To start off I must advise that I'm not much of a mechanic. I don't understand exactly how an engine works, but I'm not an idiot when it comes to working on things. So, forgive my lack of knowledge when it comes to explaining the mechanical issues. Ok, I'm nearing my 1500km service, and was riding tonight. The temps are the high 60's and I started the Ural cold. She was making some noises, kind of caughing on the rights side of engine. i've heard this before and it usually stops onces she's good and warmed up. It was dark out and as i looked down i noticed the exhaust pipe on the right side of the engine, right where it connect to the engine was glowing "red hot." I stopped my ride and returned to my garage. What should i be worried about? Is this common? What should I tell the shop when I bring her in?
That means that particular cylinder is running lean. Check the rubber intake fittings to make sure you don't have a leak.
It is perfectly normal for them to glow, but if one is significantly brighter then check the carb fittings as aero engineer suggested. I Suspect that once you do the service it will go back to normal. "coughing" when cold can be solved with some simple carb adjustments.
Thanks guys, I love that I can get some answers to my noob questions here. I'll take a look at the fittings and see if I can find a leak. If i can't get it fixed on my own, is it going to do any damage to ride it to the shop? About 45 minute ride.
D'oh, that sucks that you're already having issues. I have torque wrenches, jacks, a twinmax, and misc. tools. I'm SOooooo not a mechanic it's not even funny (I'm a tech geek), but I'm more than happy to lend a hand and/or tools if you need, as I'm fairly local. Hit me up on PM if you need anything. P.s. Not sure if it works on a dual carb bike, but on cars you can spray starter fluid around your suspected leak area and see if the RPM's go up.
Yes it does, but use the little straw in the nozzle so you can pinpoint where you spray and DO IT OUTSIDE WITH A FIRE EXTINGUISHER AT HAND!!!!! :eek1
I know nothing about Urals, but running too lean can burn a hole in a piston. Pull your spark plug and look for adhesive boiling out of the porcelain around the center electrode. If your plug has been running "white hot" and you can see anything bubbling out of there, I would be concerned.
You shouldn't need to take it to a shop for an issue this simple. It is more than likely a vacuum leak before the carb causing a leaned condition in that cylinder. These bikes do require a bit of attention, but they are very simple to work on. I have no doubt you'll find and remedy the situation very quickly.
Make sure your throttle cables are seated at their ends at the splitter and also at the carb. Sometimes one gets out of its spot! Also make sure your spark plug connectors are on ALL the way. I had one that went on hard - thought it was on and was not.
We had a situation like this recently, with a customers bike. The problem eventually traced to a leaking float valve on the suspect side, causing that side to run rich (and consequently erratic) at lower speeds, and also causing the exhaust to get hotter than normal on that side..
