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General Category >> Rubber Side Down! >> running lean and don't know why
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Message started by Brian on 07/13/12 at 07:12:57

Title: running lean and don't know why
Post by Brian on 07/13/12 at 07:12:57

So my bike's been running great for the month and a half that ive had it, until this week. Now keep in mind it's been at least 3 weeks since I've changed anything on the bike, but I'm suddenly running very lean. My exhaust at the engine and muffler are turning gold and I'm getting bad power surging in 1st and 2nd. I turned my petcock to prime this morning and it helped but didn't fix the problem. I'm going to pull the petcock to see if it's just clogged. Any other suggestions? I'm fairly new to this motorcycle thing.

Title: Re: running lean and don't know why
Post by justin_o_guy2 on 07/13/12 at 07:18:26

No need to pull it to see if its clogged, just pull the gas line off the carb, point it into a jug & flip it to prime,

Did it start right after you got gas?

Check the vacuum line from carb to petcock,, or, check it the best way, replace it, spend a buck,, yikes!

Look up Serowbots HOw to Test your Petcock post. Its in the Tech forum.

You could run some of the gas thru a coffee filter & see if its cruddy,, cant be Too cruddy, I guess, theres a screen on the petcock,

What year model, & how many miles on it?

Title: Re: running lean and don't know why
Post by Brian on 07/13/12 at 07:47:26

It's an '02 with 52xx miles on it. I fill up at least once a week, so I'm not sure if it started before or after gassing up. I'm not scared to replace parts, I just prefer to exhaust my free options first.

Title: Re: running lean and don't know why
Post by justin_o_guy2 on 07/13/12 at 08:02:39

Then run the test on the petcock.

Title: Re: running lean and don't know why
Post by mayor4u on 07/13/12 at 08:45:52

sounds like a metering issue rather than a supply problem, headpipe bieng gold isnt a bad thing , id be suspect to a dirty main or clogged even .....

Title: Re: running lean and don't know why
Post by Oldfeller on 07/13/12 at 11:22:13

Now keep in mind it'sbeen at least 3 weeks since I've changed anything on the bike, but I'm suddenly running very lean.

Brian, you mention "doing things" to your bike. Can you tell us which mods that you have done?

Reason is mods have a stack up effect that can lead to needing a rejet, so to properly answer your question we need to know all the things you have done to the bike.

Title: Re: running lean and don't know why
Post by Brian on 07/13/12 at 13:00:17

7E5D5557545D5D5443310 wrote:

The only thing I've done is get a new stock muffler because mine had a leak in it.

Title: Re: running lean and don't know why
Post by Oldfeller on 07/13/12 at 13:42:54

Well, this is a real easy gimme style putt then.

Suzuki set your bike up lean as the dickens to meet EPA CAFE regulations.

Your bike has always been lean ... you just finally got some hot weather or else a protracted idle period to gold up your pipe good.

I have an '02 that the pipe has been "gold" for quite some time now .......

==================

Separate the pipe color from the surging in your mind -- different animals that might share a bit of a common cause if this test goes the way I think it might.

Go here, read this and DO it ..... report back when you are done.

http://suzukisavage.com/cgi-bin/YaBB.pl?num=1251932429/1

Title: Re: running lean and don't know why
Post by Brian on 07/13/12 at 15:23:58

I'm not that worried about the color of the pipe, just that it changed color all of the sudden.

I'm going to preform the petcock test as soon as this thunderstorm blows over. Out of curiosity though, how does taking the vacuum hose off affect it if you're on prime anyways?

Title: Re: running lean and don't know why
Post by Oldfeller on 07/13/12 at 19:34:56

Why are you on Prime always?

If you run on Prime all the time because the bike won't run otherwise then we already know the answer to that riddle ....

Question then becomes did you remove your vacuum line and block it off on both ends. Gas flowing down the vac line (or not flowing as today's case may be) is a variable that you don't want to deal when running around town on a failed vac petcock set up.

BTW, if you are running around on Prime all the time in traffic you have NO RESERVE GAS FUNCTION and you will get stuck in traffic one day with a bike that is suddenly and unexpectedly totally out of gas.

They make a Raptor fer that, you know.

Title: Re: running lean and don't know why
Post by Brian on 07/13/12 at 22:19:32

6241494B484141485F2D0 wrote:

no no, not what I meant. I said in my OP that I turned it to prime to see if it helped. I don't normally ride around this way. My question was just why do you have to remove the hose to test this, why does just turning it to prime not do the same thing. Sorry if my wording was confusing.

Title: Re: running lean and don't know why
Post by Routy on 07/14/12 at 07:00:58

Because the vacuum hose could be leaking vacuum causing lean, or it could be supplying unwanted fuel if the valve happen to be defective.

BTW, if your bike runs good at full throttle, the main fuel supply , and the main jet system is NOT your problem.

Title: Re: running lean and don't know why
Post by Brian on 07/14/12 at 14:47:41

Ok, well after running the petcock test it does run better, although it still surges just a little (barely noticeable though). Ordered a Raptor that should be here in time for me to work on it next weekend. Guess I'm just going to have to watch my fuel level really close for a few days.

Hopefully this fixes my problem. Thanks for the help and I'll be sure to report back if I have any further issues.