Map - I found out carb icing was to blame . . .

[Gracie Jones]

Someone finally explained to me the other day how it was that carb icing resulted in the engine firing on only two cylinders.

For most this is obvious, but I could not work out why it happened, so for Map, and anyone else - here is the explanation which explains (?) the exact symptoms we were suffering from in February when it was freezing.

The cold weather means moisture particles in the air freeze - this happens in the Carbs. The effect is that the mixture of fuel and air now contains some ice which prevents combustion.

Now, the reason some cyclinders fire and others don't is because their positioning on the bike exposes them to different temperatures, which is why on twins that get carb icing, it is obvious that the same cylinder doesn't fire when affected by it.

This also explains why it wears off after 10-15 minutes of riding - as the bike warms up, it counteracts the cold and stops the moisture in the air from freezing. Also, this is why stopping for 5 minutes also helps - the heat of the bike warms the air . . .

Problems can occur with carb icing, as when the petrol does not ignite it just sits there, which eats away at the oil in the cylinder which normally the petrol doesn't touch because it explodes so quickly after entering the chamber.

Hope that is a) correct and b) useful.

Best,

Luke

[cagiva gezzer]

About aircraft, but is the best article i've found
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"because one stroke isnt enough and four strokes waste two"

[Kickstart]

[map]

[bish777]

redex 4 star stuff works well.

Carb icing is a serious problem for me, running pod filters lol.
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GSXR1100J