R1 Idle Problem...low RPM issue..

Hey I would really appreciate any help any1 can give on this.... I bought a 2000 R1 with 16,000 Miles on it, it has a full apaphovic (if I spell stuff wrong I am sorry, far from a pro an somewhat a newbie) it didn't want to start when I got it home so my buddie helped me change the spark plugs and sprayed into the carbs a little with carb cleaner and we got her started. Everything seemed fine, rode all day sunday before last, then the wednesday following I rode to work, stopped and got gas (93) and then on the way home it rode like crap and wanted to die at lights. With no throttle at a stop it dies, sounds kinda bad at the lower RPM's but once I get up to speed it seems fine, but I have noticed a slight rattle a maybe a little less performance. Since I thought the gas may have played a role in this, I almost emptied the tank, put new plugs in (fouled out) checked the air filter, sprayed out the carbs, put carb cleaner in a fresh tank (93) from a different gas station. That is pretty much the extent of what I know to do. Also it seems to smell too much like gas when it runs. Can anyone help me out??????? Anything that would help would be great, I bought this as a toy for myself but I can't afford to be spending alot on it on repair bills.

Need to pull the carb's and clean the floats, needles etc... I am sure others could offer more info. Your doing the right things IMO

Well it seems to be running good now, hopefully it keeps running good..... a buddy of mine told me to keep putting in carb cleaning stuff in with the next few fill ups, does that sound right??? Also my bike seems to get hot even though I had it serviced with new fluid at a bike shop, like over 200, is this normal? Maybe mostly at an idle, and the fan doesn't kink on until it gets like 210 or 215 or something. Thanks in advance for your help. These forums are helping me out alot.

Good to hear...:thumbup

did you try simply adjusting the idle knob?

Um......where would that be???? :dundun:

Clutch side of the bike near the bell housing (shift rod inside of that) My bike is an 02 though...

What he said ^^^^

temp sounds right when stopped. Fan should come on around 215-220 and go off around 205. Seems hot to me also but is normal.

use 87 oct in that bike. More power and less money. should be 150-180 on the highway, up to 225 sitting in traffic.

Thx guys.... I have it running good now, but I thought the more octane the gas has the better it would run. Excuse me if thats just retarded. Why would 87 be better? See I put 93 in it from a small gas station and someone told me I might of had bad gas? So I emptied that gas tank, put in the carb cleaner additive stuff, some octane booster crap, then put 93 in it from a busier gas station, put in new plugs, sprayed out the carbs a bit (not taking them off or anything) and its all good now.

I had a similar problem...it was just the fuel filter....check that too...

Thx guys.... I have it running good now, but I thought the more octane the gas has the better it would run. Excuse me if thats just retarded. Why would 87 be better? See I put 93 in it from a small gas station and someone told me I might of had bad gas? So I emptied that gas tank, put in the carb cleaner additive stuff, some octane booster crap, then put 93 in it from a busier gas station, put in new plugs, sprayed out the carbs a bit (not taking them off or anything) and its all good now. You want to run the lowest octane you can without knocking. The higher the octane, the harder it is to ignite. Run good ol 87 in your bike and it will thank you. Tons of info on this on the internet or do a search on this site. Mark 99 R1

only problem with that is it leaves loads of carbon deposits inside your engine and all over the valves, here in the UK i always use shell optimax, i know it wont give me any extra bhp but it keeps the inside sweet! :)

Actually thats not correct. Running more octane than needed PUMP gas will leave more deposits in the engine than lower octane PUMP gas will, so long as it does not knock or ping on the lower octane fuel. A stock motored 98-01 won't knock on 87. The way the fuel is marketed makes it seem like more octane is better, but thats not the case at all. They also make it seem like the higher octane stuff is better for your engine as it has more cleaners in it, but the truth is it has to have more cleaners in it as it will leave more deposits in the engine...lol 87 octane pump gas has more energy content than 91 does, it can make more power than 91, and will when used in an engine that does not kock or ping on 91.

I have also heard the the higher octane gas can contain more ethanol. I know some ppl have been having problems with the ethanol clogging the carbs/jets. Seafoam cleaner is great for this.

never had any problems running the shell v-power on my RSV for a 1yr

Will using a lower octane fuel also help with problems assocciated with a lean fuel mixture? More energy released per combustion = kinda like having more fuel? The reason I ask is that i installed some race baffles and now it's popping like hell on decelleration. I plan on upping the jets or getting a jetting kit, but in the mean time, I'd like to do all I can to minimize the damage that can be caused by a lean mixture....................hmmm, now I'm thinking that using a lower octane may be even worse, because if I'm already running lean, combustion chamber temps are higher, making the fuel more prone to pre-detonation, in which case I will need the knock protection of 91................I don't know, I'm starting to confuse myself

a 99-03 R1 has like 55 degrees of total timing. Thats about 20 more degrees of advance than any other performance motor. That means the head does not burn quickly. The last thing that motor needs is slower burning or harder to ignight fuel. A stock compression 98-03 R1 will not ping on 87. as far as jetting goes I answered that in your other post. changing octane won't help in making the bike leaner or richer in any way you will be able to tell. That does not hold true for some race fuels, but for pump gas it's true. I have run 87 in my 00 r1 since I learned what octane really is and what it's for. I have 53k miles on my bike now. I have drag raced it, trackdayed the hell out of it, took state to state trips on it and wheelied it down the highway for the last 6 years and never not one time have it ever pinged or knocked.

Jay, thanks for all the help, man(referring to other thread, too). You really know your stuff. Looks like I'm going to be saving some money on fuel now! Have you noticed any change in mileage since switching to the 87?

sod it i will just use normal 94/96ron then. you guys only get 87 as your std fuel? our super in the uk is 100ron, well the V-power is, works a charm in my lancia delta integrale which does need it!