Overall, I've got a lot to be happy about with this bike. It's gorgeous, starts on the first kick, is generally reliable and goes like stink. On the other hand, there are a couple of things that are bothering me, and I wonder if they might in any way be related.
First, I'm still getting poor milage. I moved the Mikuni's e-clip up a notch which improved performance and turned the plugs from dark soot to light gray, but still, I'm seeing only around 35 MPG. average (mostly highway).
Second, and more worrisome is its oil consumption. It's high. I didn't think I was burning it, but last weekend when riding with a friend, he commented that when behind me, he smelled burning oil, though he saw no smoke. Sure enough though, after idling a bit and then gunning the throttle, blue smoke emits from the pipes. The previous owner had a top overhaul done a year or so ago (black diamond valves and rings), but had only put a couple of hundred miles on it before I bought it in September, i.e. the bike sat a lot before I came along. I'm thinking that perhaps his break-in was insufficient. I've already put about 1,500 miles on it in the last couple of months, so if it was going to break-in you would have thought it would have done so by now. Also, I don't remember seeing blue smoke when I gunned the throttle in the past. . . Black, yes (because of the rich mixture), but not blue.
I'm also seeing a slight amount of oil in the (belt driven) primary and have ordered the Yamaha PCV valve, hoping to relieve crank case pressure.
Is there a possibility that any of this could be related? Any ideas on what to do about the slight smoking off idle short of pulling the head and barrel?
Thanks, as always
First, I'm still getting poor milage. I moved the Mikuni's e-clip up a notch which improved performance and turned the plugs from dark soot to light gray, but still, I'm seeing only around 35 MPG. average (mostly highway).
Second, and more worrisome is its oil consumption. It's high. I didn't think I was burning it, but last weekend when riding with a friend, he commented that when behind me, he smelled burning oil, though he saw no smoke. Sure enough though, after idling a bit and then gunning the throttle, blue smoke emits from the pipes. The previous owner had a top overhaul done a year or so ago (black diamond valves and rings), but had only put a couple of hundred miles on it before I bought it in September, i.e. the bike sat a lot before I came along. I'm thinking that perhaps his break-in was insufficient. I've already put about 1,500 miles on it in the last couple of months, so if it was going to break-in you would have thought it would have done so by now. Also, I don't remember seeing blue smoke when I gunned the throttle in the past. . . Black, yes (because of the rich mixture), but not blue.
I'm also seeing a slight amount of oil in the (belt driven) primary and have ordered the Yamaha PCV valve, hoping to relieve crank case pressure.
Is there a possibility that any of this could be related? Any ideas on what to do about the slight smoking off idle short of pulling the head and barrel?
Thanks, as always