Sooty exhaust outlet & backfire

[Flyer]

I've owned my 02 1150GS for about a month now. It has 14.7K miles, and a Remus can with no cat. The exhaust outlet is very sooty, which I'd have thought indicates it's running rich. The bike runs fine (except it sometimes backfires on the over-run).

Is it normal for the exhaust to be sooty? If not, how can the mixture be weakened?

What about that backfire on the over-run. Is that normal?

Flyer

 

[Commuter]

Fitting

Did you fit the can and y-piece ( I assume) after purchase? If so, did you adjust the balance and tick over?

I have a 03 Adv with standard can and y-piece and there is plenty of soot after today's run on the inside of pannier. It backfire's on demand reducing speed / revs after pushing hard.

My Old bike with Remus and y-piece give off soot, they do burn oil there is no doubt.

Have you checked / tracked oil consumption? How many miles has the bike donE?

With some more info maybe the rest of the gang can help

 

[Flyer]

Re: Fitting

Did you fit the can and y-piece ( I assume) after purchase? If so, did you adjust the balance and tick over?

Previous owner fitted the can and Y-piece. I've only had the bike a month. I got the original can and the cat with the bike - they are in my garage.

I have a 03 Adv with standard can and y-piece and there is plenty of soot after today's run on the inside of pannier. It backfire's on demand reducing speed / revs after pushing hard.

Sounds like mine!

My Old bike with Remus and y-piece give off soot, they do burn oil there is no doubt.

Have you checked / tracked oil consumption? How many miles has the bike donE?

With some more info maybe the rest of the gang can help

As I said, it's done 14.7 K miles. I've only done a few hundred since I bought it, and it doesn't seem to have used any oil. If the backfire and sooting are normal, I'm happy. The bike appears to run well apart from some very slight surging around 3000 RPM.

Flyer

 

[Mouse]

Backfiring with the throttle closed sometimes indicates a leak in the exhaust system.

 

[Flyer]

Do GSs with cat and standard can get sooty and backfire?

Flyer

 

[Deadskin]

Is it normal for the exhaust to be sooty? If not, how can the mixture be weakened?
What about that backfire on the over-run. Is that normal?

Sounds fine to me, 12k so far no probs
exhaust finally sealed between the end can and y piece
so not too many back fires.

 

[(RIP) Mark Dilloway]

All unleaded exhaust deposits are sooty these days due to the level of benzene-like hydrocarbons in the fuel. Old 4-star was brown/orange deposit by comparison.

If you are old enough you will remember burning benzene in the labs at school. Not so much these days due to the carcinogenic risk. But the smoke is the sootiest of all the hydrocarbons.

 

[Keith Chapman]

Flyer, my 02 1150 on standard can and cat has a sooty exhaust, so I would say "dont worry"

 

[Embee]

Vince,

As you know, I fitted the Remus and Y piece to your bike when I had it. It has 'burbled' on the over-run since the moment it was fitted - part of the character that comes with the exhaust ! I was also very careful to get an air-tight seal around all joints so doubt if there are any air leaks

I always think fuel consumption is a good indicator of an engines well-being, and I continued to get 44 - 48 mpg after fitting, same as before fitting it.

Just read any of the magazine articles on the GS (as I did before spending £450 on the thing), and they all say how dull the std exhaust sounds....

Just as an aside, I also drive a Caterham 7 with a fairly 'free-flowing' exhaust, and it also pops on the over-run, especially after being given a good workout !


Finally, went out on the new machine (not a GS) yesterday, and again had real doubts if I done the right thing by changing. If only the 1200 didn't look like it was made out of soft plastic and scaffolding tubes I would probably still be a GSer.

 

[Flyer]

Thanks guys. It seems there's nothing unusual, and as I said, the bike certainly runs OK. And a few fellow riders have remarked on its 'characterful' exhaust note. And it's iteresting what Mark Dilloway said about modern fuels leaving sooty deposits - my new MX5 also has a sooty exhaust outlet, so that explains that .

Mark (Bamber) - since you're still hanging around here, you must be missing the old girl . Is the new one a tad bland compared to the GS? (my Blackbird certainly was, despite its phenominal performance). I agree with your comments re the 1200. It just doesn't, IMHO, have the 'presence' of the GS, and I thought it looked very 'plasticky'.

How about a GS 1150 Adv for your next bike?

Cheers

Vince

 

[Embee]

Vince, these Honda's are well screwed together, incredibly smooth and do just what they say on the box.

I'm going to be testing this next week with the Pan on a 5 day trip to the S of France. If it won't cruise at 110mph with an open face visor for 2000 miles, its life with me may be limited...!