A few 220 questions . . .

[Jeb]

I'm off to a good start - ordered a Wiseco piston, rings, circlips, pin, upper conrod bearing . . . and then I ordered a K-30 REV pipe!! $192 with shipping from motorcycleproshop.com. This weekend is youth hunting in KY, maybe I can get the topend changed, I'll hold off on the pipe for a couple of weeks - if I can stand it.

'Tinkered with my new acquisition this evening. 145 main and an R1173 needle (I think, hard to read) with clip in the #2 position. I failed to note what the pilot was, but the previous owner said he didn't change the jetting so I guess it's, what, a 42? So, jetting's stock. Pulled off the seat - AHA!! The guy had presence of mind to pull the snorkel for more air flow. I'm impressed with how quiet this bike is even with the snorkel pulled.

Q1: With the snorkel out to lean up the rich stock jetting a bit, are there still some gains to be made by fiddling with the jets? If so, any general consensus on leaning/richening and which jets? Or is it truly just a matter of trial & error, get off your duff and do it, every bike different-type scenario? FWIW I didn't notice any bogging or hesitation when I rode Saturday, seemed snappy off idle.

Q2: How much noisier with the whole lid removed? Right now I'd say the bike is very quiet, very "soft-spoken" for the bike it is so a little louder would be OK.

Q3: If I leave the airbox as is, snorkel removed, keep stock stinger, will I need to rejet when I swap the stock pipe with the rev pipe?

THANKS!! BTW, 'never been in a flatside carb before, pretty cool!

[Indawoods]

Being stock, running well with the snorkel pulled, I wouldn't get too crazy rejetting since it is running a little leaner than stock.... which is usually a good thing.

Generally. you do not need to rejet just because of changing the pipe to a FMF, but check the plug.... Do a wide open throttle chop with a new plug after every mod to determine what it has changed. And you can adjust the jetting based on the results.

[Jeb]

Being stock, running well with the snorkel pulled, I wouldn't get too crazy rejetting since it is running a little leaner than stock.... which is usually a good thing.

Generally. you do not need to rejet just because of changing the pipe to a FMF, but check the plug.... Do a wide open throttle chop with a new plug after every mod to determine what it has changed. And you can adjust the jetting based on the results.

Inda - any good instructions on doing the plug chop on the site? 'Might be simple but I've never actually done an actual "chop" before.

[Indawoods]

Here's the basics...

1. Get bike good and warmed up.
2. Swap out plug with a new, gapped plug.
3. Take off, pinning the throttle and go through all the gears.
4. Pulled the clutch in and hit the kill switch at the same time.
5. Coast to a stop... let the bike cool off and pull the plug.

That is a WOT plug chop.

[skipro3]

If you don't have enough room to get into top gear, you can accelerate through 3rd, drag the rear brake and hold the WOT for at least 30 seconds before "chopping" the throttle, pulling in the clutch lever and hitting the kill button.

Plan the run so that you end up back at your truck and not away from your truck . Use the ride out and away to warm up, then when you chop, you are at your truck or garage and it's easy to let her cool off and pull the plug.

Know how to read the plug? It's not by insulator tip. You need to cut the threads off and read the mixture ring at the base of the insulator. Lots of stuff on the web about that, so check. If you have questions on how to read a plug chop, go for it. Lots of photos I believe in people's gallaries of plugs.

[scheckaet]

You need to cut the threads off and read the mixture ring at the base of the insulator.

Do you mean you have to use a hack saw or something to destroy the plug in order to read it?
If so, any trick to do it easily?

[Indawoods]

A vise and a hacksaw....

[Jeb]

Just to make sure - bike cool-down - that's just so ya don't get your paws burnt, right?

'Sounds like I need to get a hand full of new plugs and get ta' choppin'

Ahhh, I can just picture it - me on my green machine screaming through my neighbor's yard, smoke billowing from my rear brake, " . . . but I'm TRYIN' to do a plug chop, Greg . . . HURRY, go get your oven mitt . . . "

Seriously, thanks guys !!

[canyncarvr]

Note that Ski included the 'chop' part..the throttle.

You can chuck the plug up in a drill. That'll work.

You're looking at the band at the base of the insulator. One mm thick (tall...UP from the base)? Right on.

The longer the run, the darker the band will be. If you're worried about too lean..a five minute WOT plug chop is a bad idea. It does only take tens of seconds to deposit that ring. If short on time, you will find the ring looks more like smoke than a dark band. It may not go all the way 'round the insulator (shrouded by the ground electrode) if the run was short.

By 'right on' I mean you have about nada room to move for temp changes, atmospheric pressure changes.

Heat range effects that tell, but plug types don't. If you run an EG or some other rare metal plug, you can put that in AFTER you sort the jetting out using ESs.

How much noise? Enough that I run WITH a lid. No snorkel and full of holes, but there is a lid. I don't care for the run-over-the-duck-quack noise you get with no lid.

To each his own.

Don't forget the air screw.

[skipro3]

Here's two chopped plugs after 30 second runs. First is with a 145 main. The second is a 150 main. Notice on the smaller main the narrower mix ring at the base of the insulator. Air temp, humidity, barometric pressure all afftect this, so don't go too lean without checking. Yes, you do destroy brand new plugs doing this. It will seem like a bargain when you find your bike jetted razor sharp. Crack the throttle and she wants to leap out from under you. There's free power doing this mod for very little money and just an afternoon of fiddling.

[Jeb]

skipro . . .

I see the difference and how the bigger jet increased the richness . . .

. . . so is the "leaner" plug rich enough? What would it be looking like for me to look at it and think, "if I get any leaner I'll be in trouble"?

BTW, thanks!!

[m0rie]

I think a 1mm mixture ring is what your shooting for if I remember right.

[skipro3]

I shoot for a ring about the size as if I drew it on with a #2 lead pencil. But.....
I also run a very consistant race gas: VP C-12. Running pump gas and not a fresh mix of oil and gas just before each ride and things might get too lean. I also jet for the day; altitude, humidity air pressure, etc. all make a difference if you are jetting at the razor edge. Fortunately, a bike will tell you when it's getting too lean. It will detonate and ping, get hot, etc. Listen to your bike and it'll tell you if it's too rich or too lean.

[Jeb]

Skipro3 - Tell me more about the pinging or detonation thing. I don't believe I've heard it before (or, if I did I didn't know it) and I wanna be prepared. Is it an obvious sound? This bike I got, not being very used to it, has new sounds: gearbox seems a tad noisy (can a little more oil drown this out) + the KIPs took some getting used to (at first I thought the bike was spitting gravel from the rear tire). Anyway, I doubt anything's wrong but I'm hoping that the detonation thing is easily ID'd.

I did drill five 1/2" holes in my airbox lid Saturday, sort of a ceremonious ground-breaking effort to kick off the variety of mods over which I'm hopelessy infactuated with doing. 'Tooled with the A/S and I'm a bit over 2 turns out and could take it out some more so I'm rich yet. I'll wait till I finish drilling holes and get my rev pipe in and start trying some plug chops and jetting as needed.

I know the 220's not supposed to be high-end and all but after adding the holes and adjusting the A/S I swear I picked up a hit not too far lower than where it used to peter out and my top end seems to have been extended - not a lot - but noticeable. To reinforce the suspicion I almost looped it while trying to clear my front wheel over a small creek (like 3 feet wide) off of a one-foot dropoff: I meant to "lighten" the front wheel with some throttle and it lifted instead. Subsequently, I rode up the hill on my back wheel further than I really wanted to because my weight shifted when the bike almost shot out from under me while airborne. I managed to close the throttle in time to regain position on the bike.

THEN . . . I have what constitutes a hairpin curve at the top of this same little hill, about 10 feet from my almost-loop, which I normally go pretty slow through but I was up in the revs. When I leaned it over and gave it throttle I got enough unplanned wheel spin to kick the back end around to point uphill then I basically rode downhill (YES, that's right - a power slide on an uphill hairpin!! Actually there was quite a bit of leaves FWIW but STILL!!) After I started breathing again I literally stopped and started clapping (no one was watching so it was OK )

Man, modding this bike is gonna be a blast . . .

[strider80]

That's what I call, "press your nuts on the tank!"

[kdennan]