shop class as soul craft nklr

[markharf]

Once again I approach the assembled multitudes (that'd be you list participants) humbly, head bowed, beggars bowl extended. I'm on my way to South America--at least theoretically--but a couple of thousand easy miles out of my Bellingham home my bike started misfiring and lost power. This was 1500 miles and several mechanics ago. The power loss has finally been dealt with as of today--it turned out to be a detached baffle in my muffler, covered (to my immense surprise) by my extended warranty. The misfire remains. It started without warning on a straight, flat section of highway. The sensation is difficult to describe: one second I was cruising along fine, the next the bike was misfiring, like flicking a light switch. the symptoms were worst at about 3/4 throttle, so I could limp along at relatively slow speeds. I thought: bit of dirt in the main jet, air leak, clogged vent.....the usual. I also thought: @#$%Z^&*(! ethanol in the fuel, perhaps combined with altitude (I was at 9k feet at the time). Various people have since fixed various stuff: a worn emulsion tube was replaced, jets have been cleaned, hoses checked, petcock bypassed, spark plug replaced, that sort of thing. I've also run through five or ten tanks of gas of various sorts, and I've returned to near sea leval. With the muffler replacement I can now go 75 mph again to avoid being overtaken and squashed like a bug beneath the tractor trailers (which, here in Texas, routinely exceed the sound barrier, even uphill). But the misfire remains, and the mechanics I'm currently working with can suggest nothing better than "maybe it's time we started throwing parts at it...." Here are the current symptoms: from a start, the bike now runs fine at all speeds and loads. Between 2 and 25 miles into a highway speed ride it suddenly starts misfiring again--again, worst around 3/4 throttle. It will then continue misfiring for as long as I ride it. If I stop briefly, like to open the gas tank to rule out tank venting issues, nothing changes: the problem stays the same when I get back on the highway. But if I stop for four or five minutes, the problem goes away. It doesn't matter whether I stop to idle at a traffic light or actually turn the bike off; after five minutes, no problem....for another 2 or more miles, at which point the problem returns. If I stop for an hour, I get 20 or 25 miles or smooth running. It doesn't seem to related to engine temp as read on the guage, but it might be worth mentioning that the weather is absurdly hot here in south Texas: 90's with high humidity and no shade. This might, therefore, be a heat-related issue....but how to find it? The mechanics still think it's a fuel-air issue based on symptoms, but they're beginning to entertain electric/electronic speculation as well. A heat-related coil or cap failure? A CDI? And is the muffler issue related, or merely coincidental? Any and all ideas welcome. Thanks for your attention and apologies for my standard-issue longwindedness. Mark (from New Braunfels, TX)

[spike55_bmw]

Mark: In mid-Sept, I posted a bunch of stuff about my '06 misfiring / surging and then rpms being limited to 5,500 and a week later I could only get 4,000 rpms out of it. It turned out to be two small tears in the carb diaphragm that finally were large enough to be seen by a blind man (me). I had my carb out and apart three times before discovering the tiny tears midway out from the slide's top. It might be worth a little bit more time to really inspect it and if OK make sure it is sealed under the cap (I used some grease in the groove all the way around to sort of hold it in place). If you need a new one, Harley Davidson dealers usually have them in stock for the 40mm CV Keihin carb (my earlier post had the part #) that was on the mid-80s Sportsters (I'm told). The diaphragm / slide combo is approx. $46. Don R100, A6F

--- In DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com, "markharf" wrote: > > Once again I approach the assembled multitudes (that'd be you list participants) humbly, head bowed, beggars bowl extended. I'm on my way to South America--at least theoretically--but a couple of thousand easy miles out of my Bellingham home my bike started misfiring and lost power. This was 1500 miles and several mechanics ago. The power loss has finally been dealt with as of today--it turned out to be a detached baffle in my muffler, covered (to my immense surprise) by my extended warranty. The misfire remains. > > It started without warning on a straight, flat section of highway. The sensation is difficult to describe: one second I was cruising along fine, the next the bike was misfiring, like flicking a light switch. the symptoms were worst at about 3/4 throttle, so I could limp along at relatively slow speeds. I thought: bit of dirt in the main jet, air leak, clogged vent.....the usual. I also thought: @#$%Z^&*(! ethanol in the fuel, perhaps combined with altitude (I was at 9k feet at the time). > > Various people have since fixed various stuff: a worn emulsion tube was replaced, jets have been cleaned, hoses checked, petcock bypassed, spark plug replaced, that sort of thing. I've also run through five or ten tanks of gas of various sorts, and I've returned to near sea leval. With the muffler replacement I can now go 75 mph again to avoid being overtaken and squashed like a bug beneath the tractor trailers (which, here in Texas, routinely exceed the sound barrier, even uphill). But the misfire remains, and the mechanics I'm currently working with can suggest nothing better than "maybe it's time we started throwing parts at it...." > > Here are the current symptoms: from a start, the bike now runs fine at all speeds and loads. Between 2 and 25 miles into a highway speed ride it suddenly starts misfiring again--again, worst around 3/4 throttle. It will then continue misfiring for as long as I ride it. > > If I stop briefly, like to open the gas tank to rule out tank venting issues, nothing changes: the problem stays the same when I get back on the highway. But if I stop for four or five minutes, the problem goes away. It doesn't matter whether I stop to idle at a traffic light or actually turn the bike off; after five minutes, no problem....for another 2 or more miles, at which point the problem returns. If I stop for an hour, I get 20 or 25 miles or smooth running. > > It doesn't seem to related to engine temp as read on the guage, but it might be worth mentioning that the weather is absurdly hot here in south Texas: 90's with high humidity and no shade. This might, therefore, be a heat-related issue....but how to find it? > > The mechanics still think it's a fuel-air issue based on symptoms, but they're beginning to entertain electric/electronic speculation as well. A heat-related coil or cap failure? A CDI? And is the muffler issue related, or merely coincidental? > > Any and all ideas welcome. Thanks for your attention and apologies for my standard-issue longwindedness. > > Mark > (from New Braunfels, TX) >

[Jud]

--- In DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com, "markharf" wrote:

> > Once again I approach the assembled multitudes (that'd be you list participants) humbly, head bowed, beggars bowl extended. I'm on my way to South America--at least theoretically--but a couple of thousand easy miles out of my Bellingham home my bike started misfiring and lost power. This was 1500 miles and several mechanics ago. The power loss has finally been dealt with as of today--it turned out to be a detached baffle in my muffler, covered (to my immense surprise) by my extended warranty. The misfire remains. > > It started without warning on a straight, flat section of highway. The sensation is difficult to describe: one second I was cruising along fine, the next the bike was misfiring, like flicking a light switch. the symptoms were worst at about 3/4 throttle, so I could limp along at relatively slow speeds. I thought: bit of dirt in the main jet, air leak, clogged vent.....the usual. I also thought: @#$%Z^&*(! ethanol in the fuel, perhaps combined with altitude (I was at 9k feet at the time). > > Various people have since fixed various stuff: a worn emulsion tube was replaced, jets have been cleaned, hoses checked, petcock bypassed, spark plug replaced, that sort of thing. I've also run through five or ten tanks of gas of various sorts, and I've returned to near sea leval. With the muffler replacement I can now go 75 mph again to avoid being overtaken and squashed like a bug beneath the tractor trailers (which, here in Texas, routinely exceed the sound barrier, even uphill). But the misfire remains, and the mechanics I'm currently working with can suggest nothing better than "maybe it's time we started throwing parts at it...." > > Here are the current symptoms: from a start, the bike now runs fine at all speeds and loads. Between 2 and 25 miles into a highway speed ride it suddenly starts misfiring again--again, worst around 3/4 throttle. It will then continue misfiring for as long as I ride it. > > If I stop briefly, like to open the gas tank to rule out tank venting issues, nothing changes: the problem stays the same when I get back on the highway. But if I stop for four or five minutes, the problem goes away. It doesn't matter whether I stop to idle at a traffic light or actually turn the bike off; after five minutes, no problem....for another 2 or more miles, at which point the problem returns. If I stop for an hour, I get 20 or 25 miles or smooth running. > > It doesn't seem to related to engine temp as read on the guage, but it might be worth mentioning that the weather is absurdly hot here in south Texas: 90's with high humidity and no shade. This might, therefore, be a heat-related issue....but how to find it? > > The mechanics still think it's a fuel-air issue based on symptoms, but they're beginning to entertain electric/electronic speculation as well. A heat-related coil or cap failure? A CDI? And is the muffler issue related, or merely coincidental? > > Any and all ideas welcome. Thanks for your attention and apologies for my standard-issue longwindedness. > > Mark > (from New Braunfels, TX) >

Could be vapor lock, a surge cause caused by vaporization of fuel in the tank, fuel line or float bowl due to heat. A lot of riders have experienced it, including me. No one seems to have nailed it down. Somewhere in the bottom of a saddlebag, I still have a piece of foil-backed bubble insulation, just waiting to be tie-wrapped around the fuel line in case it ever recurs. I have suspected the fuel line, which is in the way of a lot of heat spilling off the radiator. I suppose I could have insulated the fuel line already, but I would like to see if I can observe a direct effect. The idea is not patented, so you could try it yourself. Sounds like you have the conditions for it. It costs you little, and if it does not work, you haven't lost any ground.

[Michael Martin]

Mark, I'm tending to the same theory, a failing ignition system component. Have you pulled the plug, reattached the wire to it, grounded the plug body and cranked the engine to see if there's a strong spark? You'd have to do this as soon as you stop, before anything has a chance to cool down. Mike Martin Louisville, KY ________________________________ From: markharf To: DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com Sent: Thu, October 15, 2009 7:33:07 PM Subject: [DSN_KLR650] intermittent misfires The mechanics still think it's a fuel-air issue based on symptoms, but they're beginning to entertain electric/electronic speculation as well. A heat-related coil or cap failure? A CDI? And is the muffler issue related, or merely coincidental? . [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[Stephen Grisanti]

"He realized he was doing nothing of real value, so he opened up a motorcycle repair shop." Yeah, it's located here in Richmond, from what I've learned. Have not read the book yet or been by his place. He was also interviewed on NPR about the book. Stephen

--- On Tue, 10/27/09, Jeff Saline wrote: From: Jeff Saline Subject: [DSN_KLR650] Re: Shop Class as Soul Craft NKLR To: bigcee@... Cc: DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com Date: Tuesday, October 27, 2009, 7:24 PM On Mon, 26 Oct 2009 23:30:55 -0000 "elkrokko" writes: SNIP > For the rest of the group, the KLR's propensity to lose the clutch > switch adjustment parallels a book I'm reading, called "Shop Class > as Soulcraft" by Matthew Crawford. It's basically an examination of > how the skilled trades came to be viewed as low-end, mindless labor, > when quite the opposite is true. (Crawford earned a Ph.D. in > philosophy, and went to work for a DC policy think tank. He > realized he was doing nothing of real value, so he opened up a > motorcycle repair shop.) SNIP > Krokko <><><><><><><><> <><><><><><><><> Krokko, Thanks for the post about Matthew Crawford's book "Shop Class as Soulcraft". I did a quick google search last night and read some very interesting reviews. Found it on amazon and ordered a copy. To get free shipping I added "The Vincent in the Barn: Great Stories of Motorcycle Archaeology" by Tom Cotter. I'm looking forward to some good winter storms in the next few months and a chance to relax with these books in front of my new wood stove. Best, Jeff Saline ABC # 4412 South Dakota Airmarshal Airheads Beemer Club www.airheads.org The Beautiful Black Hills of South Dakota 75 R90/6, 03 KLR650, 79 R100RT . ____________________________________________________________ Senior Living Locator Free assistance finding the right senior housing anywhere in the US! http://thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL2141/c?cp=0RLG0zwX7W0gkrBubXBWSAAAJ1DWfJIDP-R0_NC3mMpGFS0kAAQAAAAFAAAAAM0JxT0AAANSAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAkCIgAAAAA= ------------------------------------ List sponsored by Dual Sport News at: www.dualsportnews.com List FAQ courtesy of Chris Krok at: www.bigcee.com/klr650faq.html Member Map at: http://www.frappr.com/dsnklr650Yahoo! Groups Links [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]