PIPES-2

[Firehawk068]

I finished my second set of OEM FJ1200 Pipes today.

I timed the whole procedure over the course of a few days. Took 2-hours and 45-minutes from start to finish (not including removal from bike, or re-installation)
I sorta like the process, and the satisfaction of being able to achieve a nice surface finish from something that started out looking like 
I'm happy with the way they turned out.

If anyone is interested, I may consider doing theirs for a $ fee, and shipping.

[Pat Conlon]

.....aaaah yes, the polish bug has bitten Alan.......I know it well.

Next, he will start buying kilo cans of this:


The real test will be to see how he feels about polishing after he tries to polish that FJ aluminum swing arm.

Andy French better take care of that swinger, 'cause that's the last one I will ever do.

[Firehawk068]

.....aaaah yes, the polish bug has bitten Alan.......I know it well.

The real test will be to see how he feels about polishing after he tries to polish that FJ aluminum swing arm.

Not gonna happen!

I'll just clean it from time to time...................

[Urban_Legend]

Time to strip and polish those engine covers and foot peg side plates.



Mark

[Pat Conlon]

Stripping off the clear coat and polishing that aluminum stuff is fun!
Forks are fun! Engine plates and side plates are fun. Wheels are less fun but nowhere as god awful as that fucking swing arm.....

[andyoutandabout]

Yes that glorious swing arm that garners swooning approval from riders and the ladies. Just having it on the bike has more than doubled the polishing time that's been dedicated to the entire bike.
As much as I endeavor to keep it in Conlon condition, life schedule says that pristine swing arms are the preserve of the lucky retired gents with time to spare.
Anywho, so long as Randy doesn't take another chunk out of it when he inspects the chain guide for wear, I'm sure it'll stay brilliant for years.

[Paul.1478]

that really looks good. what was your process? wire wheel then polish or sandpaper and then polish?

[Paul.1478]

Sorry! I see it in the next thread...

[balky1]

So, anyone with an idea what the bolts on the bottom of each pipe are for? 

[Pat Conlon]

Those are for special sensors Yamaha used to set the idle fuel/air mixtures based on the exhaust gas readings needed for EPA emissions compliance.

The USA bikes were set at the factory, then a plug was inserted over the fuel/air idle screws to prevent tampering. I understand this was a feature only on the USA bikes, other markets had the fuel/air idle screws accessable for adjustment.

IIRC there was a procedure in the GFSM, using a special 4 channel gas analyzer (which no one has) to set the idle fuel mixture based on the exhaust gas readings.

Perhaps Randy can chime in....

We have found that these factory settings (and jetting) were lean.

[TexasDave]

All the Japanese bikes are lean from the factory to meet USA EPA emissions. My 1982 Honda CB650SC is so lean if I take the cover off the air cleaner it gets so lean it won't even run. That's right on the edge of lean. When I purchased a Kawasaki Vulcan the first thing I noticed when I rolled off the throttle was slight backfire from the exhaust. That told me it was lean. I removed the plenum and air cleaner it had to suck air through and replaced the main jet from a 130 to a 180. That greatly increased the power and it still had the same gas mileage. Increase the fuel/air mixture will get you more power and your engine will run cooler too.
Just don't tell the EPA.

Dave

[balky1]

Those are for special sensors Yamaha used to set the idle fuel/air mixtures based on the exhaust gas readings needed for EPA emissions compliance.

The USA bikes were set at the factory, then a plug was inserted over the fuel/air idle screws to prevent tampering. I understand this was a feature only on the USA bikes, other markets had the fuel/air idle screws accessable for adjustment.

IIRC there was a procedure in the GFSM, using a special 4 channel gas analyzer (which no one has) to set the idle fuel mixture based on the exhaust gas readings.

Perhaps Randy can chime in....

We have found that these factory settings (and jetting) were lean.

Aaaahhh, thanks. I thought those were for some kind of sensors.

[great white]

Those are for special sensors Yamaha used to set the idle fuel/air mixtures based on the exhaust gas readings needed for EPA emissions compliance.

The USA bikes were set at the factory, then a plug was inserted over the fuel/air idle screws to prevent tampering. I understand this was a feature only on the USA bikes, other markets had the fuel/air idle screws accessable for adjustment.

IIRC there was a procedure in the GFSM, using a special 4 channel gas analyzer (which no one has) to set the idle fuel mixture based on the exhaust gas readings.

Perhaps Randy can chime in....

We have found that these factory settings (and jetting) were lean.

Aaaahhh, thanks. I thought those were for some kind of sensors.

I know this is a little bit of an old thread, but its not a sensor per se. There is a fitting that goes in each pipe and a hose attached to that fitting. The hoses then go to an engine exhaust gas analyzer that samples the exhaust gases. Can be anything from just CO reading to as much as a 5 gas analyzer.

On Yammy's, its primarily used to set idle fuel mix. Yammy was pretty much the only manufacturer to go "all in" with EGA in the 80's, so pretty much all thier 80's bikes have those exhaust port fittings. Shops with a dyno will often use them to set mixture throughout the rpm range.

EGA machines used to be commonplace in most automotive shops, you needed one to work on carbs with any kind of speed needed in a paying shop. The advent of on board monitoring (obd, obdII, etc) pretty much made them obsolete, so most shops got rid of them or they may be sitting in a dusty corner somewhere in the back, mostly fogotten by modern techs. I'm an old fart who used to use them, so I'm comfortable with mine in my own little private garage/shop.

I have a 5 gas in my shop. Here it is hooked up to my Venture/VMax hybrid:



I find it invaluable when working in on my bikes (all carbs) or on my carbed 302 Mustang. Reads CO, CO2, HC, O2, corrcted CO, Rpm, engine oil temp and lambda. Lambda is same as what a wideband O2 sensor gives you. Basically; gives you your stoich. California boys will probably recognize a lot of that from the smog testing they have to comply with, because it's an ega machine they sniff thier exhaust with.

Sniffing the pipe tells you right away whats going wrong and what you need to do to fix it. On a car you can just do the tailpipes since there's onlyone carb, but on a bike (like the FJ) there's 4 carbs so tou have to sample each cylinder seperately.

But reading and understanging an EGA machine is a dying art in todays electronic engine management world. It's more than just getting the readings off the machine, its interpreting those readings. My ega showed me the front heads needed valve seals without me needing to do any other investigating.

And I guarantee you've never ridden a bike as smooth as one that has been set by CO on an EGA machine. Guys can't believe how well my Venture/Max runs and it still sounds like a hot rod.

Most shops that deal with carbs at all these days mostly prefer to just use wideband O2 readings. Easier to use to set stoich, but nowhere near as good as a diagnostic tool...

[ribbert]

....reading and understanging an EGA machine is a dying art....

As is just about every "skill" of a real mechanic.

Noel