I have a 2011 stryker with 14,000kms. i have cobra swepts, k&n filter and i have done the resistor mod. Last year the bike ran rich. would get a nice carbon filled patch of moisture under the exhausts if i let it sit and idle. I would normally get 195kms before my gas light came on. over the winter i pulled the gas tank and got it painted. This season it still runs rich (with no tuner) and i am only getting 170kms before the tank light comes on. Any suggestions. i would love to get a tuner- but i want to get to the root of this issue before i do that.
running rich problems
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First things first. How have you determined that it is running rich? Have you done a proper plug reading? By proper I mean do a little research on how plugs are read. Generally speaking it means killing the engine while in the throttle/rpm range (1/4 throttle 1/2 throttle etc) that you think needs adjustment and reading the base of the insulator not the tip. A little research up on plug reading will help explain it as it is really not as simple as pulling a plug and matching it to a chart. They even make special flashlights with a lens on them to facilitate seeing the base of the insulator. Or you could have it put on a dyno. The PCM is constantly changing the fuel mix so what you see at idle is not necessarily an indication of how the bike is running under a load.
My guess on the milage is that in the process of getting it painted the fuel sending unit was pulled out and may have gotten slightly out of spec when it was replaced in the tank. The float barely fits through the hole in the tank and it requires a little finagling to get it in. Would be easy to bend it just the slightest and that would throw of your gauge/fuel lamp a bit.
My guess on the milage is that in the process of getting it painted the fuel sending unit was pulled out and may have gotten slightly out of spec when it was replaced in the tank. The float barely fits through the hole in the tank and it requires a little finagling to get it in. Would be easy to bend it just the slightest and that would throw of your gauge/fuel lamp a bit.
i put the resistor in there to cut back on all the popping and hesitating my bike was doing when i got it- it did eliminate all that when i added it. But the bike has always had lots of soot from the exhaust and smells excessively rich when running. Adding the k&n made no difference, this spring i did new plugs.
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I may be wrong, but i believe the light brown would be correct. Keep in mind there are different shades of the brown and other factors that contribute to the plug color. As well as the fact that EFI engines will color plugs different than carb engines. Its best to read up on how to "read" plugs
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Light brown is a good GENERAL indicator that the bike is in the ball park. As I indicated earlier reading plugs is a bit more complex than just a pull the plug and look, but that gives you at the least some indication. Here's a link to an article that gives a fairly good overview. Granted it is talking about racing but has some good info regarding what to look at. http://www.angelfire.com/fl4/pontiacdude428/Readplugs.html
Typically a rich condition will give you a black sooty looking plug. 33MPG does sound low however. Lot of stop and go traffic? I haven't actually figured my milage since all the mods but I would expect to see something nearer to 40-45.
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On this note hopefully someone can help me. I have a 2011 Stryker with 4" cobra slip on exhaust only mod to the bike. She's running really rich I get a big cloud of black smoke from the pipe when I hammer on the throttle. It seems to be getting worse and worse every time I pull in the clutch shift and go black smoke? Any ideas ?
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