I know there's some guys on here with Ascot experience that hopefully can help me out. I have a bone stock FT500 that is cold blooded as hell. It's very difficult to start under 60deg and takes forever to warm up even on warm days. Carb has been thoroughly cleaned, new plug, air filter, etc. Any tuning hints? Bigger pilot?
What have you done to the motor? any mods? Did you check the boot from the card to the airbox for cracks? Fun bike. :up:
It's completely stock. My dad had this for 10-15 years, but it has sat most of the time. It's been cold natured ever since he got it, so I was thinking maybe it was due to typical 80's emissions jetting. I will check the boot.
Got a fair amount of experience with Ascots, or did anyway, but I've never monkeyed around with a stock FT...Not even sure what the stock carb setup is, but I suppose if you're running into the typical cold blooded/mid-range EPA induced stumble you could go about trying to fatten up the mixture a bit and see what that does, assuming everything else is functioning as it should...Back out air screw, maybe shim the needle up...Richen the pilot? OK...Play with it one step at a time and see if you get an improvement, write everything down so you can always revert to your baseline if you make it worse... That's all I got, sorry.
They were strangled to meet emissions. The FT500 basicly had the earlier XL500 motor (with some changes like the sump and ignition) didn't it?
Well there's a walk down memory lane...I knew I had a factory shop manual around here somewhere, just flipping through it I see the stock setup included an accelerator pump and a bunch of other ancillary crap that would explain why I have a box of CV carbs in the basement taking up space... They have about a page of warnings that would scare any sensible being away from touching the pilot screw, they then have a short paragraph talking about adjusting the pilot screw for high altitude use...Egads, this was written by bi-polar engineers...Fast idle adjustments, air cut off valve, suddenly I remember why I love Sudco... Anyway, echoing what this manual seems to be going on about, I can see how backing the pilot screw out a half turn might help your situation, but if I were to recommend that I'd feel obligated to go on for several pages telling you to never, ever, touch your pilot screw if I were to paraphrase the factory manual accurately...
The FT had an accel pump that should make it possible to give it a few pumps before you start it and that coupled with a working choke should make it start. When they sit alot the fuel tends to gum up the check ball in the accel pump. this makes the squirt go back into the float bowl or nowhere this check ball is in the accel pump lid. This bike also has an air cut valve on the side of the carb. it has 3 screws and is the size of the quarter. this diaphram can get a hole and cause an air leak. Lastly the low speed is a 52, a 55 or 58 won't hurt it. when the bike is hot turn the low speed screw in and out slowly to get the best idle. if this setting is more than 3 turns out or less than 1 turn out the jet needs changed. too far out needs bigger, too far in needs smaller. be sure the carb is spotless before you do any of this.
