Post by wayne on Nov 19, 2010 17:02:26 GMT -5
Had a interesting experience the other day. My RE5 spent 19 years in storage and I started it roughly every one or two years. Every start was a drama, couple of batteries, plug in and out etcetera. I’ve heard this from many owners and had all the same symptoms. Once I got it back on the road and started to get the tuning right, I found that even after 2 or 3 months, it would start okay and was beginning to wonder if now that I’d got it running well, the long lay up start horrors were over.
It came back from a museum where it’s been on display for 4 years. I changed only the fluids, returned the air filter and put back on the muffler cones- ie, exactly how it was when I last rode it (except that I fitted one of Jess’ new metering pump check valves). It was regularly turned over by hand whilst in the museum (I asked them to do this for me) but this was the first start in 4 years. I used 1:100 GTX in the fuel as a “just in case” and hit the starter button after priming with the petcock. It started instantly, and I really mean instantly.
I took it for a short ride and was very pleased to find it exactly as it was when it left. Absolutely no hesitation or flat spot whatsoever. This surprised me. I was sure that “IT” would be back. I’ll still try a 92.5 or 90 jet to see if it gives me flexibility with air filters etc. And just to put a reality check on it, it took me years to get rid of that hesitation in the first place.
This confirms what I have believed for a while now and echoes something that Jess Stockwell at Rotary Recycle has been saying for a long time. Seems that he was right. A correctly tuned and set up RE5 should start and run as easily as any other bike. And correctly set up with the standard jetting, there is no hesitation or flat spot.
Once running I flushed the radiator and did a metering pump check. Obviously the new check valve is allowing oil to flow as the check was spot on. I had noted that the spring weight in the new valve seems quite a bit stronger than the old. But it works fine.
Wayne
It came back from a museum where it’s been on display for 4 years. I changed only the fluids, returned the air filter and put back on the muffler cones- ie, exactly how it was when I last rode it (except that I fitted one of Jess’ new metering pump check valves). It was regularly turned over by hand whilst in the museum (I asked them to do this for me) but this was the first start in 4 years. I used 1:100 GTX in the fuel as a “just in case” and hit the starter button after priming with the petcock. It started instantly, and I really mean instantly.
I took it for a short ride and was very pleased to find it exactly as it was when it left. Absolutely no hesitation or flat spot whatsoever. This surprised me. I was sure that “IT” would be back. I’ll still try a 92.5 or 90 jet to see if it gives me flexibility with air filters etc. And just to put a reality check on it, it took me years to get rid of that hesitation in the first place.
This confirms what I have believed for a while now and echoes something that Jess Stockwell at Rotary Recycle has been saying for a long time. Seems that he was right. A correctly tuned and set up RE5 should start and run as easily as any other bike. And correctly set up with the standard jetting, there is no hesitation or flat spot.
Once running I flushed the radiator and did a metering pump check. Obviously the new check valve is allowing oil to flow as the check was spot on. I had noted that the spring weight in the new valve seems quite a bit stronger than the old. But it works fine.
Wayne
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