First page of the thread shows an issue I had while traveling. As a safety measure, I was told to shut the fuel off (manual shut off removed but can be installed) and run the bike to empty bowls so that's the plan going forward I think
A few things I have come across and have worked well for me. Don't need to run the bike dry. There is a drain in the float bowl that is used to change the main jet. 12mm wrench and the bowls are empty. I was having a tough time with my carbs as previous owner ran MR12 and didn't drain it. I completely disassembled my carbs, ultrasonic cleaned them and replaced the float needle, seat, o rings, cleaned and lubed the needle cart thing. I replaced the vacuum fuel pump for a few reasons. It gives more room under the tank (my pump is in the tail), no problem with fuel starvation on long straights or fuelling issues following a long straight. It's easy to tell if its working, I used a quick disconnect to be able to quickly drain the tank. It might not be a must have, but it is a real nice to have. Float height is critical on FCRs. I'm not comfortable at all with messing with it. I just changed main jets when weather suggested it might be needed. Sudco has an awesome exploded view of the FCR. Ordering parts was cheap and really easy. Lastly, with all due respect, with the dual pumps, vacuum petcock and all that you've got going on, it looks like a friggin rats nest. Conversely, this is what under the tank of my SV looked like. Other picture is of the pump in the tail.
Bouncing down the road during transport will have the float needles jumping off their seats, repeatedly. With no fuel shut-off, gravity will do its thing if flow is not stopped at the pump. A petcock is cheap insurance.
Focker, yeah I'm sending the carbs off to Zoran for a look over and hope this set will be ok. I do need to clean the rat's nest up. Doesn't matter if the bike sells or not, a lot of small things need to be done to it. Freddie, that's what they told me AFTER bringing it home . That's why the manual shut off was installed, then was removed this past weekend just to eliminate one more potential issue while we were trying to get the bike to take fuel.
Just to clarify, the oil was changed after the fuel was eliminated from the cylinders? There's no way it's gonna run predictably with the resulting vapors in the case being reintroduced to the air box through the crankcase vent...not to mention what it's done to the oil.
Yep, loaded back up and took it back to the shop to flush the motor and new oil. It really has been a comical nightmare with me and this bike. This is only the second time it's been in my garage. Mostly at the shop.
Oh trust me, there has been a metric ton of cursing over the last 10 months. . It hit me Saturday evening as I was driving home to drop the SV off and to pick up my little ninja 250. This is a lot of money to spend on something you don't enjoy. I have to make this enjoyable, so I'll use it as a learning experience. I really need to learn this stuff so I'm not depending on others. Not to say YOU guys aren't dependable , I've jut had a rough year. This place really is the best place for advice.
I literally have not seen my custom ram air. It's not been on the bike since I've owned it because the carbs are constantly being pulled off. I will pick it up from the shop soon and hopefully, as Focker said, clean up the rat's nest and get it looking pretty. Yes, that's a sharp SV
You take the advice here? You ARE a glutton for punishment. Great attitude, tho'... Learning from mistakes has got to be one of the best educations.
I've had my share of issues running a superbike. Bike would keep dying under load. Took it all apart - still did it. Took carbs apart and cleaned them - still did it. Finally diagnosed it as a poor connection for the front coil. That's when I put on all new blade connectors, dielectric grease, new plug wires and caps, dielectric grease in the plug caps. With a 180 on the rear, get to the apex, grab a handful of throttle and it just digs in and shoots off the corner.
Another tip is to replace the Phillips screw on the carb boot clamps with an allen screw. Then you can use a long allen key or T handle to tighten and loosen the clamps.
You guys are making this way more complicated than it is. I've run flats for the past 3 years with almost zero issues. If you drain the float bowls, I don't think you get all the gas out of the accelerator pumps. Those are the only thing that has really given me issues (weak stream). I've never had them leak during transport, never had them fill the cylinders while sitting, never had them starve on long straights. I can tell you right now that if I needed any of the stuff mentioned above, zoran would've suggested it. It's an sv, the simpler the better. The beauty of the first gen is to be able to run total loss and have the bike run on 7 or so wires (taking all that weight off the crank). The more shit you put on it, the more shit will fail/break. OP, your in the best hands dealing with Z. That guy knows more about SV's than anybody out there. Listen to what he says and you won't go wrong. As for the post about connectors for the cools coming loose...solder them on there
This was an early goal, but pretty lofty for my tech skills. Edit: Plus I don't need the thing faster yet
Dave, the starving on the straights isn't a matter of the bike cutting out. Speaking from personal experience, the bike pulls harder with a better fuel pump. Zoran is highly respected, but discounting or ageing against the experience of other people who have been doing this for a long time as well because Zoran didn't tell you to do it, makes you look a bit foolish. Good suggestion on the solder though.
