Honda VT750 Shadow NIGHTMARE Diagnosis PART 2 - SOLVED
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- Опубликовано: 23 мар 2023
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In this video I wanted to let you in on what it looks like to go through a little more challenging diagnosis when it comes to a slightly modified carbureted bike.
When dealing with bikes over 10 years old there are many factors that can come into play when trying to pinpoint a problem. Especially when so many people have had their hands on the bike.
Is it carb related? Has it been jetted properly for the modifications? Is the ignition system failing us and giving us mixed signals?
Let's find out!
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I have been a troubleshooter in my profession for 35 years and I work the same way. Start with any obvious problems, then deal with any other possibilities one at a time. The key to repair is to not only fix the problem but fix the reason it became a problem.
Awesome job fixing that bike!
You had a changed exhaust. That will change jetting. Air intake changes will require jetting modification. To engineer these changes, you must start with manufacturing recommendations
No cop out! Using the tools you were given.More please.
Taking care of the other issues also wasn't a waste of time. They were problems that needed to be fixed anyway which will make the bike even better all while taking care of the actual problem. Nice job
My thoughts exactly^^^ ; >)
I agree! 👌🏻
Even if it’s not my current problem I always learn from your content thank you
you are amazing and this was an amazing couple videos! I feel like you have instilled the confidence in me to fix my shadow that is suffering from sitting for over a year and now running rough and after firing. Thank you for your dedication!
This is why I still prefer to use the less-than-cool factory airbox. Especially as I ride an inline 4 - pod filters mean the inner cylinders get less air than the outer cylinders, making jetting a nightmare
I have the same bike.. I shimmed my needles and fixed it.
Really enjoyed this 2 part series. Looks like something I’d ran across before. Love the ingenious solution too.
I think you just helped me with the exact same issue... My bike ran fine with a piece of plastic as a make shift air filter and then when I installed my new air filter I ran into this issue.
I had an old Kawasaki 454 that was real sensitive to the air restriction changes with the carburetor. It took me forever to finally figure out how to get that thing to purr but it ran well by the time I finally sold it to get another bike. I'm of the opinion that the manufacturer knows what they're doing and we should probably quit messing around with it in the name of performance in most cases.
I recently purchased a vtx 1800 with one of those dumb cone filters. It had a litany of basic maintenance issues/neglect but that was one of the first things to go. I went back to the stock airbox and deleted the PAIR system in order to clean everything up. Other than the sludge buildup inside the engine (previous owner didn't believe in oil changes i guess), it runs beautifully now. It drinks gas which I understand to be normal for these bikes. Engine sludge is slowly being cleaned out with each oil change. Not sure if I should do an engine flush for the sludge or let it continue to slowly clean itself with new oil. Between the valve adjustment, spark plug change, and clutch replacement, I could tell the inside of the engine was incredibly dirty.
Just keep the oil changes consistent and you will continue to enjoy it 👌🏻
Great bikes
i have a kawasaki Vulcan 500, basically a bored out version of the 454. i can attest how finicky they are to air changes. i took my airbox out and replaced both carbs with velocity stacks about 2 years ago, just for ease of maintenance. it comes way easier to pop the carbs out and leave em hanging by the throttle cables to make any minor adjustments and i don't have to wedge everything back together in there with the airbox. had to go from like 108 to 125 on the main and 38 pilot just to get the damn thing to start and run. since no airbox to have that pressure that would allow the carb to suck up the fuel easier, if the bike doesn't want to start i have to cover the stacks with my hands to act as a choke.
Great mini series! An enjoyable watch for sure
Awesome information on these past two videos. I have this same bike but with a open exhaust and velocity stack. I took the carb off 60 times to get it to run right as well. I knew this was going to be an issue being that it’s a “custom” bike. The only thing I would say is if you are willing to buy a bike like that be willing to work on it a crap load! I wouldn’t change anything about it though because this is the reason I bought a bike in the first place. I want to wrench on it and enjoy my work!! Thanks for all the awesome tips for reference!
Did you re jet it? 55 and 150 main
@@Yahkobah sorry for the late response but I’m 148 main and 48 pilot with the mix screw turned out 2 3/4 turns. I’m actually going to go a little bigger this weekend to see if there is a difference in my top end but the bike is running pretty strong with that combo for me.. I’m from Texas by the way, pending on where you are at and elevation will play a part in what you need to do for yours.
not many guys would have kept at it like you did! Great job man! curious as to how much his bill was.
Amazing Video!! Just bought a VT750! Thank you for all the detailed explanation of the full Diagnostics. I now know how complex and serious my Dual Carb fuel system works. 😎👍
...brilliant..!! these diagnostic situations are a killer... excellent mental fortitude - well done..!!
Great video. Lesson. don't modify your bikes. They were designed to run best as per factory design. Great job Cody.
Learning how to do it wrong helps the right way make more sense. No reward without risk.
Um that's so wrong it's not even funny almost all bikes are restricted by emission restrictions don't make blanket statements and if they came perfect we wouldn't have different stages to our jets or exhaust like more air more fuel bigger boom go faster
If you want more power buy a bike with a more powerful engine. That’s what I did over the years.
If you want more power buy a bike with a more powerful engine. That’s what I did over the years.
If you want more power buy a bike with a more powerful engine. That’s what I did over the years.
Great video! This is hands down my favorite RUclips channel for working on motorcycles
That means a lot man! Thanks for spending the time 🤙🏻
Great couple of videos! I have a 1999 VT 750 ACE . I put drag pipes and a dyna-flow jet kit, runs great, big difference. I have one of those pointed air intake things, but I didn't like how it mounted and I didn't want to alter the factory airbox. I hate the look of the factory airbox, but after watching these videos, I'm going to accept what I have and how good it runs verses going through all that to have the pointed one on there. It's too bad they don't offer something better that looks as good as it functions. Thank you for taking the time to help the diy guys!
Several years ago I had the exact same issue with the same intake setup. Bike ran ok prior. Did a jet kit and that intake style that customer had bought. Endless issues only at speed. Tried jetting with no help. Ended up putting a microfiber over the filter as a filter sock and issue would go away. It'd crazy what difference ram air and turbulence has as an effect on carberators. Ended up going to high flow stock style. I like your fix, nice work.
Dude that was awesome ! I had the same problem years ago with a similar intake thingy like that on my Harley and I got to the point that I took it to a shop and they ran it on a dyno and them runs on the machine we’re not cheap, but in the end I had a paperweight and I ended up with a different air cleaner ! They said it wouldn’t flow properly! Love this kinda content ! Keep up the amazing work!
Yes yes yes this was the problem I’ve been trying to figure out ty ty ty ty. God bless you brother.
Another successful hunt Cody. I ran into a similar problem with my 95 GPz1100. I had no intention of modifying the intake box, but there was a little plastic cone with a thin gauze-like filter that just disintegrated via the magic of time. Since the opening to the intake box was the same size I didn't think too much about this until the bike started to experience instable idle, lean conditions and poor overall performance. The cure was to just keep adding 'blocking' tape to the intake air hole until the original factory resistance of the intake screen was replicated.
Always good videos. I've been chasing my tail for a long while on a 4 carb Mikuni VM26SS setup, not being able to get 1 of the carbs to lean out correctly. Turns out some time ago I replaced the pilot jet in that carb with an aftermarket item (Keyster) and it appeared to screw in OK. On closer inspection following your tips on cleaning, I find out that particular jet won't seat all the way down whereas the OEM jets seats correctly. Just a slight difference in thread length, causing that jet to sit about 2 mm higher in socket. All the aftermarket jets, even from different makers, have the same seating issue. So now I have some OEM jets on order. My personal choice.. Buy OEM! Thanks again for all your tips.
I've been fighting this exact issue for a long time on my 02 shadow 750 with the same mods. I haven't road the bike in almost 2 years because of it barely running in the midrange cruising. New jets and adjustable needle. Cleaned the carb and jets spotless. Excited to try this and see if that helps!
Thank you so much for such great videos for newbie bike owner like me to learn about fixing and diagnosing.
This encourages me to start working on my vt600.
I got it from the owner who probably dont even know much about how should the bike run properly.
The bike was a mess when it came to me, it got some bad sputtering on low rpm especially on first and second gears. Talked with mechanic they mostly suggest to work on carb clean. Some how I coincidently get to know a german guy who was working with bikes with 40 years of experience and he became my mechanic mentor. We start working on fixing the issues with the spark plugs, the rear left plug was a bit too loose the front plugs was tightly secure and which I thought it would not be a cause if problem but for f sake, when I screw the front plug out it was nothing left in there it was all rusty that it turn to crispy rusts. Replace the plug and fix the loose one, which reduce the dramatic amount of sputtering but it still present occasionally here and there.
Then I checked on the exhaust pipe it seems like the rear pipe is louder and more aggressive than the front pipe. Which led me to try and working on the rear fuel mixture screw and realize it was way too rich the whole time (4 and a half turns). Now I got the rear pipe working almost identically to the front pipe (since the front fuel mixture screw was hidden behind the air filter, I assume that no one with no carb experience ever touch it before while the rear screw was mess up by the ex owner).
Now both front and rear are working almost identical but there is still problem because the front cylinder has such a low idle rpm, now both cylinder are on the same level of that low idle which in my opinion it seems a bit too lean (bike would not stay up when cold start, and has more noticeable decel pop or may be after fire which I do not know yet with the knowledges I currently have for just owning the bike for 3 weeks. And my mechanic mentor told me that it could be relate to the fact that my bike has open exhaust that cause the pop😅)
Still the problem persist and I am working my way on fixing it but these past 3 weeks was packed with leaning and fixing the bad condition bike.
It's really tough for a newbie biker and mechanic like me. I was actually wanted the bike that I could enjoy riding but instead I got my dream bike but coming with opportunity to learn how to diagnose and fixing the bike myself. Which I think I would never be able to get to learn all of this if I got a new factory made bike and I would end up depending on someone else to fix thing for me and waste tons of my meager salary😂
This is just the beginning of my journey to restore my first beloved bike and to become a mechanic.
Thanks to who ever kept reading my journey until this point. I am really glad to have this bike with me, without it I could missed this great opportunity to be able to learn how to maintaining and restoring such beautiful old bike and building a bond a long the journey😊
Thank you TRULY thank you. I also have a VTX 750 and after doing a couple of things you did… She now runs like a champ. She sat all winter and every chance I did I ran my Harley. Now my Honda is running 100%. Thank you Cody you truly are Da Man.
Well done man!
Great video set. I appreciate the troubleshooting. Keep wrenching ;)
I used compressed air to get that filter out the tank and I’m glad you figured it out was having the same issue and I was running it without a airbox oops
I used a coffee filter to pour out the petrol and separate the junk. Worked just fine. Just took more time since I put the coffee filter in a funnel and the funnel in a jerrycan
A previous video already convinced me to go with the stock air setup on my build. Bullets look cool, but .. they have no air reservoir.
This video just clinched it for me.
Great job usually these open filters make problems with carbs
I have a vt600 that was doing almost exactly the same thing. Thanks Cody! I have a direction to go now. Also I didn't know about that tiny little screen inside the carburetor
Not all carb assemblies have them. Only the ones with the removal needle seats like this one 👌🏻
Well done man! Fantastic work!
Love watching someone that has a clue. Would like to support your channel by buying something from you but I'm in Australia so if we could work something out that would be great
This video is going to help me a lot , thanks
great video .. appreciate your effort 👍🤜🤛 well done buddy
Great Mechanic Diagnosis:)
Hello Sir , I like your Diagnosis , watching from Hinton , Alberta , Canada , I Have one 2006 Honda Shadow Aero 750 cc great Job
great find and an functional if not elegant solution.
Thanks man! Elegant is one way to say it! 😅
Nice job dude.
Thanks bro!
@@TheMotorcycleMD Next time connect choke cable to throttle cable....every time you go WOT problem solved LOL.
Nicely done!
Awesome video brother ! you got a fan ! respect man !
Thanks dude!!!
I felt your frustration. This guy's problem is the exact reason I never change anything from stock. I have four bikes. I bought them because I was happy with their factory designed performance. (Roughly 115 rwhp. I find I cannot use any more than that). And I keep them that way. All my bikes run perfectly. That guy should get rid of that dumb filter.
It was slowly becoming an option 😅
Thanks fore sharing your work
Thanks again for info
Excellent work.
I see so many geniuses drill out their pipes and their bike sounds like crap . They think they did something cool . But what they have literally done was waste the time of the r&d team .
Modifying bikes is great so long as you are aware that one thing leads to another .
That bike had one major issue . Lack of proper maintenance . Besides that , hack job of installation .
Good job !!! I could not have done anything more than clean it . That wouldn't have solved the issue .
Hell yea! Good job!
Really dig your videos MD.
I have a Honda Bros 650 (Hawk). Not sure of the gen exactly, but it's got an aftermarket Yoshimura-,type pipe and pod filters. I recently had the engine rebuilt coz l had to replace the output shaft. Anyhow, the bike has always run really nicely when it runs😅. Lately though, it cuts out at around 5k rpm for a second then pulls again. I messed around with mixture screws a bit coz rear was a bit rich and front a bit lean. Since then the stumble seems to have moved up the range a bit but remains. My mechanic says it might be better with a stock airbox back on. I think the jets are stock but not sure yet. I know it's a bit silly to ask, especially after watching your diagnostic process, but what would your first thought be? I do think the pump is on its way out by the way. Just interested. Cheers
Great videos cody 👍
Facing a total fuel system clean out and carb rebuild due to failing to drain ethanol fuel when the bike sits too long.
Also, wanted to ask if using higher octane rated ethanol fuel is determental to these bikes as they are relatively low compression and the additive used for boosting octane rating is alcohol based. Think I going to see a lot of corrosion throughout the fuel system.
I live beach side in Florida (ultra high humidity) and it's a bitch keeping water out of the fuel and brake fluid.
Thanks again for the video 👍
Wohooooo you got it my man :) Too much air :) Great job bro.
First thank you for the amazing videos. I am a Suzuki guy, but most of your videos are useful whatever the brand. I suppose you could have achieved the result with an ever bigger jet size, but as you mentioned if is already burn the extra fuel correctly it's already more powerful than stock.
My Bandit 1200 has pod filters, and yoshimura slip-on exhaust and it feels like it has been properly adjusted as far as AF mixture. However it's always a sensitive point for any modified (or old carburetor). Do you know of any easy way to assess the AF ratio ? Lambda probes?
Good info! Thanks!
Nice job bro
I never would have thought of that. That's thinking outside the (air) box. Curious though, could the problem have been solved by increasing the main jet? I realize this would have taken even longer.
Eventually yes. I probably would have gone up another 5 - 10 numbers on the mains.
You the number 1 uno 👍
Hey Cody I watched the video and brother you are awesome I felt like I CLD do this but I can't LoL but anyway THANKS a lot you are a great person and wish you were my neighbor Great job great lesson have a great day from the heart I don't bullshit
I honestly run without the fuel pump but after a spring upgrade the throttle response goes back to normal if not better
having been dealing with a related issue on the same bike for a while now what i was hoping to see at the end was a reading of the plugs with those jet sizes to know how the mixture was, especially with 45 pilot jets which on my bike was way too rich to even adjust out with the fuel mixture screws. all my experience is with older air cooled 2-4 cylinders, what color are the plugs supposed to be on newer water cooled bikes, white, tan, somewhere in between???
Out of curiosity, had you checked the float levels? I know they can have an impact on fuel amount, not sure how much though. When you get a jetting kit it tells you to adjust it, but it’s also a little vague on which part of the float you measure. Been thinking about this and wonder if maybe the floats were set way too low, meaning not enough fuel getting in despite thinking it’s jetted super rich?
Hey motorcycle md. Great video. I have one of these exact bikes in my shop right now. Doing something very similar but anything over half throttle and it just falls on its face, pops, and backfires. Roll off the throttle and she burns both holes again. Choke doesn't help when it's acting up. I went thru the carbs and found 1 main jet laying in the bowl. (Thought that was the problem). Put back together, synced carbs, and took for a ride. Problem still exists almost exactly the same as before. Is there a chance this could be spark related?
And this is why I HATE carbs and bikes. I’m so glad to have EFI now.
i love efi too, but i really appreciate the carbureted feel on a bike more than anything. i also love being able to fix my junk with my toolkit that i roll with all the time. efi scares me, i admit, tho i love how reliable they are supposed to be and all the benefits that come with fuel injection
Good video I learned some things for sure. I ride a 2007 Yamaha Royal Star tour deluxe with 71k on it. Luckily it has not had this problem. I have kept the motor stock. The only thing I did was replaced the mufflers with some slip-on megaphones and went LED with the lighting for safety. It has the common decel pop and occasional backfire I'm told is pretty common with these models. I would like to stop that if I could though I don't stress over it.
i have a 05 RSV. that decel popping is caused by the emission control stuff. mine did the same thing so i took all that off and plugged the holes no more popping
@@dennytuma Yeah, I've heard that if you plug the AIS system so it doesn't operate, that stops it. I'm going to have to do that. Great bike though I love it and its given me 71k miles of touring trips and memories.
Good job Cody! We try to stay away from these kind of jobs. As I would guess your "day job" employer would. No to only are they not usually a money maker, but they keep techs from getting 3 other jobs done and out of the shop. Usually a guy who just bought a bike like thinks we can get it running perfect for a couple hundred bucks, or less!! And it still needs two, not cheap tires etc...
Lots of good info in this video for customer to see a little of what it takes to "Just get it running"!
🙌🏻 thanks for dropping in Ted! You’re right!
I have a 2002 Honda Shadow Spirit. Been sitting for a while. Everything seemed to be ready to start it up but then it would not fire. All connections were checked and no loose connections were found. Decided that it is the ECM. The problem is I cannot find a replacement and I do not think Honda is making them anymore. Any suggestions here? Or maybe you know of a place to get another one.
Excellent
LOVE THE CHANNEL. Contacted on ig. I just bought a 99 shadow. Looking for some help with cleaning the carbs. Godspeed.
I just got the air filter. But I'm worry about rain. What will u do if raining ?
Hello, great videos:) I have a 2001 Shadow Ace 750...doesn't run as smooth as I would like. It has 41000 kms. Carb adjustment A/I caps are still on (I will take them off and see how much they are turned) - I know nothing of past Maintenance.
I'm thinking of doing a carb rebuild this winter - I'll also change the carb manifold rubbers/boots. I'll have to bring it into a shop to have the carbs synced.
Q: I want it kept stock...not quite sure what main & Pilot jets are (I was thinking if they are 40...I'll go to 42 Pilot in both, and add a couple of washers on the slide needles.
I was thinking of putting in a 110 Front - 115 R...reasons being Shadow Honda's run lean? Any Advice, please, would be Greatly Appreciated:) Bill
Common cause of running lean - there is a crack or poor fit somewhere in air hoses or airbox. Also, check for holes in carb diaphragms (look against a light source) and float level. The float level is crutial. Even pilot jets are not so important on high throttle. Also, check for fuel supply. If something is clogged, it will lean. Generally, disassembling, cleaning and putting back the carb does big things. Putting larger jets is not a way to tune a stock bike.
I've got a 99 gsxr 600 srad, my idle is really irratic when the engine is cold but fine when upto temperature, also boggy upto 3 or 4 k rpm, any ideas
So familiar..... I went through a similar process with a 1995 ZX600f.
Turned out that the cable to the USB port that I installed, bridged the gap between the coil and the frame. Since "I don't make mistakes", it took me a month to realise that maybe it was the cable that caused it running erratically.
Moved the cable from the coil-standoff, that I used to support it.... problem solved. 🤦♂️ The sheer frustration before though.... 🤪
WOOWWW.
That’s an impressive find there brother.
Well done 🤙🏻
@@TheMotorcycleMD Well... it was the only thing left, so.... yeah, eventually. 🙄
Cheers, bro.👍🏻
I just picked up a 98 vt750 with straight pipes bahaving very similarly! 😅maybe i should put the air cleaner back on? 🤔 🤦♀️ i know the carbs need rebuilding anyway and the fuel system is likely diery afff
been thinking about this video for more then a month and i have to ask, how are you able to get away with 45 pilot jets in that bike, I have same bike, cobra pipes, stock air box so i can ride in rain but have opened the rear air inlet for better airflow and with 43 pilot jets adjusting the fuel mixture screws more then 1/2 turn out causes the bikes idle to start faltering from being too rich so how can that bike run 45's???
The air box on this bike makes the biggest difference man. If you swapped your stock air filter out with a K&N I guarantee you your mixture setting would need to change. 🤙🏻
Interesting! The very first comment you made on the condition of the bike was the huge air intake and filter...and the bike is "really green". I your expertise you noticed immediately immediately the elephant in the room.
😂
Great video. Good job. Enjoy your videos.
you'er #1
How much did you charge him???
It's hard to diagnose a problem with aftermarket intake and exhaust systems because none of the factory settings are going to work so, you have to do all that jet changing so the entire process becomes trial and error.
16:35 Bingo, Bingo, Bingo!!!
If you have a problem on an old bike, bring it back to stock and perform maintenance, not put a million Band-aids on it!
Located in the 757
Yall ever run into moisture impregnated plug wires?
Like corroded plug wires?
Please buy some riding gloves. Excellent, informative video, but the ride parts make me nervous for you. I trust my abilities, as I am sure you do. It’s the rest of traffic that makes me wear gear.
😎🤙
👍🏻
Thank you for sharing your thought processes. I do not want to be taught how to fix a bike. I want to learn all the considerations on how to fix a bike so I can employ them myself. You did exactly that by being candid. Thanks! Dishes are done dude! ;)
I knew those ugly cone filters were no good lol
I have had to do the same thing to ATVs. Install a restrictor plate. It can make ya rack your brain.
So apart from cleaning all the crap out, new standard jets and standard air cleaner would have fixed it👍 I guess the problem with mods is they are mods🤣
BINGO
😎👍😎
Nice ...
With a little fabrication, all intakes are tunable. Lol
😢My bike needs a lot of maintenance, and in Iraq there are no original tools or experts
just say no to knnnnnn filters ,and the sort of ram air
Best thing I ever learned is I don't know ask a expert
new carb isnt but about 200 bucks
ok first off pull off old carb and throw in trash second put on new carb problem solved . you pulled it off like 4 times where you could have just put a new carb and been done
It didn't need a new carb..
@@TheMotorcycleMD sure it did you spent time I wouldn't have paid for pissing off just put a new carb on and problem solved
@@MrChip8970I think your skipping over the entire part that the carb had to be re-jetted to deal with the amount of air coming in.
A new carb… would have had to still be re-jetted. So you would have paid for a new carb in addition to the time spent “pissing off”.
This is why "standard" bikes are usually worth more and sell faster.