new fj1100 owner, elevation change question

[peopleinmenose]

Hello all, I've been lurking here for a while enjoying the wealth of information that you have put together ever since I bought my red 85 fj1100 on a whim last winter.  I haven't done much with it other than riding around the area, but I managed to unexpectedly get labor day off and will be travelling home to South Dakota from Wyoming.  I would love to take the fj on its first trip but I was wondering if going from the 6000' elevation here to the just above 1000' in South Dakota would potentially cause my motorcycle to run too lean and cause damage.  It isn't tuned perfectly and could probably use a carb sync(winter project), but cruising along the interstate it runs smoothly and pulls hard when I want it too.  I can always drive my car for the trip, but riding the 9 hours each way is much more appealing for me if I can do it safely.  I appreciate the help and apologize for spelling errors, my phone's autocorrect is intrusive. 

[Pat Conlon]

Welcome to our group, Peeps (for lack of a first name)
No worries about elevation changes with our FJ carbs....By the very nature of the design, the main benefit of the Constant Velocity (CV) carbs is the ability of the slide and needle to adjust automatically to air density changes (elevation changes)
For example: My bikes are tuned for sea level and I have larger (#40) pilot jets for hot summer riding.
When I go up in elevation to 6-8,000 ft I find that my bike runs a bit rich when idling around town at low speeds, but once the carbs reach the needle jet stage, the motor clears out and everything is fine.

You probably could ride your bike as it is....but...Why not start your trip with your bike tuned properly?  I find that I worry less....

Cheers lad!   Pat

[terryk]

Pat's comments confirmed by my experience. I ride the FJ from sea level, really road runes less than 100 feet from to the ocean to 6,800 feet above sea level to below sea level in a single days ride, not even a burp. The bike was tuned at sea level.

[peopleinmenose]

Your comments echo what Randy told me today as I was ordering my spin on oil filter adapter.  I would love to tune it up before hand, bu I Just don't have the time before I leave.  I wasn't planning on getting labor day off so this is all spur of the moment.  I've taken it on few short hour to two hour hops, so I'm confident it will be ok for this trip.  When I return home my new Tuono should arrive and then I'll be able to begin working on the FJ.  This winter I would like to get it running perfectly, upgrade the wheels and suspension, and do a few other little updates here and there.  I'll post some pictures when I get back, although there isn't much to look at in rural Nebraska.

Thanks for the help!

[andyb]

The CV carbs do a good job of correcting for air density at altitude, which is partially helped by the air getting colder the higher you go.  Unfortunately that doesn't include the time when you're not on the needles.  If you're not racing, you can ignore worrying about the mains, but the idle quality and low speed cruise (pilot circuits doing most of the work) may be a bit off.