[scorpian]

Well i have always aimed for getting a slight tan color on all my bike spark-plugs and thats where they run great.So i would have to agree with tikku on this.
A white insulator as per me is just below the optimal setting or rather a little lean.
Attaching a pic i got from the net which should be able to help for all those trying to tune.

[payeng]

Originally Posted by KK RE Lover

Hello Bullet Gurus - I own a standard 500 and have done just about 3500 kms. In the past one month or so, have been hearing a weird knocking kind of noise - may be like a clutter ( something like tak tak tak) when I try to accelerate. This knocking sound appears when I just open the throttle at any speed. I get this when I try to accelerate at 20 KMPH or even at 50 KMPH. It then fades away and when I shift gear and open the throttle again, I get to hear that.

That's NOT Knocking. Knocking is a PINGING sound that is heard at High Engine Revs.

What you are probably stating here is a "Snatchy" Engine.

[fighterace]

Originally Posted by KK RE Lover

Hello Bullet Gurus - I own a standard 500 and have done just about 3500 kms. In the past one month or so, have been hearing a weird knocking kind of noise - may be like a clutter ( something like tak tak tak) when I try to accelerate. This knocking sound appears when I just open the throttle at any speed. I get this when I try to accelerate at 20 KMPH or even at 50 KMPH. It then fades away and when I shift gear and open the throttle again, I get to hear that.



No luck at the authorised service centre as I was told to just keep riding and in fact I was also told that this is very common in Standard 500. Wasn't convincing and reaching to you all to seek your inputs and guidance.

If it is pinging as suggested by many, a richer mixture will help matters. Don't wait to empty the tank, richen the mix and see if it helps. Then fill up the tank to the brim with good fuel and keep adding it as you go. A lot can happen to a new engine in 280 kms.

Alternatively, try adding 1 ml 2t oil per litre of petrol. It sure makes the engine butter smooth.

[KK RE Lover]

Randhawa - sounds very big. Let me see if I need to go down this route.

Originally Posted by swami69

After reading through, i related this sound to the one I had in my old Thunderbird.

Originally Posted by Racer911

If the problem disappears after whatever amount of turns you've made, voila, if not, then turn the screw clockwise again exactly as much as you'd turned Anti clockwise.

Thank you Swami and racer. Will try to change driving habits and may be check the carb setting.

Originally Posted by Crankpin

What kind of running has the bike done? What grade/ make engine oil do you use? Are you using a free-flow exhaust?

Using higher Octane fuel wont help much as the compression ratio of the bullet 500 isn't very high (approx 8~9:1)

I recommend shifting over to a round slide VM28 Mikuni kind of carburetor eventually and up-jetting to 140 mains and about 25~30 size pilots will help correct the lean engine issue.

Crankpin - I also thought of the same thing. Given the low CR in bullet 500 not sure if high octane fuel will help but nevertheless will give it a try. I have ridden 3800 Kms no change to exhaust. As of now RE engine oil only. Thinking of moving to Mitul V300.

Originally Posted by Cool_leo_guy

The Bullet's engine is not a free revving unit. When you are at lower speed and abruptly turn the throttle, the engine sounds like horses galloping on a tin roof or a demented blacksmith on performance enhancing drugs let loose on a metal piece.

This is not a big issue and readjusting the carburettor for a bit richer mix may alleviate the problem. However the best course of action would be to ride it like a Bullet and not a Pulsar, which means gentler throttle inputs and gradual building of speed. After a few thousand more kms on odo, the engine will run smoother. Also try shifting gears at a bit higher rpm and do a bit of rev matching.

One thing for sure, I don't ride it like a Pulsar. Not new to bullets, grew up on a CI for a very long time. I understand how to treat a bullet for it to treat us back well having said that, valid inputs that I shall bear in mind. Guess I have to make the mixture rich. Thanks for your inputs.

[Randhawa]

Originally Posted by KK RE Lover

Randhawa - sounds very big. Let me see if I need to go down this route.

No issues Thats how we learn and thats why we are here on Team-BHP. I would encourage you to try whatever suggestion comes along but be safe not to damage your engine which would be only incase of very very lean mixture and thats about it. If you can't get it running right with the stock carb and not so old bike which does not have any other performance issues except noise then you don't have fuelling issues.

[raja_ys]

Originally Posted by KK RE Lover

Hello Bullet Gurus - I own a standard 500 and have done just about 3500 kms. In the past one month or so, have been hearing a weird knocking kind of noise - may be like a clutter ( something like tak tak tak) when I try to accelerate. This knocking sound appears when I just open the throttle at any speed. I get this when I try to accelerate at 20 KMPH or even at 50 KMPH. It then fades away and when I shift gear and open the throttle again, I get to hear that.



No luck at the authorised service centre as I was told to just keep riding and in fact I was also told that this is very common in Standard 500. Wasn't convincing and reaching to you all to seek your inputs and guidance.

These are common issues with Std 500's as its a great jugaad imperfect bike from RE, I too own a STD 500 2014 model @ 7700kms.

1. Std 500 or any other bullet needs a minimum of 6000kms to settle in.
2. Std 500 comes with a peculiar funny carburetor setting, i.e. if u take a bike to a PUC centre you may be shocked that the bike fails the PUC test. You have to increase the fuel setting to a rich mix with an abnormal increased rpm to pass the test. (Try your bike for PUC test with the workshop settings)
3. The workshop setting is majorly a lean mixture which results in this knocking, try riding the bike in 5th gear at a steady 50-55 kmph and it will start to knock or jerk due to lean setting.

So till you cross 6000kms tune your setting to a slightly richer mix with a higher rpm setting and downgrade gears wherever you feel a load, specially when you are riding regularly in city traffic conditions. Rest its all normal.

[Crankpin]

Originally Posted by tikku.dk

Crankpin, Iam attaching pictures of spark plug that had optimal carburetor settings. Iam only saying this because my splendour is optimally tuned by myself, as i have removed catalytic converter and blocked secondary air injection system and a slight upjet . You will have a clean ceramic tip if you are using a platinum/iridium plug, they tend to remain in white, but the electrode will be in tan brown colour. Hope this helps

To me, that's not optimal. That's lean. You seem to have electrode erosion as well. Anyways, to each his own...just don't starve your engines.

All carburetted engines come lean tuned as I had said earlier to meet highly stringent tailpipe emissions.

Thanks for the info anyways Tikku ji....!

[tikku.dk]

The pictures are collected only from internet, not from my bike. From good old days spark plugs colour for optimal tuning is said as tan brown electode. I can vouch only because mine is of that colour and is tuned by myself. And of factory settings I'm not sure lean or rich , not optimally tuned for sure

[ramvenky74]

May be I'm wrong. somebody can correct me.

I have a RE Himalayan. I have the same issue as what you say.

My logic is that RE's are long stroke motors. So the bike does not like sudden accelerations.

1. Be gentle with you acceleration
2. always shift up after a good speed

These 2 points should help in reducing the clanking noise.

[KK RE Lover]

Originally Posted by raja_ys

These are common issues with Std 500's as its a great jugaad imperfect bike from RE, I too own a STD 500 2014 model @ 7700kms.



1. Std 500 or any other bullet needs a minimum of 6000kms to settle in.

2. Std 500 comes with a peculiar funny carburetor setting, i.e. if u take a bike to a PUC centre you may be shocked that the bike fails the PUC test. You have to increase the fuel setting to a rich mix with an abnormal increased rpm to pass the test. (Try your bike for PUC test with the workshop settings)

3. The workshop setting is majorly a lean mixture which results in this knocking, try riding the bike in 5th gear at a steady 50-55 kmph and it will start to knock or jerk due to lean setting.



So till you cross 6000kms tune your setting to a slightly richer mix with a higher rpm setting and downgrade gears wherever you feel a load, specially when you are riding regularly in city traffic conditions. Rest its all normal.

@raja_ys - thank you so much for those inputs. Probably something that I wanted to hear 🙂. Will change the carb setting and try. I have experienced the jerk that you are talking about. Eagerly looking forward to get past 6k hoping it will all be fine by then.

[KK RE Lover]

Originally Posted by ramvenky74

May be I'm wrong. somebody can correct me.



I have a RE Himalayan. I have the same issue as what you say.



My logic is that RE's are long stroke motors. So the bike does not like sudden accelerations.



1. Be gentle with you acceleration

2. always shift up after a good speed



These 2 points should help in reducing the clanking noise.

At ramvenky74 - have always been doing that. I do not give sudden acceleration. As I said in one of the threads before, I grew up on a CI engine - understand gradual increase in throttle. I'm talking about the noise that I even get when I move from 20 to 30 by gradually increasing acceleration. I follow your 2nd suggestion very religiously though.

Having said that, given yours is Himalayan and being the same issue I guess source is the carb based on all that I have heard on this thread.

[Pontiac]

By any chance is that the tappet sound you are referring to? It could be easily mistaken for knocking and based on the clearance between the push rod and the tappet; the sound could be very weak to very loud. I do not know about the 500, but on the 350, they could be easily adjusted. Just that It needs to be adjusted when cold. I used to do it all the time on the quest to get the slowest idle on the motorcycle.

[Randhawa]

Originally Posted by Pontiac

By any chance is that the tappet sound you are referring to? It could be easily mistaken for knocking and based on the clearance between the push rod and the tappet; the sound could be very weak to very loud. I do not know about the 500, but on the 350, they could be easily adjusted. Just that It needs to be adjusted when cold. I used to do it all the time on the quest to get the slowest idle on the motorcycle.

On UCE the tappets are non adjustable. Only adjustable parts are the cams itself. They can produce a knocking noise but it's different to engine knocking.

[SS80]

I have a similar issue with my Electra 2012, ,55k on odometer. The tappet sound is very loud once the engine heats up and I am not sure if it's alright to continue using it like this. Any advice on what happens if you don't fix this issue on time and also what could be the cost for fixing the same.

[ashwinprakas]

Originally Posted by SS80

I have a similar issue with my Electra 2012, ,55k on odometer. The tappet sound is very loud once the engine heats up and I am not sure if it's alright to continue using it like this. Any advice on what happens if you don't fix this issue on time and also what could be the cost for fixing the same.

If it's a UCE engine then your hydraulic tappets have gone for a toss, get them replaced. No clue about costs but I can guarantee you that labor would be more than the actual cost of the parts. If in an economic pickle you could DIY it, I recall seeing a video of doing it at home a year or two ago on YouTube.

Cheers,
A.P.