REJECTED this morning

[paddling_man]

94 Magna, after market exhaust, dynojet kit, factory air filter.

I bought the bike in April with 11,000 and am about 30 miles shy of 15k now. 3-4 days per week I do a 50 mile round trip to work.

So, last night was a hot ride home and I pushed it a little more than normal but I didn't flog it.I got gas three miles from home, rode the rest of the way then parked it in her garage space. Active ticking as metal parts cooled down but no more so than normal. The fan didn't come on which I'm used to if it is particularly hot.

Anyway, get suited up this morning, hit the starter and did not get the usual roar. Nothing.

I hit it again (I usually never have to use the choke) and it turned over, started, but was running VERY sluggishly. Almost like it was running on only two cylinders at 400-600 RPM. I gave it a minute then tried it again. Same result.


I tried to ride it around the block and it had the power/sound of the little 125s from the abate class last summer. I got a few backfires too but no clouds of smoke.

I swapped the fuel cock to reserve, hoping to pull gas from a different level. Same result.

I noticed a regular, but not fast, ticking in the lower LEFT side of the motor. That's new.

Oil change to Rotella around 1000 miles ago and I removed/cleaned the plugs then.

Where should I head first? Fuel filter? Spark plugs? Warped heads from heat (iKve no way to check compression.)

Thanks in advance!

[DC Smith]

Check your battery and charging system output.

[hootmon]

After checking the charging system, I would drain a little gas out of the carbs (Screw at the bottom of each carb next to the black rubber hose). See if any water comes out (it would come out 1st as it sinks in the gas). Any chance the Fuel truck was at the gas station?? I never fill up when a station is getting gas (Yes, I realize the truck might have left 3 minutes before my arrival) When they dump the gas into the underground takes, it stirs up any sediment that is in the station tank...

[paddling_man]

I'll do both. I'm assuming to check the charging system, I'll just be using multimeter probes at the terminal of the battery. It should be charging at, I'm guessing, around 14.5vdc?

Someone from another forum suggested checking the spark plug wires as they attach to the coil beneath the tank. I'll do that too. I'm tempted to just pick up some plugs on the way home since I'll undoubtedly have the tank off anyway tonight.

The part that really puzzles (and kinda scares me) is when I shut her off last night, all was good. Restart in the AM and she's feeling blue. My only gun shy experience with that kind of thing is having heads warp on old Fiats back in the eighties if you shut one down hot. Then again, this is a Honda and not a Fiat, right! 

Hopefully, it is something silly like crap gas, loose or badly fouled spark plug or maybe charging system.

The charging system is effectively the rotor and stator, right? I've not priced one or looked into difficulty of replacement but it certainly sounds better than head issues, if it comes to it.

Thanks again and please feel free to post any other ideas so I've got a cadre of things to look at tonight.

[lragan]

The charging system, unfortunately, is the topic of TSLT (The Site's Longest Thread), and very time consuming.  The Regulator/Rectifier is bolted to the bottom of the battery box.  Check the battery voltage with the bike not running, and then, presuming you can get it to run at all, with it running.  The voltage should go up toward the 14.5 volts you cite in your post when the bike runs at 3000 rpm.  If the voltage does not increase at all when the bike runs, the Regulator/Rectifier is probably bad (it could be the alternator, but we have no documented cases of this being the problem).  The R/R unit has a temperature problem, and is subject to failure under hot conditions.  It isn't cheap, but is nothing like warped heads or other stuff you can imagine might be wrong.

[Charles S Otwell]

You mentioned it felt like it was running on two cylinders. If you can get it started and let it run for a few minutes, long enough to get the exhaust good and hot right at the heads. Take and put a drop of water on the exhaust right where it comes out of the heads, it will boil the water off quickly, unless that cylinder is not firing. if any are not firing it will give you a place to start,coils ,plugs plug wires etc.

[drkngas]

I would just change the plugs first.  touch nothing else till that was done.

If you saw the other thread, that is a normal occurrence for me.

[Charles S Otwell]

I would want to know which cyclinders were killing the plugs and why. I know that most of the time you can tell by looking at the plug if it's bad, but occasionally you can't.

[L J VFR]

What is the norm on changing the plugs in these bikes??  The service manual states 8000 or 10000 mile intervals I believe..  Is this something we should do by the book, or is it another way to sell more plugs??  Opinions..?   I have 13,300  on factory plugs and all runs well.  Good fuel mileage also.  Is it going to fall on it's face at any given time because I went past the recommended change interval??

[drkngas]

I have Cobra Stage 1 running FAT.  I replace mine before 5k. and I try to carry extras on road trips.  Allen get 60K miles on his plugs with his size 30 jets.   

[roboto65]

Welllll they are 45s on the pilots and 110s on the mains LOLOLOL

[TLRam1]

I have Cobra Stage 1 running FAT.  I replace mine before 5k. and I try to carry extras on road trips.  Allen get 60K miles on his plugs with his size 30 jets.   

You could supply everyone on the board with virtually new plugs! 

[paddling_man]

Thanks, folks! I ended up having to pull a double at the studio after someone called in sick, so I won't be able to do anything tonight.

Tomorrow? I'm taking it as a comp day, so I'll be diggin right into this. Thanks for the prompts for a rundown check.

A courtesy pic of my poor, sick girl.

[Sledge Hammer]

Man, I hate it for you that your bike is down. On the bright side, it sure does look good even sitting still.

[BA]

You might want to check the vacuum operated fuel shut off.  If there is a small leak in the diaphragm it won't deliver adequate fuel to the carbs to run properly.  Mine started having intermittent problems, then it went out completely and left me stranded on the shoulder for 2 hours until I could get it towed home.