/05 at 10:55:52 WD wrote:
First, if you were wearing rain pants, was it raining? If it was raining then why didn't the water prevent the fire? |
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Title: Re: Jeans on Fire! Jet kit time? Post by Greg_650 on 07/18/05 at 10:58:46 Savage_Rob wrote:
Exactly, and neither has my spouse. In fact, this is the first time in the 5 years riding the Savage or chatting in their forums, that anyone has mentioned it. Personally, I'm thinking it is a loose muffler clamp. |
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Title: Re: Jeans on Fire! Jet kit time? Post by Paula71 on 07/18/05 at 11:11:11 Greg_650 wrote:
No loose muffler clamp , no obvious problem, other than extreme heat radiating away from the bike. The place on my jeans that has been scorched 2 times is directly across from the cylinder head, And I can not make my leg touch it ;). Lucky you for never experiencing this before, I know several others that have not experienced this either. I am not imagining this :P, and yes I too think it is very Freaky I rode a dirtbike before street bike and never had this come up then either. |
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Title: Re: Jeans on Fire! Jet kit time? Post by Greg_650 on 07/18/05 at 11:36:16 Paula71 wrote:
Same jeans? Same style, I mean. Tight legs or loose? I got half a mind (normally) to find an old piece of denim and put it on a hot clyinder head just to see how it burns..... And, it isn't too far fetched for the head to be that hot at around 400 - 450 degrees, but the engine is more narrow than the tank so how does this happen without direct contact? Does your bike run right? Does this happen in slow traffic on a hot day? |
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Title: Re: Jeans on Fire! Jet kit time? Post by Paula71 on 07/18/05 at 12:18:58 Greg_650 wrote:
Greg_650, first i should say thank you for continuing to humor yourself with me and my challenge! Same style jeans, areas were just approx. 1/2inch apart. I do not think I want my jeans to touch it at 400 degrees! It has been 85-90 degrees and so humid you can barely breathe around here lately. Bike seems to run right, except occassionally gears not engaging on first attempt during downshifting. |
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Title: Re: Jeans on Fire! Jet kit time? Post by mornhm on 07/18/05 at 12:23:32 Just to throw another question in. Is it possible you are contacting either the muffler or header pipe when you are either riding or putting your feet down to dismount or just stopping? It doesn't take long for the muffler to melt things. :-[ Are the jeans 100% cotton or synthetic (big temperature difference for "scorching") |
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Title: Re: Jeans on Fire! Jet kit time? Post by Greg_650 on 07/18/05 at 12:50:20 Paula71 wrote:
Ah, Humor, a wonderful thing....but I'm not doing this at your expense. Really. And trust me, this isn't just a challenge for you...we're all in this one Don't get me wrong, but if I don't ask what seems to be the silliest, strangest or the most redundant of questions for things that are rather inconceiveable and outrageous anyway, we'll never figure it out. After all, I'm pretty sure that "Jeans on Fire" is not listed in the troubleshooting section of the manual. Okay? Never realized the actual temperature of the engine parts, did you? Most people don't either. We're all too used to watching a water temp gage in a car and worrying if it gets up to boiling. So the idea of temps like that can be surprising. Just remember this is an air cooled engine just like your lawnmower.... The head/cylinder metal can easily reach those temps; especially near the exhaust port. The temps inside your exhaust header pipe are even higher than that, as there is pretty close to an open flame going on there. Oh, did I mention that the cooling fins on the engine do work? Way out on the edges, it isn't nearly as hot as it is at the bottom of those fins....heat is dissipated into the air and water (and clothing) that comes in contact with them....so they are most likely not actually 400. You aren't mad at me, are you? I am trying to help. So, let me ask, do you iron your jeans? 8) |
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Title: Re: Jeans on Fire! Jet kit time? Post by Paula71 on 07/18/05 at 12:55:35 mornhm wrote:
I have wondered that , too. The burn is to high on my leg to be a muffler burn when my feet are down. And my legs do not touch anything when I am riding, they are just long enought to reach the pegs with little room to move around :) |
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Title: Re: Jeans on Fire! Jet kit time? Post by Greg_650 on 07/18/05 at 13:06:03 Paula71 wrote:
Do you have a digital camera? Maybe you could sit on the bike and have someone shoot a picture of your leg with your foot on the peg.....an idea.... |
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Title: Re: Jeans on Fire! Jet kit time? Post by Paula71 on 07/18/05 at 13:18:56 Greg_650 wrote:
Heavens No! To both questions. Never occured to me that you were not just helping ;D Ironing? hmmm you may want to describe what exactly that is!!! Ha Ha If I can't wash and wear I dont buy it!! My header pipe has begun the change to gold. I do have a medium weight cotton denim, maybe that is all it is? But I would not then understand why it has only happened two times out of 1300 miles? Maybe it will not again? I guess I will be adding a new jet , messing with the idle screw and white spacer in the next day or two to get rid of that hesitation. I will not expect it to prevent further scorches though from what you have said. But , hey it is time to start some mods anyhoo. ;D |
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Title: Re: Jeans on Fire! Jet kit time? Post by Paula71 on 07/18/05 at 13:22:34 Greg_650 wrote:
Sometimes it works , sometimes it doesn't (the camera). It is an idea though. |
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Title: Re: Jeans on Fire! Jet kit time? Post by Greg_650 on 07/18/05 at 13:24:42 Paula71 wrote:
Whew, I can rule out that possibility. My spouse doesn't let me iron anything 'cause I usually scorch it.....:) The gold color is kinda nice if you ask me. It is also normal. Blue is the color to avoid. |
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Title: Re: Jeans on Fire! Jet kit time? Post by Savage_Rob on 07/18/05 at 13:34:34 Maybe it was answered and I missed it but someone asked about the fabric of the jeans. That could play a part. I mean, I wear basic cotton jeans but my wife likes so-called stretch denim which has a lot of synthetic content. It's just a possibility. Here's a bandaid. Leather Legs (http://www.leatherlegs.net/) I wear them but not for heat protection. Although there is a slight shiny spot on the leather of my right one where I appear to have touched the exhaust once. |
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Title: Re: Jeans on Fire! Jet kit time? Post by WD on 07/18/05 at 21:31:37 I wear rain gear when it is cold, or drizzling. If it is raining raining, I drive my truck. The raingear didn't touch the pipe at all, no telltale plastic gunk baked onto the pipe. I currently ride a VS800 Intruder, liquid cooled, with very tightly tucked exhaust pipes. Gets just as hot. 100% cotton jeans (Wrangler cowboy/boot cut). Whatever the cause, it's a pain in the butt. I WILL be switching to low/no alcohol fuel and see if it makes a difference. 18 years of riding air cooled motorcycles, and this is the first year the excess heat has happened, in ANY of them. -WD |
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Title: Re: Jeans on Fire! Jet kit time? Post by Savage_Rob on 07/19/05 at 07:21:04 Well, I left the Leather Legs at home this morning so I could check this out a little more. It was 79 F on the ride in so it was too cool to tell anything. It'll be better when it's 97 F this evening. I'm not sure it'll be a decent comparison though, since I'm still wearing boots and my header still has that ugly-ass wrap on it. I really need to take that stuff off. It insulates well but I think it's just plain unsightly. |
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Title: Re: Jeans on Fire! Jet kit time? Post by gandalph40 on 07/20/05 at 05:48:33 Let me ask an obvious question about this...have you checked the oil level or added oil recently (since the scorching incident)? What grade/weight oil are you using? I'm trying to think of something, like perhaps the fuel issue, that could make the engine run hotter. My reaction was that, if it's running hot enough to scorch fabric from several inches away, you might be close to an engine lock-up. Just another "silly question" to ask in pursuit of this mystery. Tom |
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Title: Re: Jeans on Fire! Jet kit time? Post by Savage_Rob on 07/20/05 at 07:08:01 Yeah, I think someone mentioned the possibility of a different grade of oil earlier but I don't recall a response. I was curious too. |
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Title: Re: Jeans on Fire! Jet kit time? Post by Paula71 on 07/20/05 at 20:10:24 Okay guys don't beat me up, but last oil change used Suzuki 10W40. And yes this did start in under 400 miles of oil change. Alot of gear slipping when shifting, also. I have not had another incident only two. But I now hold my legs way out away from everything!! Cant fix it , Manage it! Hope it ain't gonna lock up on me. :-/ |
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Title: Re: Jeans on Fire! Thanks for your help! Post by Savage_Rob on 07/21/05 at 05:53:14 If you feel that much heat and even suspect the oil is too thin/light weight, I'd change it. I am very satisfied with Maxum 4 Extra synthetic and don't get clutch slippage. However, to make it as simple and easy as possible, just get a plain old 15w50 dino oil and replace yours. Then see if you have the same symptoms. I don't know about anyone else, but that's what I'd do. |
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Title: Re: Jeans on Fire! Thanks for your help! Post by gandalph40 on 07/21/05 at 06:01:22 Yep...I agree with SavageRob...take 15 minutes and change the oil. You don't even need to replace the filter...just drain the oil, put in some multi-vis (15w50, 20w50 seems to be consensus as to the best to use, especially in hot weather). I mean, it'll cost $6 for 2 quarts of GOOD dino juice at WalMart. And you won't even use all of that. It's got to be worth it just to check it out. I mean, if your engine seizes, it is gonna ruin your day... ;) Tom |
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Title: Re: Jeans on Fire! Thanks for your help! Post by Paula71 on 07/21/05 at 16:37:59 Thanks Savage Rob and Grandalph40, sounds like a good and reasonable plan will do the oil change and report back. |
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Title: Re: Jeans on Fire! Jet kit time? Post by Paula71 on 07/27/05 at 13:02:06 Savage_Rob wrote:
Thanks for that link!! The bugs and small stones have wacked my shins good several times. Leatherlegs are on my need to purchase list!! ;D |
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Title: Re: Jeans on Fire! Thanks for your help! Post by RadarORiley on 07/27/05 at 13:22:48 Although I've never scorched my jeans, I have melted the side & soles of my boots. I am short and "hug" the bike to reach the ground. When I rode my V-Star, I padded my pants with a silicone hot pad to keep from burning on the exhaust, but it was up around my knees. I do notice that my Rockys Jeans seem to get hotter than plain denim. And wide legs or boot cut have a tendency to touch the hot spots. Something else I read about here today, they are air cooled, do you have a tool bag in the way of the circulation? |
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Title: Re: Jeans on Fire! Thanks for your help! Post by Paula71 on 07/28/05 at 04:32:37 RadarORiley wrote:
That hot pad idea is a good one! I did notice my cotton blends are to hot, I only wear 100% cotton now, and upgrading to something like Rocky is an excellent thought. I do have a tool bag, very interesting idea there, something to consider if I get a repeat. Thanks a million! :D |
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Title: Re: Jeans on Fire! Thanks for your help! Post by Paula71 on 07/28/05 at 04:37:15 So took in the ride for a shifting issue, just very briefly mentioned to the tech that I seemed to get excessive backfire. Of course his reply was "they do that", as I well know. But just asked in case a new "fix" was out there. After he had it one day he called and said it backfires way too much! Now I didnt think so, but his riding style and mine are probably different. So he got permission from Suzuki to mess with the Carb and idle and reset somethings. Yesterday and this morning not near as much heat on my legs!! Glad I took it in. Thanks everyone :) |
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Title: Re: Jeans on Fire! Thanks for your help! Post by Reelthing on 07/28/05 at 05:18:22 It's too lean. |
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