Newbie, few questions

[Mr Pope]

Hi all,
New member here, been lurking for a while learning what I can before jumping in and buying myself a lovely 1997 carb model black Blackbird.
Reckon I've got a bit of a gem, amazing condition, immaculate paint apart from one very small crack in the rear panel and small scuffs on the mirrors. 37k miles with HID headlight, new tyres and Fuel stainless steel exhaust system. Paid ?1950 which is probably top money for this year but I think it's well worth it. I've also spent another billion pounds buying a Givi wingrack and panniers to finish it off. There were plenty of FI models about with luggage but no carb ones that I could find in a hurry.

Looks like it's already had an update CCT (look quite new with a new looking gasket) and the uprated Reg/rec (fins and also looks new fairly new). It has a K and N fitted, presumably at the same time as the exhausts and I have a dyno print out at 139 BHP at the back wheel which doesn't seem too far off the mark.
It's only done 6k miles in the last four years. It's in for a bit of a shock now, my last workhorse bike was a GSX600F on which I've done over 70k miles on in the last four years so this Bird is going to earn it's keep (the 600F had an 1127 motor in it for the last six months which was seriously punchy in the mid-range!!)

Ok, so I'm writing here to beg a bit of advice, there's only one little niggle with it that I can spot, when running along at constant throttle at very low revs ( around 2k rpm) I can feel a bit of spitting back through the carbs into the airbox. Is this anything common?
I've heard that fuel tap diaphragms can give problems and possibly overflow into one of the carbs so was wondering if there may be something going on here. Would you guys recommend re-building the tap as a precaution anyway. I understand this can show up as excessive fuel consumption. Trouble is i'm not sure what's normal. I've done a brim to brim test and when ridden carefully (i.e. boring) it gets about 43 mpg. That's a fair bit less than the 1100F ridden at the same sort of boring speeds. Does this seem normal?

Sorry for the longwinded intro. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts.
Thanks.

 

[Flymo01]

Hi and welcome. Sounds.like you have bought a very nice bird. I'm not technically minded so I can't answer your problem, other than to say that birds don't get on well with k&n filters.
I'm sure someone will be along.shortly to explain fully

 

[Mr Pope]

Thanks Flymo, yes I did read that standard is generally best. I'll put an OE air filter on my shopping list.

 

[markvhend]

Welcome, bike sounds nice

I'm running a 96 carb model and my mpg is similar to yours, slightly over speed limit on motorways, and reasonably relaxed A and B road riding is getting me about 41-45 mpg so doesn't seem that far out

I think you could probably achieve high 40's if riding really gently .....

 

[Mr Pope]

Thanks Mark, sounds about right then.
Actually that was very gently (sooo boooring). I commute 45 miles each way and try to keep to the actual speed limit just for commuting to try to keep the mpg up so this will have been around 55-65 mph. I hate this slow, the bike hates this slow, we all hate this slow . This is fine as long as I don't get overtaken by a bloody Ford, in which case it all goes to pot and monster bike comes out to play, I hate being overtaken anyway and I'm racist about Fords.

43-45 mpg is pretty reasonable for a big bike on these roads I think, this is over the A44 between Builth and Aberystwyth so mountains and bends rather than flat and straight. The 600/1100F was a but better on fuel at the same speed but had a great thirst for oil, and tyres.
For the record, the 6/11 would leave the Blackbird for dead between say 50 and 120 mph. Much more monster grunt than the bird but not as much top end rush and getting pretty unstable around 150, definitely getting badly beyond the chassis spec at that speed. I think the Bird will be a lot kinder on tyres, I've done about 1000 miles on the as new Avon Storms that came with it and not much sign of wear yet. The 6/11 was muching tyres at an alarming (though entertaining) rate. They were only 150s on that chassis and weekend fun could demolish a Maxxis in about 1500 miles! So much fun but so much expense.

Yes loving the Bird so far, very fast but so much more grown up than the 6/11 monster and so much better at serious speed. I'm hoping to take it into Germany this year, I'm over there quite often for work anyway.

For the record I was also commuting the same route on a KTM 390, that would do 90+ mpg at the same speeds but not much cop for autobahns

 

[andyBeaker]

w4lc0m3

Both my old carb and if Birds came with K&N filters and both benefitted from a swap to paper - JAWS is the place for spares.

However, noting your bike has a non standard exhaust, if it has been set up properly on a rolling road the K&N may well be fine. Odds are it hasn't though:-0).

From what you say I would suggest ditching the k&n will sort it.

 

[Mr Pope]

Thanks Andy,
Yes it's a tricky one. The dyno read-out I got with bike might suggest it was done to set up the new pipes and you'd assume the filter would have been fitted at the same time.

The spitting is only a very minor niggle, I just wanted to check the community wisdom that it wasn't symptomatic of some known problem. The OE filters are cheap enough so I might just try one out anyway and see if it makes any difference and probably re-build the fuel tap as a precaution.

I can't see a fuel tap rebuild kit on Jaws website or on Ebay either. I have seen a VTR1000 rebuild kit and another advert for a fuel tap that fits both VTR1000 and Bird. Does anyone know if this means that a rebuild kit for the VTR will also fit the Bird, or better still can anyone point me in the direction of a rebuild kit for the Bird itself?

 

[andyBeaker]

Thanks Andy,
Yes it's a tricky one. The dyno read-out I got with bike might suggest it was done to set up the new pipes and you'd assume the filter would have been fitted at the same time.

The spitting is only a very minor niggle, I just wanted to check the community wisdom that it wasn't symptomatic of some known problem. The OE filters are cheap enough so I might just try one out anyway and see if it makes any difference and probably re-build the fuel tap as a precaution.

I can't see a fuel tap rebuild kit on Jaws website or on Ebay either. I have seen a VTR1000 rebuild kit and another advert for a fuel tap that fits both VTR1000 and Bird. Does anyone know if this means that a rebuild kit for the VTR will also fit the Bird, or better still can anyone point me in the direction of a rebuild kit for the Bird itself?

Contact the JAWS website for parts... I am pretty sure they will do the fuel tap stuff even if it is not listed.

 

[ianrobbo1]

You say "new pipes" would that be down pipes or the end cans, I ask as a firm called "Delvik or some such" make both down pipes, and end cans, the end cans are supposed to be very nice with no known problems, the down pipes however have been known to throw a spanner in the works as far as fueling and general rough running on the BIRD are concerned, which may or may not be your problem, however saying that, I would agree the first thing to do would be to slap a standard filter in and see if that makes a difference!!

 

[noobie]

My first bird was a carbie and I had a few pennies to spend so I bought a full 4-2-1 akropovic exhaust, a K & N filter and a stage 1 dynojet kit.

I put on the akro and the k&n. it ran worse and did not run better till I added the stage 1 but more importantly did not run at it's best until it had been professionally set up by people who know what they were doing and on a rolling road.

As a standard bike they seem to work better with standard air filters.

If you change the exhausts then normally just the cans change seems to be okay, Headers are something to be wary of and as mentioned Delkevic exhausts are quite good but their headers are not. For the carbie, a good upgrade is later FI oem headers

Karen or Gary at Jaws motorcycles are worth firing off an email to as robbo said it might not be listed but they will be able to help you out one way or another. http://www.jaws-motorcycles.co.uk/bird.htm

 

[ianrobbo1]

Karen or Gary at Jaws motorcycles are worth firing off an email to as robbo said it might not be listed but they will be able to help you out one way or another. http://www.jaws-motorcycles.co.uk/bird.htm

OY!!! there's NO need for THAT!!b0x1b0x1:dunno: Robbo INDEED, it was that "Andrew" character suggested that !! -(


;-0))

 

[noobie]

8rfl@8rfl@8rfl@

I don't know who should be more angry, robbo being called andy or andy being called robbo:-0)

My apologies to whose who feel the most offended 8rfl@

 

[ianrobbo1]

8rfl@8rfl@8rfl@

I don't know who should be more angry, robbo being called andy or andy being called robbo:-0)

My apologies to whose who feel the most offended 8rfl@

Thank you, it'll be me, so I accept your apology!! @tu*


:-0)

 

[andyBeaker]

8rfl@8rfl@8rfl@

I don't know who should be more angry, robbo being called andy or andy being called robbo:-0)

My apologies to whose who feel the most offended 8rfl@

I can categorically state I am more angry and offended than the tracksuit trouser wearing one!
;-0))

 

[ianrobbo1]

I can categorically state I am more angry and offended than the tracksuit trouser wearing one!
;-0))

OH!! NO your NOT!! in my best'ist shouty typeface!! b0x1

:whi5tl: