Ever use water??

[Chuey]

Jeff puts a glass of beer on the seat!

I was thinking "That wouldn't last long!"

Chuey

[Snakeoil]

When Suzuki came out with the RE5 Wankel, I was at the dealer and he put a cigarette standing on end on the tank with the bike running and it just sat there. He brought the revs up slowly (to avoid torque making the bike move) and it remained there. No that's smooth!

I like this water vibes idea. You could probably take one of those HF magnetic dishes and glue a clear bottle to it and stick it to the tank.

regards,
Rob

[neverquit]

Back in the fifties some old guys used to talk about people in the old days (their old days meaning 20's or 30's ) using a glass of water sitting on an engine to refine a tune up. The idea was that the least vibration equated to the best tuning job. I remember a guy who did it after synchronizing carbs on British sports cars as a way of demonstrating how smooth he had it running.

[gocytocis]

The idea was that the least vibration equated to the best tuning job.

This is the assumption I'm having difficulty with in accepting that a bottle of water can provide an accurate means to balance carbs. It doesn't account for the various resonant frequencies that certain vibrations may travel through the frame at, & cause the water to ripple at, regardless of the intensity of those vibrations.

I'm thinking that the idle speed would be more of a determinant of how much the water ripples than whether the carbs are precisely balanced or not.

[Major Softie]

The idea was that the least vibration equated to the best tuning job.

This is the assumption I'm having difficulty with in accepting that a bottle of water can provide an accurate means to balance carbs. It doesn't account for the various resonant frequencies that certain vibrations may travel through the frame at, & cause the water to ripple at, regardless of the intensity of those vibrations.

I'm thinking that the idle speed would be more of a determinant of how much the water ripples than whether the carbs are precisely balanced or not.

I think you're mistaken, but, like I assume you are, I'm mostly talking out of my butt.

I've never tried it myself, but this has made me very curious to see if it seems more like you are right, or if it seems like it really works.

It seems to me that the frequency should be mostly the product of the engine's inherent vibration. And, while sympathetic vibrations may exaggerate those vibrations, reducing the original (engine) vibration should reduce that sympathetic vibration as well.

Of course, when we talk about setting it on the tank, now we've introduced the damping factor of the rubber mounts, which further confuses the whole issue.

But, still, I think it just might work, and, still, I'm mostly talking out of my butt.

[Ken in Oklahoma]

. . . But, still, I think it just might work, and, still, I'm mostly talking out of my butt.

A man after Dirty Harry's heart: "A man's got to know his limitations."

I bet you've touched off a 44 Magnum a few times too.

Ken

[Major Softie]

. . . But, still, I think it just might work, and, still, I'm mostly talking out of my butt.

A man after Dirty Harry's heart: "A man's got to know his limitations."

I bet you've touched off a 44 Magnum a few times too.

Ken

Mine looks exactly like this one:

[Duane Ausherman]

Rebel, you would be far better off learning to put your head behind and between the two exhausts and hear what is different.

To take out the vibration to make it as good as it can be, do it while riding on an empty road at speed.

What you see with vacuum carbs while sitting in one place can be very misleading. On the road you have real conditions.

I have demonstrated and taught this at many technical workshops and those that cared to learn, did learn how to do it by ear. I bet one or more readers here have been witness to this technique. Ken in Oklahoma?

[Ken in Oklahoma]

. . . I have demonstrated and taught this at many technical workshops and those that cared to learn, did learn how to do it by ear. I bet one or more readers here have been witness to this technique. Ken in Oklahoma?

So you have, Duane, every rally you attended as I recall. Interestingly some of the folks were eager to learn, and others not so much (all the way down to zero). Others usually relied on vacuum gauges/sticks or the differential vacuum comparison, which commonly resulted in an oops, which sucked the fluid out of the loop. (Differential vacuum gauge = one transparent hose, dropped down into a long "U", halfway filled with ATF as I recall, and with each end of the single hose connected to the vacuum port on the carbs).

A lot of people, including myself, had trouble 'getting it', or rather 'hearing' it. But what was clearly demonstrated was that excellent results can be obtained with the method. The hardest part for me was to actually hear differences in the exhaust note differences left and right. (I blame the exhaust crossover pipe and being hard of hearing.)

How'd I do on the explanation, Duane? I know I left out a lot of the details of the procedure. I think to understand the method a person has to understand how carbs work and what is really going on with the throttle cable lengths and throttle stop adjustments.

Ken

[Ken in Oklahoma]

. . . I have demonstrated and taught this at many technical workshops and those that cared to learn, did learn how to do it by ear. I bet one or more readers here have been witness to this technique. Ken in Oklahoma?

So you have, Duane, every rally you attended as I recall. Interestingly some of the folks were eager to learn, and others not so much (all the way down to zero). Others usually relied on vacuum gauges/sticks or the differential vacuum comparison, which commonly resulted in an oops, which sucked the fluid out of the loop. (Differential vacuum gauge = one transparent hose, dropped down into a long "U", halfway filled with ATF as I recall, and with each end of the single hose connected to the vacuum port on each of the carbs).

A lot of people, including myself, had trouble 'getting it', or rather 'hearing' it. But what was clearly demonstrated was that excellent results can be obtained with the method. The hardest part for me was to actually hear differences in the exhaust note differences left and right. (I blame the exhaust crossover pipe and being hard of hearing.)

How'd I do on the explanation, Duane? I know I left out a lot of the details of the procedure. I think to understand the method a person has to understand how carbs work and what is really going on with the throttle cable lengths and throttle stop adjustments.

Ken