View Full Version : Carb icing season starts...
northwind
16-11-06, 08:43 PM
Anyone else getting it yet? I usualyl seem to get it first with the foam filter :roll: Back on the Optimax I go.
on yer bike
16-11-06, 08:48 PM
carbs... what are they?... hehe :twisted:
northwind
16-11-06, 08:59 PM
If I had a bike with SV fuel injection, I'd be keeping quiet about it ;)
independentphoto
16-11-06, 09:45 PM
If I had a bike with SV fuel injection, I'd be keeping quiet about it ;)
......or stick a noisy can on it!
Garry 8)
Duck-man
16-11-06, 10:12 PM
Not yet...but not looking forward to finding out what happens! :(
northwind
16-11-06, 10:17 PM
......or stick a noisy can on it!
Garry 8)
You know, until recently I was under the impression mine was fairly reasonable. But I gather I'm delusional from some of the commetns after the last ride :roll: The twins were louder though.
instigator
17-11-06, 08:39 PM
My sv isn't on the road yet for me to experience it. Didn't have it on my last sv. Seems to strike bikes randomly. Had it on my ninja really bad, had to sell it because of it!
Why not use a fuel additive instead northwind? Silkolene or something something....something...?
not yet.. though I have some FST in the porch.
suicidesam
18-11-06, 12:38 AM
......or stick a noisy can on it!
The twins were louder though.
:lol: 8)
Mine way a bit iffy a couple of weeks ago... was about -3 when i left for work :( just never ran right all the way through, been on opti since an been behaving so far :D
northwind
18-11-06, 07:23 PM
Why not use a fuel additive instead northwind? Silkolene or something something....something...?
Most of the time Optimax does the trick (hopefully the new stuff will be the same) and it's cheaper than Pro FST. 1% is the standard mix, 16 litres means you need 160ml to treat a tank, Pro FST's atround £8 a litre bottle so it's £1.28 a tank, super over regular adds about 7p a litre around here so £1.12 per tank. Also less hassle :) I'll drop in some Pro FST if I'm going to be riding in really bad icing conditions, cold fog etc.
Why not use a fuel additive instead northwind? Silkolene or something something....something...?
Most of the time Optimax does the trick (hopefully the new stuff will be the same) and it's cheaper than Pro FST. 1% is the standard mix, 16 litres means you need 160ml to treat a tank, Pro FST's atround £8 a litre bottle so it's £1.28 a tank, super over regular adds about 7p a litre around here so £1.12 per tank. Also less hassle :) I'll drop in some Pro FST if I'm going to be riding in really bad icing conditions, cold fog etc.
yer I worked that out too... so I just keep it for when the weather gets bad.
Devil Biccy
18-11-06, 10:39 PM
Is it really worth adding additives? does it really solve the problem of carb icing???
northwind
18-11-06, 11:31 PM
Is it really worth adding additives? does it really solve the problem of carb icing???
Yup, completely in my experience... With the Pro FST 1% deals with most conditions, I've never had a problem at all when running with 2%, and I've ridden in some pretty ideal carb icing conditions.
I resolved that by breaking some bones that will have to heal during the winter months. By the time I'm well enough it'll be warm again. Clever, eh ;)
northwind
18-11-06, 11:55 PM
I did that 2 years ago... Actually kept my hands warmer than my Pathans, very impressive :) Did I miss something here, what happened?
I did that 2 years ago... Actually kept my hands warmer than my Pathans, very impressive :) Did I miss something here, what happened?
Crashed Tueday before last, broke 2 ribs.
Is it really worth adding additives? does it really solve the problem of carb icing???
Yup, completely in my experience... With the Pro FST 1% deals with most conditions, I've never had a problem at all when running with 2%, and I've ridden in some pretty ideal carb icing conditions.
Another option is re-route warm water flow around the carbs from the rad... but that a bugger to sort.
I think you can also get little electric heated jackets for the carbs... The main problem is trying to increase the temp of the air going in to the carbs from the airbox, so if you can get warm airflow from the engine and rad in then that will help.
Pro FST is easier as it drops the freezin point and unfreezes any air that has dropped its temp.
northwind
19-11-06, 12:39 AM
Crashed Tueday before last, broke 2 ribs.
Sorry to hear that, I must have been actually doing some work that day. How long are you going to be off the bike?
Quack reckons 8-12 weeks.
Coz it's my right side it's a bit painful to exert any force so it's more a case of not being able to repair my bike rather than riding it.
Lucky I got me a desk job ;)
scooby2102
19-11-06, 03:38 PM
The main problem is trying to increase the temp of the air going in to the carbs from the airbox, so if you can get warm airflow from the engine and rad in then that will help.
Spot on Grinch - thats what causes it, fix that problem and your sorted
Dont really think additives are good value, especially in this country since to get petrol to freeze we would need ambient temps of approx -70C :shock:
Siberia - maybe on a bad day, UK - nae chance !
carbs... what are they?... hehe :twisted:
I'm on the Atkins diet as well* :P :lol:
*Not really
on yer bike
19-11-06, 04:09 PM
:winner:
northwind
19-11-06, 04:16 PM
Dont really think additives are good value, especially in this country since to get petrol to freeze we would need ambient temps of approx -70C :shock:
Carb icing isn't caused by low air temperature, but it's made possible by moist cold air... It's caused by the pressure changes in the carb. The venturi raises the air speed without raising the volume, which lowers its pressure and, as per Boyle's Law, the temperature. You don't tend to get carb icing at significant minuses, since there's not enough moisture in the air to do it.
Oh yes, it's also not caused by the petrol freezing.
Dont really think additives are good value, especially in this country since to get petrol to freeze we would need ambient temps of approx -70C :shock:
Carb icing isn't caused by low air temperature, but it's made possible by moist cold air... It's caused by the pressure changes in the carb. The venturi raises the air speed without raising the volume, which lowers its pressure and, as per Boyle's Law, the temperature. You don't tend to get carb icing at significant minuses, since there's not enough moisture in the air to do it.
Oh yes, it's also not caused by the petrol freezing.
I noticed when its foggy at about 3-5 C is when its worse... below that the problem goes away.
netsurfer
06-12-06, 11:10 PM
Its not the petrol that freezes, its the drop in air pressure that allows the moisture in the petrol to condense on the carb venturi which in turn freezes :)
Pete
northwind
07-12-06, 12:34 AM
Welcome to 2 weeks ago :)
It's moisture in the air more than moisture in the petrol- though that's just being picky, did you mean the air/fuel mix?
Welcome to 2 weeks ago :)
It's moisture in the air more than moisture in the petrol- though that's just being picky, did you mean the air/fuel mix?
yep, thats why I notice it more when it gets foggy...
pheasant_hunter
20-12-06, 06:27 PM
...just had a nightmare ride home with what I think was the carbs icing (cutting out at low revs) in some lovely freezing fog. What more could you ask for, can't see anything, bike stalls, rear wheel locks as the roads bloody icy. Bring the summer back! Or just not freezing fog or ice...
I think I'll be filling up on optimax (or whatever it's called) next time and seeing how that runs. Where can I pick up some of those additives? Is carb icing common on the SV?
cheers
Jamie
northwind
20-12-06, 07:02 PM
Sounds like carb icing to me. The additive is a Silkolene thing, you can generally get it from bike dealers that carry the silkolene range. Suzuki and Kawasaki dealers will be better, I reckon, since those 2 have a real history of carb icing.
It's not so much an SV thing, more a carb thing. Some bikes get it worse than others though. SVs get it fairly bad.
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