SuzukiSavage.com - lights dim then bright

engineer

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lights dim then bright
07/16/11 at 13:31:19

Hello: I haven't been using the forum much lately becasue I've been too busy riding my Savage in my free time. My bike is running great, lots of torque at any throttle position, love it except the one huge backfire when I shut it down and one very blue exhaust pipe.

But I don't have a Savage carburator question today. A guy offered me a 1981 Honda 125 S in good condition. The engine sounds really good and it would be fun to own. While he was demonstrating the lights, signals etc. the headlight suddenly went very dim and the turn signals blinked in slow motion. We had it idling out in this hot weather for some time. After shutting it down for awhile I started it back up and the headlight was bright but the turnsignals were still slow about blinking. He has had it for 5 years and the battery was in it when he got it. He thinks it is the battery. Before I make an offer I thought I would ask you guys, I'm worried that it could be the alternator, diode or something like that. He has been riding it to work and starts out before daylight and says it never did that before.

Also when I compress the front forks they don't pop back out as well as they should, they occasionally stick but there is no play in them. I figure new seals and fresh oil would fix that but I would appreciate any opinios.

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2005 S40, Intruder shocks, Dyna, 52.5/150, 3 washers, 2 turns, modified seat, Raptor

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Gyrobob

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Re: lights dim then bright
Reply #1 - 07/16/11 at 13:49:38

engineer wrote on 07/16/11 at 13:31:19:

..... (Savage) running great, lots of torque at any throttle position, love it except the one huge backfire when I shut it down....

..... (might buy) 1981 Honda 125 S in good condition. The engine sounds really good and it would be fun to own. While he was demonstrating the lights, signals etc. the headlight suddenly went very dim and the turn signals blinked in slow motion..... had it for 5 years and the battery was in it when he got it.......

Also when I compress the front forks they don't pop back out as well as they should, they occasionally stick but there is no play in them. I figure new seals and fresh oil would fix that but I would appreciate any opinios.

Opinios?? Is that a new cereal or something?? Wink

(sorry)

I'd say there's a 97% chance it is the battery. Even if it weren't you need a new one anyway -- the existing one is too old. If you want to make sure, disconnect the existing battery and hook up the bike's cables to jumper cables hooked up to a car battery or your bike's battery. If everything is okay, it won't flicker or dim at all. Don't leave the old battery hooked up while you are doing this because it might be shorting out inside.

Check on your transient enrichment valve for that backfire issue.

Yep,.. new seals and fresh oil will most likely fix the fork stiction. While you have the forks apart, do a very careful check of the straightness of the fork tubes. The tubes on that bike are about as strong as soda straws,.. if the bike has bumped into much of anything, the tubes might be bent,... which would certainly worsen the don't-pop-back-out-very-well situation,.. even if they were bent only a little.

I have seen some very very cool cafe racers based on that bike. Very slim,... lean,.. clean,... lightweight,... lots of open frame looks,... probably flicks around as nimbly as a bicycle. Even with only about 15 hp, it still must be a GAS to ride because it is so light.

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engineer

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Re: lights dim then bright
Reply #2 - 07/16/11 at 19:25:49

Yes, they resemble Cheerios. Also, when I wrote diode I met to say rectifier. Probably just another senior moment. The CB125 S uses a 6 volt battery so when I was looking at it I didn't have any battery available to test it.

It only produces about 11 HP so there will be no thrills and the brake is small so you wouldn't want much power anyway. But it is incredibly narrow like you say and I was thinking that my daughter who is small could learn to ride on it. The front tubes looked straight but it is hard to tell when they are on the bike. I think I will go ahead and make the guy an offer.

When I shut down my Savage after it is warmed up the backfire is very loud. The neighbors know when I arrive back home. If I forget to shut off the choke it still runs well, then when I shut the choke off the idle speed goes up but that is about the only difference. Even in warm weather it needs the choke for about a mile or so. Otherwise it really is running well.

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2005 S40, Intruder shocks, Dyna, 52.5/150, 3 washers, 2 turns, modified seat, Raptor

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Boofer Serious Thumper Offline Nearly too old. Posts: 1760 N Ms Gender:	Re: lights dim then bright Reply #3 - 07/16/11 at 19:42:15 I have been looking for a Honda 125. That is probably the best engine they ever built except the 350 and 750. Buy it if you can and don't worry about the hp. Those bikes are fun and very reliable.
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Gyrobob

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Re: lights dim then bright
Reply #4 - 07/16/11 at 20:32:57

engineer wrote on 07/16/11 at 19:25:49:

....If I forget to shut off the choke it still runs well, then when I shut the choke off the idle speed goes up but that is about the only difference. Even in warm weather it needs the choke for about a mile or so. Otherwise it really is running well.

That's all very nice about your lovely choke,... but I was chatting about the transient enrichment valve,... the thing that automatically richens the mixture on closing the throttle at higher rpm,.. shown disassembled here.

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engineer Serious Thumper Offline SuzukiSavage.com Rocks! Posts: 872 Gender:	Re: lights dim then bright Reply #5 - 07/17/11 at 19:22:42 Thanks for the pictures Gyrobob. I'll take it apart, clean and inspect it.
Back to top	2005 S40, Intruder shocks, Dyna, 52.5/150, 3 washers, 2 turns, modified seat, Raptor IP Logged

Gyrobob

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Re: lights dim then bright
Reply #6 - 07/17/11 at 19:27:03

engineer wrote on 07/17/11 at 19:22:42:

Thanks for the pictures Gyrobob. I'll take it apart, clean and inspect it.

WOW!!! Someone actually listened to me!!

Thanks large.

While you have it apart, make sure you note the very tiny hole in the cover. It is so small you can barely get a skinny strand of copper from some #18 stranded copper wire through it. That tiny little hole is necessary for the proper pressure differential across the diaphragm.

There is an interesting discussion here about this valve, and modifying the spring: http://suzukisavage.com/cgi-bin/YaBB.pl?num=1268545171/30

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serenity3743 Serious Thumper Offline Striving to better, oft we mar what's well Posts: 778 Black Mountain, NC Gender:	Re: lights dim then bright Reply #7 - 07/18/11 at 10:38:07 A Poem I agree. It's your bat-tree.
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