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Idle too low?

2K views 20 replies 5 participants last post by  TeeTee 
#1 ·
My bike sits at idle no problem, maybe idling just a little under normal RPM, but the problem comes in when I give it gas or come to a stop, when the RPM comes down the idle drops almost to 0 RPM, almost stalls then evens out again. It’s stalled on me once already. Makes no difference if the bike is hot or cold.

Any idea how to adjust the idle on a 99 R6? If that is my problem?
 
#4 ·
Can't help you Bilko, but I agree the problems are not the same.
Too much choke will not "gum up your carbs" but could "carbon up your motor". ;)
 
#6 ·
biko said:
Your thread doesn't really get resolved. Are you telling me you drive around with the choke on? You're going to gum up your carbs pretty quick that way.
My bike sits at idle no problem too. But does this only happen to you for the first couple of 5 minutes? Mine goes away after choking it for 5minutes or so.
 
#14 ·
If it drops then picks back up then that is often a sign of the mixture being too rich at idle.

Is your R6 a carbed model? If so then perhaps the previous owner was messin around with the idle mixture pilot screws. Or did the problem just come on recently. Some extra history previous to the problem would help along with what engine related mods it has.
 
#15 ·
TeeTee said:
If it drops then picks back up then that is often a sign of the mixture being too rich at idle.

Is your R6 a carbed model? If so then perhaps the previous owner was messin around with the idle mixture pilot screws. Or did the problem just come on recently. Some extra history previous to the problem would help along with what engine related mods it has.
It is carburated, this just started happening right after I got it serviced. I adjusted the RPM's as per the manuals instructions and it seems ok now, will need more adjusting to get it back to where it was. I just need to find the sweet spot where it doesn't pick back up but i can still idle as low as possible.

Right now its sitting at about 1350 - 1400 and its almost perfect.

My problem is i'm an IT guy and engines just aren't my thing but I'm slowly learning.

Thanks for the advice guys.
 
#17 ·
1350 to 1400 is actually a little higher than it should need to be. In particular if it drops below and then settles back up to that setting then I wonder if the mechanic adjusted your pilot mixture screws as a favour but slightly overdid it. I've found that the ideal setting isn't cast in stone and as little as a 1/4 turn makes a noticable difference. If your bike is doing this and seems a little "soggy" with a low rpm and small throttle starts then it'll benifit from some tinkering.

Depending on the layout of the bike you may be able to just reach in and tweak 'em or you may need to lift the saddle and tank to reach in. When I was playing at this with my old 9R I would carry a screwdriver hex bit to adjust the screws, a phillips screwdriver, a 1/4 inch ratchet and 10mm socket and a little block of 2x4. A road side tweak took all of about 5 minutes and then off for more trial running.
 
#18 ·
TeeTee said:
1350 to 1400 is actually a little higher than it should need to be. In particular if it drops below and then settles back up to that setting then I wonder if the mechanic adjusted your pilot mixture screws as a favour but slightly overdid it. I've found that the ideal setting isn't cast in stone and as little as a 1/4 turn makes a noticable difference. If your bike is doing this and seems a little "soggy" with a low rpm and small throttle starts then it'll benifit from some tinkering.

Depending on the layout of the bike you may be able to just reach in and tweak 'em or you may need to lift the saddle and tank to reach in. When I was playing at this with my old 9R I would carry a screwdriver hex bit to adjust the screws, a phillips screwdriver, a 1/4 inch ratchet and 10mm socket and a little block of 2x4. A road side tweak took all of about 5 minutes and then off for more trial running.
Ideally the manual recommends 1250 to 1350, for my model, i can feel a quarter turn make a difference, so I'l tweak it for a few more rides, if I dont find a good spot in that rpm range, ill take it back to the shop for some adjusting but for now its alot better than it was.
 
#19 ·
biko said:
Ideally the manual recommends 1250 to 1350, for my model, i can feel a quarter turn make a difference, so I'l tweak it for a few more rides, if I dont find a good spot in that rpm range, ill take it back to the shop for some adjusting but for now its alot better than it was.
Biko, it sure sounds like you're mxing up two different things here. There's the idle speed adjustment, that you seem to think I'm talking about, and then there's the idle mixture adjustment. The mixture adjustment is a fine tuning screw that is located on each carb up underneath by the float bowl. There's 4 of them to adjust. They don't make the bike run faster or slower except through altering the mixture at idle and shortly off idle to more or less rich and when it's just right the idle speed picks up a little. These idle mixure screws are up in a blind hole and the carbs start off their life from the factory with blanking plugs in them.

The idle SPEED adjuster is usually a single knurled plastic or metal knob that you adjust to alter the idle speed. That's the one that is out where you can reach it easily.

And then there's the synch balancing screws that are located on the linkage arrangement that runs from carb to carb.

Anyway, I'm sort of thinking as I mentioned that the mechanic altered your idle mixture screws. Go back and talk to him and if he did this for you then thank him profusely for the favour and ask if he can close them up about 1/4 to 1/2 turn. If you describe how the idle rpm drops lower than steady state adn then comes up he should realize that he went a little far.
 
#21 ·
yer welcome.

I love this sport/hobby and it's being able to help others enjoy it more that keeps me wearing out my fingers like this.
 
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