High compression piston question

[Madmac]

Hi, I have a 2003 xv1600 that I have completely stripped and rebuilt in the form off a bobber. I have added high compression pistons and a stage 1 head all done by pacific coast star and Patrick Racing. The bike has had starting issues due to what I think is the high compression. During the warm months, the bike has run OK but still needs full choke etc for it to catch and fire up. It is a different story now its winter here in the UK and the colder days are here. She will not turn over fully and stops turning with what feels like the piston at a high compression stage. The strain on the electrics is noticeable with the wire to the motor starting to heat up and on one occasion starting to smoke. You can see the drain on the battery as the clocks on the dash start jumping around. I have replaced the battery with a GYZ20HL type. I have added a Dynatec 3000 electronic box. I have reset tappets 4 times now. I have renewed the decompression solenoid with a new one and can see it functioning with the cover removed. I am running a 42mm mikuni to help it breathe. The exhausts have no baffles in them so the exhaust fumes can exit quickly. At one point the compression was so strong it managed to loosen the main bolt that runs through the centre of the magneto. Am I missing a trick here?

• Do I need a stronger starter motor say one from a xv1900.
• Do I need to replace the battery cables with stronger ones?
• Do I need to play around with the DYNA electronic box.

When the bike does fully turn over and start and she warms up OK she runs well. If I leave it for an hour and go back to her, she will start up ok no bother. If I leave her for a few days, we are back down to the current issue of her not fully turning over to start. Yet in the warm months she is fully OK????? Sorry about the rant but desperate to find a solution.

[davej]

The dyna ignition needs to be set to the "B" settings. Set to 32 B. When I installed HC pistons with my Big Bore I also needed to install a stronger starter I used a thunderfire starter. In colder weather also use a thinner oil don't use 20/50 use something like 10/40. You also need to install heavier cables. The 6 gauge oem cables are barley large enough gauge to handle a stock bike especially when they get old and form a little corrosion under the rubber cover causing high resistance. You need to install 4 gauge cables and the highest CCA battery that you can find. Mine got even harder to start after I installed the high performance cam. that is when I broke down and bought the heavier starter. All issues resolved.

[Madmac]

Hi Dave, Thanks for getting back to me. When I finish work I will remove the Dyna box and check what settings its on and if need be reset to your recommendations. I have a thunder starter motor on the bike but just found out you can get different kw power ones 2.4kw been the highest. I will check what mine is when I get home I have a feeling its 1.4kw if that will make any difference? Yes I am currently using a 20/50 grade oil so will do an oil change to 10/40. Cables I need to find a supplier as waiting for Max Air to let me know when they have the Flame Wires x2 back in stock. I was thinking of installing the high performance cams as I thought this might be the issue with the stock cams. I will review all your suggestions and let you know what happens. Many thanks for sharing this knowledge. Cheers, Mac

[Duke]

Like Dave said, he makes them ready to go, with great quality at a very reasonable price. You will save a lot of $ from him compared to MaxAir. Don't hesitate buying for him.
You need the heavier cables for added amps to the starter. One other thing is to make sure the spoon on the decompression is set correctly. The spoon bends very easily.

[Madmac]

Thanks for the feed back. Looking at ordering a set of cables from Dave. Will also check the spoon and make sure its not bent. Cheers

[davej]

I make and sell upgraded 4 ga cables cables I would have to check shipping cost to the UK but I believe they would be around $80 USD Total shipped to you. No need to pay maxaire high cost. I have a set ready to ship. I would need your shipping info for an exact price. Send me a private message if you are interested. And as for the starter I am using the largest KW that Thunderfire sells for our bikes. When you check your dyna ignition you can also set the RPM to at least 4750 rpm and up to 5000 rpm if you want to, it makes a big difference in performance. I have mine set to 5500 rpm with upgraded valve springs like what you have on yours from Patrick racing.

[Duke]

I found that when starting my bike, setup like yours, is to set the choke to the second click, roll the throttle 3 turns, and while hitting the start button holding the throttle to just off idle my bike would start every time.
Do you have the TPS installed?

I like your 2 into 1 exhaust!

[Madmac]

Hi Duke, Will try your recommendations tonight. I have removed the electric fuel pump and have a pingel fast flow kit onto the mikuni 42mm. I have a TPS mod on the carb. It was supplied by Maxair who added this onto the carb. The pipes have been home made by myself and I have added an side one part muffler that is not shown in the picture. Thanks for your support

[Bikerron]

Have you even pulled the starter and taken a look at the commutator, brushes and their mounts? Might be time for a cleanup and referb. These starters work pretty hard even in a stock engine.

[Madmac]

Hi, will strip the starter motor and check them. Its a fairly new motor so it should be OK but might need a stronger one? cheers

[davej]

Madmac message returned and also sent you an email