barn find in the USA

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voyager12
Posts: 12
Joined: 22 Oct 2021, 01:01

barn find in the USA

Post by voyager12 »

Hello gents, picked up a, 1991 550 zephyr , that had been sitting for 9 years. 16,000 miles on the odometer. Lots of work was needed as it had been a very hard ridden and a low maintenance bike... I am down to the last of the main repairs and would like some advice on initial setting. The carbs. were in poor shape, requiring ultrasonic cleaning and all new sealing components . The mixture screw , anti tamper caps had been removed and I could tell the carbs. had been off. Maybe even off and on several times....
So I'm not new to this as my main bike is a 1200 voyager with 120,264 miles on it. Carbs are clean with fuel level checked. But without knowing where the mixture screws were factory set at. I can only guess.
Should I start at 1,1/2 ? What have you all found to be the turns out from lightly seated based on factory setting ?

Thanks, Gene from Jersey
Stereordinary
Posts: 160
Joined: 05 Aug 2020, 16:21
Location: Vancouver Washington USA
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Re: barn find in the USA

Post by Stereordinary »

Hi Gene, welcome! Please post pics of the bike, we love to see them.

As for the turns out of those screws I’m currently sitting at four half turns (or two whole turns depending on how you count them) out on my Zephyr 550. It used to be a five half turns, until recently, I found it had been running too rich. My carbs also had the block off plates removed before I got to it, so I don’t know what the factory setting should be.
A breeze from the west.
hugojose
Posts: 161
Joined: 05 Sep 2017, 00:43

Re: barn find in the USA

Post by hugojose »

It is not written on concrete. Factory settings are about 1 3/4 to 2 1/4 turns out, but they are not set for best mix, instead just enough to pass emissions. At the end you are the one who will decide when it feels right for you.

......yes, start from 1 1/2
voyager12
Posts: 12
Joined: 22 Oct 2021, 01:01

Re: barn find in the USA

Post by voyager12 »

hugojose wrote:It is not written on concrete. Factory settings are about 1 3/4 to 2 1/4 turns out, but they are not set for best mix, instead just enough to pass emissions. At the end you are the one who will decide when it feels right for you.

......yes, start from 1 1/2

Thank you. I am going to try that, as the plugs show that its running rich at some rpm range. I had originally set them at 2 turns out. I made two road tests of 15 miles each back in December , but the fork seal let loose and shot fork oil all over my newly rebuilt brake job. So now after I installed new seals and progressive springs I am ready for a final tune up. Cylinders number 3 and 4 shown wet plugs after starting it up on the choke and not being able to obtain a idle. Now that I have a repair manual I see that my parts guy sold me 8's not the #9 ngk plugs. So I ordered the stock plugs and have taken the tank back off and vacuum gauge's back on. I could be off a bit, only 30 miles on it since its been sitting for 9 years. Getting to the #2 mixture screw seemed impossible , until I removed to cover for the starter and it became quite easy to get to it then. I do have the stock air box and it is a US model. And the richer jets are in #'s 2 and 3. This restore has been a real challenge as the more I looked the more I found. After the initial start up and road test the clutch sounded like it was coming apart. The dampers were shot and hard as a rock. Made up new from stock material on the Water-Jet at where I work and made up new rivets. So I am very close to having a reliable machine. Hope I am not going to have the carb's out again. Draining the bowls into a baby food jar , one at a time shows the exact amount in each, aside from- the first one a bit more from the fuel in the feed manifold. But changing the order of draining proves that each bowl is has the same amount. More to follow on this 6 month on and off again restore.
Thanks again , Gene from Jersey
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