Service
Service
NEW EXHAUST, NEW MAPPING? V-STROM HEADLIGHT WOES TOOL TIME GAS-FOULED OR OIL-FOULED?
RAY NIERLICH
Triumph's Scrambler, as it's meant to be ridden. Even with a new Arrow exhaust, EEl automati cally compensates for reduced backpressure.
TO REMAP OR NOT?
Q: I have a 2014 Triumph Scrambler with a 2-into-1 Arrow pipe. My mechanic told me not to remap the injection. The bike goes nice and sounds like a woman in love! Should I remap it? Could I break it?
LUCIANO GONZALEZ-LOBO VIA CYCLEWORLD.COM
A: If it's not broken, don't fix it. Unlike in the old carbureted days, your fuel injection will automatically compensate for the minor reduction in backpressure afforded by the Arrow pipe, so you won’t break the bike by running it how it is. And if you decide to fool with the EFI tuning anyway, as long as you don’t do anything too drastic with the mapping, all should be fine. It can always be put back to stock. By the way, if your bike sounds like a woman in love, I want your mechanic’s phone number.
CRANKY KTM
Q: I have a KTM 690 SMR that I love dearly, but it has a vexing problem: Whenever the bike sits for one or more days, it sometimes does not turn over when I try to start it. Other than one click, nothing happens. If I try the button a few times, it might try to turn over or it might start. Unpredictably. When it does try to turn over, it does not seem to turn a whole cycle. If it turns over completely, it will start. If I hit the button a few times, it will turn over and start eventually.
If I try to bump-start it first and it doesn’t start, it may turn over on the starter when I try it. Not always, but it’s more likely. If I push it quickly enough when I bump it, it starts up. I have replaced the starter, battery, and had the compression release checked by the KTM dealer who replaced the starter and battery. Any ideas?
GORDLALONDE GUELPN, ONTARIO, CANADA
A: None of that stuff you changed was your problem. Start over. Pretend you have never seen this bike before and begin by checking the obvious, dumb stuff first. Don’t assume
anything. It takes a lot of current to spin the starter motor, multiples of any of the other electrical components. Check for poor grounding of the engine first. Just because the cases are bolted in the frame doesn’t mean it has a good electrical connection. I would run an extra ground lead on principle. Next, if the problem remains, check the positive battery cable to the starter relay and also from the relay to the starter. Don’t assume your battery is good just because it is new. Is the battery low on charge? Standing voltage should be 12.6 to 12.8 volts. Check for charging with a voltmeter. At revs, the bike should have 13.5 to 15.5 volts at the battery.
SEE THE LIGHT
Q: I am currently riding my second Suzuki V-Strom 650. My 2007 V-Strom was stolen in Mexico's Copper Canyon in 2010, and I replaced it with a 2009 650.1 am having an identical headlight problem with my second bike: The headlight turns on and off with no particular pattern. Sometimes the headlight randomly turns off while riding and will also turn on for no apparent reason. Sometimes the light will come on when I turn on the ignition prior to starting only to not come back on after the bike is started. After power-washing the bike, the headlight problem will abate for several days or weeks, but I’m unable to figure out why the problem returns in its randomness.
DAVID BRYEN VIA CYCLEWORLD.COM
A: You now have had two different V-Stroms with the same intermittent headlight symptoms. What’s the common denominator? V-Stroms and pressure washing! Do yourself a favor and hide that pressure washer in the back of your shed. When you feel you must blast away, resist the urge. This intermittent headlight issue is common with V-Stroms. These bikes don’t run a relay for the headlight circuit, so a pretty heavy current goes through the harness connectors, high-/ low-beam switch, and ignition switch.
GOT A MECHANICAL OR TECHNICAL PROBLEM with your beloved ride? Perhaps we can help. Contact us at cwservice@cycleworld.com with your questions. We cannot guarantee a reply to every inquiry.
Any of these can give trouble if water is forced in via pressure washing.
Pull apart the harness connectors and clean any corrosion. Open up the high/low switch, and inspect it too.
The ignition switch wasn’t designed to be repaired, so test for voltage drop with a digital multimeter across the switch when on. You want to see less than 0.3 volt, preferably 0.1. If voltage
drop is higher, a new switch is in order. A bit of silicone dielectric grease on any exposed connections will keep moisture and corrosion at bay. You might consider fitting a headlight relay as well. It will keep the problem from recurring, and, as an added benefit, your headlight will be brighter. Take a look at easternheaver.com for a supersano relay kit for your bike.
ALTERNATOR: REPAIR OR REPLACE?
My 1997 Valkyrie GL1500CT is a fast, creamy smooth, and thirsty * (3oish mpg) semi-classic Honda that loves big sweeping passes in the High Sierra. But my battery apparently isn’t being recharged, so I did the Honda Service Manual alternator test. It says, with high beam on, that output should be 15.5 volts at 5,000 rpm (sounds kind of high to me). But with voltmeter across battery terminals, the voltage didn’t budge from the sitting battery’s voltage. After I pulled the alternator, neither our local alternator shop nor the Honda shop would test it because there’s no pulley on the end for bench testing (it has vanes that fit into rubber dampers). I opened it up and the brushes are still serviceable, and nothing looks destroyed or broken.
I can buy an aftermarket replacement for about $170. (OEM price is $600! No thanks.) Is there a reasonable way to ascertain if this alternator is bad? I presume it is, since the voltage didn’t rise with rpm. Or am I missing some other component that could be at fault?
DAVID BRAMSEN VIA CYCLEWORLD.COM
A You and, have yes, you done need the an proper alternator. test, Chances are the regulator has failed, but there is no practical test for you to undertake, except replacement.
It’s simple to check the stator and field windings for opens or shorts with an ohmmeter. A digital multimeter with a diode check function can test the rectifier diodes. Now the bad news: Prices for complete new units are now so low that most individual components are not readily supplied anymore. The days when alternators would commonly be rebuilt, rather than replaced, are rapidly coming to an end. A quick search of new Hitachi alternators to fit your bike turned up quite a few. New ones run approximately $130 and up, while good used ones start at around $80. A 90-amp upgrade unit is also available from $200.
MY HARLEY RUNS FREAKIN’ GREAT, BUT...
My 1988 Harley-Davidson Low Rider, a 1,3400: carbureted model * (not a CV carb), is gas-fouling plugs every 300 miles or so. Runs freakin’ great. Stock everything. Stock jetting. Stock exhaust. I checked float level, installed a new air cleaner, checked
plug wires for resistance, installed a new coil, cleaned carb, checked compression (good). Did a leak-down test (good). Checked choke to make sure the butterfly is not sticking on (good). Checked for air leaks. Sprayed WD-40 on everything that could leak air. Nothing. Even the battery was okay. My next move is to knock out the plug covering the idle mixture screw and adjust it to 1.5 or 1.25 turns. I’m also thinking about making a plate to go between the carb and intake. That way I can hook up a vacuum gauge. Any idea what the gauge should read? Going by my plugs, the plugs are gas-fouled. Tried one step up in heat range for plugs. No luck. What can I do to keep from fouling plugs?
TIM STEPHENS BELPRE, OH
I can’t believe your bike could “run freakin’ great” and be gasB fouling spark plugs. Forget about adjusting idle mixture to cure fouling. You could remove the idle jet entirely
and still not foul plugs. My guess: You’re confusing fuel-fouling with oil-fouling. Yes, I know you did a compression test and a leak-down test, both of which came up good. But what is “good”?
Did the leak-down test come in at less than 5 percent? Did you perform it when the engine was warm? Did you add some oil into the cylinders through the plugholes to see if the leak-down percent changed? And how much oil does your bike use between changes? In general, pushrod motors don’t see enough oil to the top end to cause plug fouling, even if the valve guides are worn out. I would look for bore wear and/or broken or stuck piston rings. The compression test might still be “good,” but if the oil control rings are shot or stuck, it will pump oil into the cylinder like crazy.
WEIGHTY QUESTION
I have a 1998 Ducati Monster 750
that needs a little oil. I stopped ® by my local Due dealer to pick up a liter of the same oil used for my last
change: Repsol Racing full synthetic 20W-50. But the parts department has it only in iow-50. The salesman said it’s fine to mix the two. Is he correct, or is he just trying to drum up business?
LUKE HENDRIXSON ARLINGTON, IVA
AH same He is correct. brand and I try weight to use of the oil, but it’s not really essential. If you are out on the road and discover your oil level is low, anything is much better than nothing. The 600 and 750 Monsters run a wet clutch, so it’s especially important to not use an automotivespec oil, which may be too slippery for the clutch to work properly. Your Repsol is fine, as is any good-quality semi-synthetic or full-synthetic bike oil. That slightly thicker 20W-50 may cause some clutch drag compared to using a iow-50, so you might try iow-50 on the next change to see if clutch operation improves. But if you aren’t having any trouble, don’t sweat it. CUM
