Curvy running rich.

Hi all

Changed the spark plugs last week and on inspection of the removed plugs there was a light coating of carbon around the tops, from what I remember this indicates that the bike is running rich? It's not completely coated in carbon, but it doesn't look like it should either.

It's also not the easiest bike in the world to start, takes a few blips of the throttle to get it started, you cant start it from cold using the ignition switch alone. Not sure if this is normal or not... but assuming it's not could it be to do with the fact it's running slightly rich?

Not a huge issue at the moment but it's a new bike so just trying to weed out all the little niggling problems!

Bike is an 02 curvy.

Cheers!

[Bibio]

toooo many factors involved to determine running from colour of plugs. for instance short trips, sitting idling, sticky chokes yada yada. good plugs should be a nice tan colour/ritch T biscuit on insulator and light soot round the thread edge

Would it be worth me taking a picture and uploading? It's defo got an abnormal amount of carbon on it but not a huge amount. Been wondering lately if its running rich as can smell petrol quite often, consumption is consistently around 50mpg, A-road/Motorway riding. Not bad but on the lower side from what I've read.

Thought crossed my mind that if it was running slightly rich then wouldn't it be easier to start? Could understand it if it was really running rich and flooding the engine but it's not. Could not even be a problem just me thinking there is! First carbed vehicle I've owned, previous bike was fuel injected and started with a touch of the ignition button.

[Bibio]

since you changed the plugs how do they look now?

BTW i wouldn't go taking plugs in and out as the SV ones are a bit delicate.

50mpg is good going for a curvy.

how much choke are you giving it when cold?

The ones that I took out? Pretty much the same, still fouled at the top.

Fair one, put in some iridium plugs instead can't do any harm

Choke wise the process when cold is ignition on, pull choke fully on, wait for fuel light to go out then press (and hold) the ignition button. If I let go of the switch then it won't start, if I give it a couple of blips with the throttle then it'll start, then fiddle with the choke to get the revs down to roughly 2.5-3k.

One thing I have noticed though is it seems the choke kicks in a bit later, as in I'll blip it and it'll start but when I let the throttle off it'll sit sounding unhappy at just above 1k for a few seconds then rev up to 4k where it should be with the choke on, then can adjust from there.

[Bibio]

might have a sticky choke plungers.

Cheers mate I'll read into it. Expensive/cheap hard/easy to sort?

[Bibio]

never done one but have heard can be a right mare depending on how stuck they are and how burgerd the cheesium screws are.

Brilliant. Just my luck!

Will have a play around with different choke positions for starting actually before I do anything too drastic. Read somewhere that some bikes don't like full choke and I always whack it onto full choke everytime.

Thanks for the help