Hey all-hope everyone's doing okay today!I've a question here-any way to visually tell if I'm running too rich(other than smoke)OR..too lean.Thanks all-Ride safe-have fun!!

Check the plugs. You can tell by the way the plugs look.

Heathun is correct. Pull a plug. It should look white at the tip and light cream tan way down the porcelain where the end of the porcelain meets the metal at the base.

If it looks gray at the plug, send the bike to me, it runs really bad. If there is tan to white, it does not get any better than that sans a gray/white base is no, no no, you do not want that.

Okay-good info EXCEPT!!!!-youse guys didn't say what color meant what,except tan is good,gray is bad. (and NO HUB-I aint sendin MY bike down to ya-get that outta yer head RIGHT NOW!)

* Last updated by: blue07 on 7/13/2009 @ 12:49 AM *

http://www.dansmc.com/Spark_Plugs/Spark_Plugs_catalog.html

http://www.totalmotorcycle.com/maintenance/sparkplugs.htm

See if these links help with the heat ranges and colors/

Thanks Heathun-appreciate those links there!!

Not even close to being as accurate as reading the plugs, but it will get you in the ballpark. Run your finger inside the exhaust. If it comes out black your to rich. Brown your good. Tan your to lean.

A couple of points you might want to think about, you can be way lean at 100% load and high rpm but still be way too rich at idle or some other point in the rpm/load range. Look at a DynoJet map, their map cells vary fuel +/- in fine load and rpm increments (0%, 2%, 5%, 10%, 20% load etc. and each 250 rpm) A plug reading taken at idle might show fluffy black (rich) while under 100% throttle and max rpm might show gray (lean). Getting a full dyno run with wideband O2 sensor to determine A/F ratios is the best way but expensive. You also need the sensor bung welded onto your header if ones not already on there. I'm dealing with that issue right now as my Yoshimura 4-2-1 has no bung. Arrrrrgh!

Kruz

* Last updated by: Kruz on 7/13/2009 @ 2:46 PM *

Thanks everyone for the info.I'm using the dynojet map for "no secondaries,stock air filter,stock exhaust"-Been doing fine since 07.I was just observing my fuel mileage the other day,it seemed to have dropped a bit.But I ride "kind of"aggressively when I'm out in the sweepers.Checked my exhaust as mentioned.It always has a fine black carbon dust in it.Nothing excessive.Normal I guess.Bike runs very good-no misfires or bogging.I manually set the PC(with the three buttons)to a tad less mixture on the low RPM bar,same as the MID RPM, and left the HIGH rpm at "center"(map setting).I had lowered the "low RPM" setting more than it was before the other day.That's when I had the "baffle" deal occur.So I just was concerned that maybe I had leaned er out too much.I went back out yesterday and reset my settings manually to where she was before(mentioned above).Never had issues with those settings.So,that's it-thanks again for the links to the "plug conditions" site-good pics there.My plugs have always been in the "tan,light tan" appearance.Just didn't want to burn anything up being too lean.

blue07, I'm wary of those faceplate adjustments on the PCIII. If you look at a couple of maps you'll see the fueling will vary widely over just a few hundred rpms at a given load to give the best power and throttle response. Trimming fuel by 1/3 rpm range increments is indeed painting with a broad brush. I get lousy fuel economy with my current map but the response is velvety smooth everywhere so I live with it. Also I'm on the gas a lot which doesn't help matters.

Kruz

* Last updated by: Kruz on 7/13/2009 @ 2:53 PM *