95 triple...where's the speed?

well, its been about three month of on again...off again riding for me on my 1995 speed triple.

first off let me say that this is one heck of a great looking bike...has that old school, no frills quality to it unlike the newer triples that are out. very utilitarian, blue colar kind of a bike. always gets looks everywhere it goes.

unfortunately, i have been having some problems with the running of the engine and other issues. first off there was a change of chain and sprockets due to the old chain bending a tooth...then there was the replacement of a burnt out coil...most recently, i had to have the head gasket replaced after smoke from the pipes and gummed up plugs alerted me to the problem (as well as the good advice i received via this forum)

now that i have been able to ride for a couple of weeks straight i have noticed that after about 15-30 minutes of riding, i start to lose power...most noticeably in first and second gears. the bike seems to 'stutter' when coming out of a standing start. i have also begun to hear a strange sound, kind of like the sound baseball cards would make when i used to put them in the spokes of my pedal bike as a kid (pff-pff-pff). engine seems to be running quite hot, but i have noticed that whenver i get an oil temp warning light, the fan kicks in, and i lose the light. other stange peculiarites include lack of steady engine reving during start-up with the clutch fully out (shouldnt the engine rev up on the tach upon starting with the choke wide open?) and leaking carbs when the engine is on its stand (have to cut off the flow with the pit-cock)

any idea what the problem could be? i know its a little vague and my descriptions may be a little strange, but thats the best i can do. i learned to ride on an old 1981 honda custom 400 which never gave me a single problem in the five years i had it. the ***** thing would probably run upside down if i wanted it to.

i really love this bike but should it be giving me such fits?

well, its been about three month of on again...off again riding for me on my 1995 speed triple.

first off let me say that this is one heck of a great looking bike...has that old school, no frills quality to it unlike the newer triples that are out. very utilitarian, blue colar kind of a bike. always gets looks everywhere it goes.

unfortunately, i have been having some problems with the running of the engine and other issues. first off there was a change of chain and sprockets due to the old chain bending a tooth...then there was the replacement of a burnt out coil...most recently, i had to have the head gasket replaced after smoke from the pipes and gummed up plugs alerted me to the problem (as well as the good advice i received via this forum)

now that i have been able to ride for a couple of weeks straight i have noticed that after about 15-30 minutes of riding, i start to lose power...most noticeably in first and second gears. the bike seems to 'stutter' when coming out of a standing start. i have also begun to hear a strange sound, kind of like the sound baseball cards would make when i used to put them in the spokes of my pedal bike as a kid (pff-pff-pff). engine seems to be running quite hot, but i have noticed that whenver i get an oil temp warning light, the fan kicks in, and i lose the light. other stange peculiarites include lack of steady engine reving during start-up with the clutch fully out (shouldnt the engine rev up on the tach upon starting with the choke wide open?) and leaking carbs when the engine is on its stand (have to cut off the flow with the pit-cock)

any idea what the problem could be? i know its a little vague and my descriptions may be a little strange, but thats the best i can do. i learned to ride on an old 1981 honda custom 400 which never gave me a single problem in the five years i had it. the ***** thing would probably run upside down if i wanted it to.

i really love this bike but should it be giving me such fits?

[trypcil]

No idea but would imagine she's running hot from fuel Starvation - 'oil warning light' coming on, 'replaced head gasket' - any particulate in the oil, or emulsion under the dip stick? Anyway sort the fuel issue out 1st, try also a general clean up of mating electrical surfaces from the battery thru' to coils, earth and solenoid too. Check thermostat is working - but where is that noise coming from - exhaust or is it mechanical? :hammer:

[trypcil]

No idea but would imagine she's running hot from fuel Starvation - 'oil warning light' coming on, 'replaced head gasket' - any particulate in the oil, or emulsion under the dip stick? Anyway sort the fuel issue out 1st, try also a general clean up of mating electrical surfaces from the battery thru' to coils, earth and solenoid too. Check thermostat is working - but where is that noise coming from - exhaust or is it mechanical? :hammer:

trypcil:

thanks for posting a response. not quite sure what you mean about fuel-starvation (please explain)...would that be a problem with the carbs or something else along the way? have tried using different grades to see if it had any effect, but none noticed as of yet.

i agree with you that the replacement of head-gasket and coil implies that something is causing this engine to run very hot...does the lack of pick-up with choke out have anything to do with this as well?

as far as i can tell the sound i'm hearing is coming from the front of the bike, not the exhaust.

trypcil:

thanks for posting a response. not quite sure what you mean about fuel-starvation (please explain)...would that be a problem with the carbs or something else along the way? have tried using different grades to see if it had any effect, but none noticed as of yet.

i agree with you that the replacement of head-gasket and coil implies that something is causing this engine to run very hot...does the lack of pick-up with choke out have anything to do with this as well?

as far as i can tell the sound i'm hearing is coming from the front of the bike, not the exhaust.

[trypcil]

If your carbs are leaking, fix that. Check that the vent tube from the petcock to top of carbs is not kinked, that'll be a single tube that'll locate to the 'top' of #3 carb, I believe. It is possible that your petcock has failed in some manner, but make sure you are on reserve or run, not prime on the knob, but try starting her with the pet***** on run then try switching to prime see what that does - if positive the issue lies with the petcock - return to run/res if leaving the bike standing.Also try running the bike with the fuel cap open as vapour lock can occur due to a tiny valve inside failing. Use 89 octane gas as that is all that is needed for proper combustion, higher grades will not be beneficial in anyway. If your oil light comes on that seems ominous, regardless of whether the fan comes on. The worst cases scenario is water got into the oil and corrosion of a most unsavoury nature got to places that you don't want it - especially if the bike sat for any period. The coil is a common failure, but temperature with the choke off should be at normal, not hot and she should rev up with the choke on full. Check for air leaks about the rubber spigots to carbs and at airbox. Make sure also that the header pipe is not leaking exhaust gas, that might cause the pdf,pdf,pdf. If none of this works get yourself and the bike to a dealer! Good luck!

[trypcil]

If your carbs are leaking, fix that. Check that the vent tube from the petcock to top of carbs is not kinked, that'll be a single tube that'll locate to the 'top' of #3 carb, I believe. It is possible that your petcock has failed in some manner, but make sure you are on reserve or run, not prime on the knob, but try starting her with the pet***** on run then try switching to prime see what that does - if positive the issue lies with the petcock - return to run/res if leaving the bike standing.Also try running the bike with the fuel cap open as vapour lock can occur due to a tiny valve inside failing. Use 89 octane gas as that is all that is needed for proper combustion, higher grades will not be beneficial in anyway. If your oil light comes on that seems ominous, regardless of whether the fan comes on. The worst cases scenario is water got into the oil and corrosion of a most unsavoury nature got to places that you don't want it - especially if the bike sat for any period. The coil is a common failure, but temperature with the choke off should be at normal, not hot and she should rev up with the choke on full. Check for air leaks about the rubber spigots to carbs and at airbox. Make sure also that the header pipe is not leaking exhaust gas, that might cause the pdf,pdf,pdf. If none of this works get yourself and the bike to a dealer! Good luck!