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Motorcycle Forum / General / Motorcycles / July 2007Honda Transalp goes to 4k rpm by itself
I noticed that sometimes my Transalp spins up to and stays at around 4000 rpm. That has happened both on first gear and on neutral as well. It looks like if i'm giving the bike gas (allthough i don't even touch the right handle). I have no idea what that is and - most important - if it's normal. I made the bike cease to spin by actually giving it som gas for a short while and then releasing the throttle. The bike has (this far) got back to normal pace of around 1500 rpm. Any comments or suggestions?  SignatureVänligen Konrad --------------------------------------------------- Sleep - thing used by ineffective people as a substitute for coffee Ambition - a poor excuse for not having enough sence to be lazy --------------------------------------------------- "Konrad Viltersten" <tmp1@viltersten.com> writes in alt.motorcycles: >I noticed that sometimes my Transalp spins up to and >stays at around 4000 rpm. That has happened both on [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] >don't even touch the right handle). I have no idea >what that is and - most important - if it's normal. No, it's definitely not normal. Most likely, your throttle cable needs to be replaced. It sounds like it gets stuck sometimes. Mike > "Konrad Viltersten" <t...@viltersten.com> writes in alt.motorcycles: > [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > > Mike Yep, Mike's right...sounds like the throttle/cable/slide all need a good going over to check for wear and "other problems". Chances are it does it in other gears, you just don't notice it because you are under load and cruising at the time. Bike Guy Joe wrote/skrev/kaita/popisal/schreibt : >> "Konrad Viltersten" <t...@viltersten.com> writes >> [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] > Chances are it does it in other gears, you just don't notice it > because you are under load and cruising at the time. That, or just the fact that i only have tried 1st and 2nd gear, since i'm still feeling Honda up. I'll be a quick detour to the store to make them sweat about this, hehe. Thanks for the info. As long as we're on the subject of Transalp and rpm's, i'd like to enquire on the subject of suitable number of such during a normally conditioned drive. I'd like to go around 3000 and then shift it up but by the sound i can tell that it's better to wait until 4k or even 5k and then throw in an higher gear. Now, my expertise on this subject is heavily limited so i really can't tell jack. Just guessing... What do you think? About the shifting, not me knowing jack, hence being ignorant, of course. SignatureVänligen Konrad --------------------------------------------------- Sleep - thing used by ineffective people as a substitute for coffee Ambition - a poor excuse for not having enough sence to be lazy --------------------------------------------------- Konrad Viltersten wrote/skrev/kaita/popisal/schreibt : > Bike Guy Joe wrote/skrev/kaita/popisal/schreibt : >>> "Konrad Viltersten" <t...@viltersten.com> writes [quoted text clipped - 19 lines] > i'd like to enquire on the subject of suitable number of > such during a normally conditioned drive. Boy, i just read myself... Make the above: As long as we're on the subject of Transalp and rpm's, i wonder what's the usual before one's supposed to push in a higher gear. Sorry for the language. Too much of the master thesis work lately. Stupid mathematics... :) SignatureVänligen Konrad the jackassly talking Viking from Sweden --------------------------------------------------- Sleep - thing used by ineffective people as a substitute for coffee Ambition - a poor excuse for not having enough sence to be lazy --------------------------------------------------- "Konrad Viltersten" <tmp1@viltersten.com> writes in alt.motorcycles: >I'd like to go around 3000 and then shift it up but by >the sound i can tell that it's better to wait until 4k or >even 5k and then throw in an higher gear. Now, my Definitely the latter. On most bikes with a displacement of around 600cc it makes sense to keep the engine above 4000revs, to make the engine run smoothly and have enough power. For the Transalp I usually keep it a bit higher. Mike >I'd like to go around 3000 and then shift it up but by >the sound i can tell that it's better to wait until 4k or >even 5k and then throw in an higher gear. That's not some 1932 Harley Davidson you're riding, Konrad, it's a Honda. Hondas have high RPM engines. Modern motorcycle engines have rather small engine displacements, compared to a Harley, so they are designed to safely use a lot of RPM to get the desired horsepower. My old KLR600 will rev up to 8000 RPM and it is perfectly safe to cruise at 8000 RPM for miles and miles. I just need to check the oil daily if I use that much RPM. You can probably ride your Transalp for hours right at the redline. If your Transalp's tachometer goes up to 8000 or 9000 RPM, don't be afraid to shift gears at 6000 or 7000 RPM, once you get the feel of riding the motorcycle. If you're riding around towns and villages where you don't want the engine to make a lot of noise and you don't want to attract the attention of the police, you can short shift at 4000 or 5000 RPM, but, when you're out on the open road, use higher RPM for more acceleration and hill climbing ability. As you familarize yourself with the motorcycle, you will be able to accelerate through the gears quickly, using higher RPM, and barely using the clutch at all for upshifting. When upshifting, I don't even pull the clutch all the way in, it's unnecessary. I just use the clutch to coordinate the RPM drop with my toe moving the shift lever. Before you start shifting at higher RPM, though, you do want to familarize yourself with the brakes and how hard you can use the front brake and how easy it is to lock up the rear wheel by using too much rear brake. And, if you don't know about countersteering, you need to learn that, before you start using all the performance your Honda offers. >I noticed that sometimes my Transalp spins up to and >stays at around 4000 rpm. That has happened both on >first gear and on neutral as well. There are a number of possibilities, starting with the twist grip and the throttle cables. Does the rubber grip interfere with the plastic housing? Is there about 1 millimeter of free play between the cable housing and the cable adjusters? Has the throttle cable been lubricated recently? Does the throttle quadrant on the carburetors (where the cables attach) move freely, snapping back to fully closed? Are there vacuum leaks around the rubber boots where the carburetors are clamped to the engine? Are there any loose vacuum hoses or hose with split ends that leak air? Are the carburetors synchronized? Does the engine sound like it's running on one cylinder and then start running on two cylinders? Is the "choke" still on? Constant vacuum carburetors don't have a choke plate like a car carburetor. They use the throttle butterfly for a choke plate and there is a little valve in the side of the carburetor which allows air to bypass the butterfly and gasoline is sucked directly out of the float bowls. http://www.bikebandit.com/partsbandit/showschematic.asp?dept_id=176761 Item #9 is the starter valve. Has some previous owner tweaked with the idle mixture screws? Item #5 are the idle mixture screws. Turning them counterclockwise makes the idle mixture richer. Most amateur mechanics have NO idea whatever about how to adjust those screws. They think that the idle speed should continue to increase as they turn the screws counterclockwise. They think that the screw controls the only outlet for fuel air mixture at idle speeds. They are wrong. There are three other ports underneath the bottom edge of the throttle butterflies. They are called "transition ports" and their purpose is to provide extra fuel as the rider opens the throttle to accelerate away from a stop. When the amateur mechanic turns the idle mixture screws too far, the mixture becomes too rich, the exhaust sound becomes dull and thudding and the idle speed actually slows down. The amateur mechanic compensates for the slow idle by turning the idle SPEED screw (item #7) clockwise. This opens the throttle butterflies a tiny bit, uncovering the transition ports and causing the idle RPM to hang up at 3000 or 4000 RPM. So, maybe the amateur mechanic turns the idle SPEED screws back down and accepts the fact that the engine is prone to stalling as just the "nature" of the motorcycle. "Albrecht via MotorcycleKB.com" <u33665@uwe> writes in alt.motorcycles: >Has the throttle cable been lubricated recently? Good question, but be careful, many modern throttle cables are teflon coated and must not be lubricated at all. Mike >> I noticed that sometimes my Transalp spins up to and >> stays at around 4000 rpm. That has happened both on >> first gear and on neutral as well. <snip> > Has some previous owner tweaked with the idle mixture screws? > [quoted text clipped - 30 lines] > and accepts the fact that the engine is prone to stalling as just the > "nature" of the motorcycle. Actually, this sounds sort of like what i've experienced. Perhaps that's the problem. Now, how do i bring that info to my mechanic - that's a good question. I'll try to talk to him after his vacation. I'll take it as it's of no danger to have that problem. Just an inconvenience, right? Or should i perhaps wait and not ride the bike at all until somebody competent will take a look at it? SignatureVänligen Konrad --------------------------------------------------- Sleep - thing used by ineffective people as a substitute for coffee Ambition - a poor excuse for not having enough sence to be lazy --------------------------------------------------- >Actually, this sounds sort of like what i've experienced. >Perhaps that's the problem. Now, how do i bring that >info to my mechanic - that's a good question. Tell him that the engine seems to idle too fast under some circumstances? Is this a 600cc Transalp? What year? They weren't imported to the USA except about 1988 and 1989. Marginally rich idle mixture doesn't cause problems until the engine warms up, but you might notice that the engine starts without using the choke when it's cold. That's a major clue that the idle mixture screw has been turned counterclockwise too many turns. >I'll try to talk to him after his vacation. I'll take it as it's of >no danger to have that problem. Just an inconvenience, >right? Or should i perhaps wait and not ride the bike at >all until somebody competent will take a look at it? If you feel that you cannot control the engine RPM, do not ride the motorcycle. When the engine idles too fast, it continues to drive the motorcycle into a turn, and the rider has to ride the brakes to control the speed, or he has to pull in the clutch and hold it while he goes around the turn. This is not good, because the proper way to go around a turn is with a small amount of power driving the rear wheel. You can check some of the other possibilities, like the free play in the throttle cable just by grabbing the outer casing of the cable and trying to move it back and forth where it goes into the twist grip housing or the barrel adjuster in the cable if it has that arrangement. There will be a little knurled thumb nut that you can loosen and then you can adjust the free play and tighten thethumb nut. You can check for vacuum leaks around the carburetor boots by spraying water around the edges while the engine is running. When the water gets sucked into a leak, the engine RPM changes. Vacuum leaks will make the engine idle too fast, but then the engine will sound breathless and wheeze because of the extra air when the RPM is higher. You can also check the choke plungers I mentioned before, to see if they are all the way closed. Check the cable from the choke handle or knob to the plungers to make sure there is no binding. > Konrad Viltersten wrote: > [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > Is this a 600cc Transalp? What year? They weren't > imported to the USA except about 1988 and 1989. It's a 1996 but i don't live in USA. > Marginally rich idle mixture doesn't cause problems until > the engine warms up, but you might notice that the engine > starts without using the choke when it's cold. > That's a major clue that the idle mixture screw has been > turned counterclockwise too many turns. Great!. Thanks for the help. It's greatly appreciated. SignatureVänligen Konrad --------------------------------------------------- Sleep - thing used by ineffective people as a substitute for coffee Ambition - a poor excuse for not having enough sence to be lazy --------------------------------------------------- > > Is this a 600cc Transalp? What year? They weren't > > imported to the USA except about 1988 and 1989. > > It's a 1996 but i don't live in USA. Perhaps you can find Transalp web pages in Swedish, but here are some English language pages that may be interesting. http://www.bikebandit.com/partsbandit/oem-nav.asp?submit_from_stage=4§ion_de pt_id=1&model_dept_mfr=Honda&model_dept_year=1990&model_dept_id=174410 http://www.xs4all.nl/~hanzw/ |
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