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Tech. Advice: Series 'B' / 'C' 500cc/1000cc Bikes
Comet badly tuned or just underpowered?
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<blockquote data-quote="Tom Gaynor" data-source="post: 22749" data-attributes="member: 4034"><p>I preserved from Cycle magazine an article on plug reading by Kevin Cameron, he of TZ / Kenny Roberts / Yamaha factory fame. When I finally got round to reading it I found that I'd been looking in the wrong place on plugs for years. One ought to look at the bottom of the annulus that surrounds the centre core.</p><p>I'll see if I can find it.</p><p></p><p>When my Manx was running best, the plugs were a dirty white. Certainly not "light brown", which was far too rich. I don't think a Vincent is anything like as picky, but on standard jets (180 or 190, I forget) my plugs are black on the side electrode, and dirty white everywhere else. This isn't a proper "plug chop", killing the motor at full throttle, but just pulling them when I get back home after a run. I'm pretty sure a plug chop (i.e. no time spent on the pilot jet) would show dirty white all over. I think modern fuels make "classic" readings obsolete (and have a hazy recollection that I've read as much) and just as "black is the new white" in fashion statements, white is the new light brown in plug colours. Of course if you have an air-lever, you can find out for sure. If at sustained full throttle closing the air-lever slightly increases your speed, you were too weak. Temperature does make a difference: my Shadow splutters and back-fires for the first mile or two this time of year if I open the air-levers too soon, in summer I only need the air-levers to start. It would be fair to say I aim to run it lean (keeps 'em keen...) but I've been running that way for the last 10,000 miles, and it'll cruise at 80-odd, and top 100 quite easily when desired. On private roads, it goes without saying. </p><p>Since comparisons are always useful, I rode what I thought was a pretty sparky Comet yesterday, and it would hit 65 in third and 70 in top quite easily on a country road. Take a tooth off the gearbox sprocket, or a couple of teeth off the rear sprocket and it would probably have been a lot quicker. It is after all geared to do 90, at which I reckon you'd have to be flat on the tank.</p><p>The answer to most Vincent mechanical noise is to wear earplugs...</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Tom Gaynor, post: 22749, member: 4034"] I preserved from Cycle magazine an article on plug reading by Kevin Cameron, he of TZ / Kenny Roberts / Yamaha factory fame. When I finally got round to reading it I found that I'd been looking in the wrong place on plugs for years. One ought to look at the bottom of the annulus that surrounds the centre core. I'll see if I can find it. When my Manx was running best, the plugs were a dirty white. Certainly not "light brown", which was far too rich. I don't think a Vincent is anything like as picky, but on standard jets (180 or 190, I forget) my plugs are black on the side electrode, and dirty white everywhere else. This isn't a proper "plug chop", killing the motor at full throttle, but just pulling them when I get back home after a run. I'm pretty sure a plug chop (i.e. no time spent on the pilot jet) would show dirty white all over. I think modern fuels make "classic" readings obsolete (and have a hazy recollection that I've read as much) and just as "black is the new white" in fashion statements, white is the new light brown in plug colours. Of course if you have an air-lever, you can find out for sure. If at sustained full throttle closing the air-lever slightly increases your speed, you were too weak. Temperature does make a difference: my Shadow splutters and back-fires for the first mile or two this time of year if I open the air-levers too soon, in summer I only need the air-levers to start. It would be fair to say I aim to run it lean (keeps 'em keen...) but I've been running that way for the last 10,000 miles, and it'll cruise at 80-odd, and top 100 quite easily when desired. On private roads, it goes without saying. Since comparisons are always useful, I rode what I thought was a pretty sparky Comet yesterday, and it would hit 65 in third and 70 in top quite easily on a country road. Take a tooth off the gearbox sprocket, or a couple of teeth off the rear sprocket and it would probably have been a lot quicker. It is after all geared to do 90, at which I reckon you'd have to be flat on the tank. The answer to most Vincent mechanical noise is to wear earplugs... [/QUOTE]
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Tech. Advice: Series 'B' / 'C' 500cc/1000cc Bikes
Comet badly tuned or just underpowered?
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