[bikeaholic]

ok fellas,how bout a little input?

what tire pressures are you running on the 1600classic?

mfg owner manual says-28psi front/36psi rear
tire says-41psi front/41psi rear
shop manual says-36psi front/36psi rear
drive shaft sticker says-28psi front/36psi rear
stealer says-34psi front/36psi rear

which one do you use? of have you found your own combination?
after playing with pressures-i found my combo :wink:

 

[x-wing]

So....... you want us to beg???? :wink:

Hey, bike, I finally rolled up 580 miles and will be doing the once over this weekend. While we were riding today, I noticed that the front shift lever was jiggling around a little. We stopped to check it and found that the bolt was not loose! I didn't look at it this evening, but will be taking it apart to see why the lever is loose when the bolt is tight :shock:

 

[RampRat 2]

Have not played with it at all. I'm still learnin all her quirks & don't want to throw a change of air pressure into the mix.

I'm just running what the dealer had in it & it seems like it's 34/36 but not 100% sure

Guess I better check it out tomorrow eh :idea: :idea:

 

[bikeaholic]

re

allright you two-you're gonna demerits for riding around not knowing what your tire pressure
is :lol:

i'm stll trying to figure out why so many different recomendations from the factory

right now i'm running 34f/36r and i seem to like it best-so rat is running the same

x-mine goes in friday for the service also at 605 miles-have had no loose bolts or anything
i may need some fuel adjustment though-i think my starter spins just a little too long before the bike actually fires-not excessive but i expect f/i to fire nearly instantly-my carbed bikes
will fire quicker than the 1600 :roll:

 

[RampRat 2]

Re: re

Can I have a spanking :? :? :?

My bike also seems to spin longer than I'm accustomed to. Really thought it would fire right up, but it takes somewhere around 4-6 seconds of spinning before she fires up. I was wondering if it has something to do with the fuel system & it takes that long for the fuel to become pressurized & hit the TBI.

allright you two-you're gonna demerits for riding around not knowing what your tire pressure
is :lol:

i'm stll trying to figure out why so many different recomendations from the factory

right now i'm running 34f/36r and i seem to like it best-so rat is running the same

x-mine goes in friday for the service also at 605 miles-have had no loose bolts or anything
i may need some fuel adjustment though-i think my starter spins just a little too long before the bike actually fires-not excessive but i expect f/i to fire nearly instantly-my carbed bikes
will fire quicker than the 1600 :roll:

 

[bikeaholic]

re

i'll know in the morning-she's in the shop now and so far everything is fine

what i do is - if it don't fire on the first attempt i don't let the starter spin till it does fire
i let off - and hit the starter a 2nd time and BAM - it rumbles to life instantly

you could very well be right about the fuel pressure-i don't know how well these things
hold fuel pressure .

my idle was a bit too low(750)so we bumped it up to 900 and will see if that helps
i can always back it down :wink:

 

[omega5]

Bikaholic, I've tried every combination I can think of and 32f/36r works best for me. Dealer recommended 34/36 but in gravel the front tire wanted to travel on me. We have a lot a gravel roads in rural E. TN.
:wink:

 

[bikeaholic]

re

yup-i think thats the ticket :wink:

 

[BigBeaver56]

My reply isn't about tire pressures, but since engine cranking time was discussed here, I'll add my two cents worth. I don't see where RampRat is from but I see bikeaholic is from Pensacola, Fl. This is important because any fuel system that relies on a choke will have different starting characteristics than a fuel injected system that does not. I live in central florida and my '03 1600 starts in just about one second, hot or cold. If it is very damp she may stall after the first firing, and continue running on the second push of the starter button. I have not used the throttle or the choke as yet. She has just over 600 miles on her and is beginning to "loosen up" just fine. By the time I unlock her forks, remove her rotor lock, and get my helmet on, she is warmed enough to back her out of my garage and go touring.
I believe the reason a choke is sometimes necessary for this fuel injection system is because it is a side draft system. Since the air/fuel mixture naturally wants to fall straight down, a choke is sometimes necessary to aid atomization in order for the engine to start. The colder and damper the climate, the more necessary a choke is. This will cause longer starting time. Kawasaki says you should never crank your starter for more than 5 seconds continuosly. As long as your scooter is under warranty, I would have the dealer check it. Good Luck

 

[RampRat 2]

Still ain't sat down & played with my air pressure

I live at just a tad over 6,000feet ASL in Wyoming. She does not want to run at all cold & while she will fire up quicker now (think it's just a break in thing) I need to let her iddle for at least one min or longer, otherwise she will stall out & then be a bitch to restart.

 

[bikeaholic]

re

hmm-6000ft - have you pulled a plug to see if its rich?

 

[RampRat 2]

Re: re

hmm-6000ft - have you pulled a plug to see if its rich?

Not yet, she's going in for her 600mile makeover next week & I'll let the dealer do his thing before I start dorking around :lol:

Also need to call them & order a 21" Memphis Fats, it's a tad more expensive than over the net, but they will install it for free when doing the 600 mile service 8) 8) 8) 8)

 

[bikeaholic]

re

post if you can whether or not the plugs look rich after the service

i be interested to know if at that altitude its not starting quick because
it needs more air :wink:

 

[RampRat 2]

Re: re

post if you can whether or not the plugs look rich after the service

i be interested to know if at that altitude its not starting quick because
it needs more air :wink:

No problem!

Living at such a altitude is just another reason I want to open up the intake & exhaust. It's got to help her breath over stock.

 

[BigBeaver56]

This is in reply to both RampRat and bikeaholic. Your fuel injection compensates nicely for the altitude. At 6000 ft it never really gets warm enough to suit me. That is why you have a choke, even with the fuel
injection. Leaving the choke partly out while the engine warms up will take care of that situation. Your engine also has a manual idle knob that
protrudes slightly under the lower left (corner) of the right air delivery
cover. You may need to adjust it slightly up for your climate. There is a
reference to it in your owners manual. Your intake system and exhaust system are calibrated for your fuel injection system. Any modifications to either may compound your problem and void your warranty. Any system wide change should include computer calibration (mapping) changes as well. If you are able to initially start your engine inside a garage, it will
shorten warm up time. Of course after you arrive somewhere and it cools down is another story.
I personally believe that every owner of such a electronically sophisticated vehicle should purchase a factory shop manual and try to be familiar with as much as possible, if nothing more that knowing the terminology associated with their machine. Even if you own the manual
and need to have someone unfamiliar work on the bike, they will be much farther ahead.
Since I do all my own repairs, the manual is essential to me. I took delivery of my manual before my 1600 Cruiser was delivered to me. (I had just come off a total knee replacement and could not get my right foot on the rear brake pedal yet. The leg is getting stronger, though and
I can ride her with ease.

 

[RampRat 2]

BigBeav, what exactly do you mean it never get's warm enough to suit you? My fan runs quite a bit in stop & go traffic & while we don't have a temp gauge the motor actually feels rather hot when the fan is running. Heck, the fan even runs for a min or two after shutting off the bike. 1st time this happened I thought something was wrong, but the fan keeps running till the core temp drops enough (or so I was told)

Have never used the choke or adjusted the idle knob. The bike idles nicely & without a tach I can't reasonably adjust it.

From what I understand I can change pipes & the Fi will be able to compansate but once the air intake is changed I'll need to get a "brain box" as the stock computer ain't smart enough.

I'm also planning on getting a shop manual so I know what I'm talking about instead of looking like a stupid twit :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[RampRat 2]

BigBeav, what exactly do you mean it never get's warm enough to suit you? My fan runs quite a bit in stop & go traffic & while we don't have a temp gauge the motor actually feels rather hot when the fan is running. Heck, the fan even runs for a min or two after shutting off the bike when it's hot out or I've been doing lots of stop & go ridding. 1st time this happened I thought something was wrong, but the fan keeps running till the core temp drops enough (or so I was told)

Have never used the choke or adjusted the idle knob. The bike idles nicely & without a tach I can't reasonably adjust it.

From what I understand I can change pipes & the Fi will be able to compansate but once the air intake is changed I'll need to get a "brain box" as the stock computer ain't smart enough.

I'm also planning on getting a shop manual so I know what I'm talking about instead of looking like a stupid twit :lol: :lol: :lol

 

[BigBeaver56]

Hello, RampRat. BigBeaver56 here. What I meant about 6000 ft elevation was that my body doesn't like it. After 52 or so operations, cold weather and I don't get along good for long. Also, naturally aspirated engines (carbureted and throttle body fuel injected enlines) don't really like cold weather either. At sea level a mininum temperature of 140 degrees F is required to atomize the fuel/air mixture correctly. Enter the consideration of federally mandated emmissions and the minimum temp jumps up to 95 degrees F. Your engine is a water cooled thermostatically controlled unit. That means it must run at a minimum temperature to keep the thermostat open and allow collant to run through your engine. Whenever your engine is first turned off, the water temperature rises a
few degrees because it is no longer being circulated. That is why the fan will come on after you shut it off. Your system is designed to do this. If your engine has cooled off, but not become cold, you will be able to restart and run more quickly than if completely cold. :lol: :roll:

 

[RampRat 2]

Thanks for clearing things up, sometimes I think I'm looking at the bike & how it operates thrugh a muddy glass!!!! My body ain't the biggest fan of cold weather either, but we came here from North Dakota & it's way colder up there :shock: :shock: :lol:

 

[ipscshooter]

This is in reply to both RampRat and bikeaholic. Your fuel injection compensates nicely for the altitude.

Leaving the choke partly out while the engine warms up will take care of that situation.

Big Beaver56

The manual agrees with your assesment of FI compensating for altitude and does recommend using the choke if experiencing hard starting at altidude or low temperatures. However, either the owners or service manual states that you should pull the knob all the way out. That there is no in between position. I really don't know for sure, since it's pretty warm here and we are only 1000 ft or so, I have never used it.