mbingham666
Account Removed
So a few months ago, I bought a used 99 xl1200C.
It had the stock pipes, and a S/E air cleaner on it.
Yesterday, I de-baffled my pipes, and did the "lollipop" mod to create a little backpressure. Bike was running fine afterward, so I moved on to the last of the stage 1 - rejetting.
I pulled the A/C, and got to the stock carb. The idle mixture screw cover had been drilled off. I proceeded to remove the bottom of the carb, and noticed that someone had almost stripped one of the brass screws holding it on. By this time I was convinced that it was rejetted. So i get in there, and the jets are the O.G. 42 and 170 jets.
I replaced with a 45 and 180, as is suggested by the article on sportster.org; put everything back together, and then got to tuning.
This is about where everything went to (Edit).
I started to do the above mentioned method on the .org site, started with the idle mixture at 2 full turns out from closed, and warmed the bike up. It was idling just fine, maybe a little rough.
Next, It states to screw (speed up) the idle speed screw in 2 full turns, so I do this. Going fine still, idling fast as a (Edit), but ok.
Now it tells me to adjust the idle mixture screw, which is a pain to get to with the AC on and that crossover pipe in the way. I get out my screwdriver, and about this time i notice that my pipes are glowing like molten steel behind the heat shields.
I decide that a leather glove is no match for near-molten steel.
I kill the bike to scratch my head for a while.
I figure out what he and other people are shooting for, so i wait for the bike to cool down, close the idle mixture screw, unscrew it again...this time 2.5 turns. I then unscrew the idle speed back down to its previous position, thinking that this might still be a little fast, since the bike will now be running richer (richer = faster idle, right?).
I get the bike somewhat idling ok, take it out for a spin, and i notice that the air cleaner is making what i can only describe as PSST PSST PSST PSST on every stroke, in some kind of maniacal washing machine gone mad tone. Like the psst from a air hose you just blip on then off again. This noise is louder than my wide open pipes. This can't be a good thing. Even my girlfriend who barely understands the difference between a gas tank and a wheel said "that doesn't sound good at all".
I check my vacuum hose, looks good.
I pull the A/C assembly and check where the carb mounts to the engine, looks good to me...but then again, i'm a motorcycle-retard, so don't trust me 100%
I check the gaskets between the carb and AC, they look good.
I get the K&N cleaning kit, and clean the filter.....replace...it looks good.
So what i've got is one of two things, either my sportster secretly mated with a maytag, or I screwed something up.
My first question is, what is this horrible hissing? Or is this just the sound that a jetted sportster makes?!
2nd, Is there a better way to tune myself? I play around, and I can get rid of most of the pops on deceleration, but then the idle is rough.....or the idle is smooth and it pops on deceleration. I'm not so "hot" on the idea of sticking my hand .02 inches away from a glowing red exhaust pipe like the .org guy suggests.
One more thing, my carb farts are less, but they are also exaggerated-ly (Edit). Much like the new sound of the A/C.
H-E-L-P
Sincerely,
Someone who doesn't have the money to go to the HD dealership for a dyno-tune, and understands that drag pipes aren't the optimal way to go....I'll gladly ride a finely tuned sportster that is missing some low end torque.
[notes]
A Friendly Reminder - Harley Davidson Community
[/notes]
It had the stock pipes, and a S/E air cleaner on it.
Yesterday, I de-baffled my pipes, and did the "lollipop" mod to create a little backpressure. Bike was running fine afterward, so I moved on to the last of the stage 1 - rejetting.
I pulled the A/C, and got to the stock carb. The idle mixture screw cover had been drilled off. I proceeded to remove the bottom of the carb, and noticed that someone had almost stripped one of the brass screws holding it on. By this time I was convinced that it was rejetted. So i get in there, and the jets are the O.G. 42 and 170 jets.
I replaced with a 45 and 180, as is suggested by the article on sportster.org; put everything back together, and then got to tuning.
This is about where everything went to (Edit).
I started to do the above mentioned method on the .org site, started with the idle mixture at 2 full turns out from closed, and warmed the bike up. It was idling just fine, maybe a little rough.
Next, It states to screw (speed up) the idle speed screw in 2 full turns, so I do this. Going fine still, idling fast as a (Edit), but ok.
Now it tells me to adjust the idle mixture screw, which is a pain to get to with the AC on and that crossover pipe in the way. I get out my screwdriver, and about this time i notice that my pipes are glowing like molten steel behind the heat shields.
I decide that a leather glove is no match for near-molten steel.
I kill the bike to scratch my head for a while.
I figure out what he and other people are shooting for, so i wait for the bike to cool down, close the idle mixture screw, unscrew it again...this time 2.5 turns. I then unscrew the idle speed back down to its previous position, thinking that this might still be a little fast, since the bike will now be running richer (richer = faster idle, right?).
I get the bike somewhat idling ok, take it out for a spin, and i notice that the air cleaner is making what i can only describe as PSST PSST PSST PSST on every stroke, in some kind of maniacal washing machine gone mad tone. Like the psst from a air hose you just blip on then off again. This noise is louder than my wide open pipes. This can't be a good thing. Even my girlfriend who barely understands the difference between a gas tank and a wheel said "that doesn't sound good at all".
I check my vacuum hose, looks good.
I pull the A/C assembly and check where the carb mounts to the engine, looks good to me...but then again, i'm a motorcycle-retard, so don't trust me 100%
I check the gaskets between the carb and AC, they look good.
I get the K&N cleaning kit, and clean the filter.....replace...it looks good.
So what i've got is one of two things, either my sportster secretly mated with a maytag, or I screwed something up.
My first question is, what is this horrible hissing? Or is this just the sound that a jetted sportster makes?!
2nd, Is there a better way to tune myself? I play around, and I can get rid of most of the pops on deceleration, but then the idle is rough.....or the idle is smooth and it pops on deceleration. I'm not so "hot" on the idea of sticking my hand .02 inches away from a glowing red exhaust pipe like the .org guy suggests.
One more thing, my carb farts are less, but they are also exaggerated-ly (Edit). Much like the new sound of the A/C.
H-E-L-P
Sincerely,
Someone who doesn't have the money to go to the HD dealership for a dyno-tune, and understands that drag pipes aren't the optimal way to go....I'll gladly ride a finely tuned sportster that is missing some low end torque.
[notes]
A Friendly Reminder - Harley Davidson Community
[/notes]
Last edited by a moderator:
