Headers glowing red hot

goodfornothing

goodfornothing

Spicey!
So I got the 450 running and after a while I can see through the wrap that the headers are glowing a bit in the middle portion. I understand that this is due to running lean, but my problem is, what could be causing it?

Would I have to re-jet? Re-adjust my timing? Any and all advice would help. Thanks in advance!
 
yeah, seems really hot... not running a turbo are you?

timing won't cause a fuel/air problem, that's in your carbs, and depending on where it's getting hot, determines what needs fixing. i'm not a carb expert, but you could start with the main jet, upping the size, seeing how it performs at full throttle, and keep adjusting until it does right, i think the needle height determines mixture about 3/4 to 1/2 throttle open, pilot jet below that, and idle screw for ... idle

i'm tuning in my 360 now, and starting with the main jet, and will be more or less working back that way
 
Correct me if I'm wrong but wouldn't delayed timing cause the fuel to burn in the exhausts?

Thanks for the advice Rockcity, how would one adjust the needle height?
 
Unfortunately the needle height on the 450 carbs can't be adjusted. Are you running pod filters and straight throug exhaust? What main jets are you running now 130, 140?
 
Gage, I'm running pods and straight exhaust as well with the homemade copper baffles packed with steel wool. I believe the stock main jets are 145. If I up the mains, does that mean I have to up the jet (the tube looking one) that goes inside before screwing in the flat main jet?

Twisted, I haven't heard backfiring yet, so maybe that's a good sign?
 
What colour are your spark plugs? Post up a pic.

Also, if the needles don't have clips to adjust the height you can shim them up with washers.
 
My plugs were kind of black and sooty when I checked them but that could have been so when it was running stock. I wiped them off so I'll be able to check them tomorrow.

My bike is super vibraty when I apply full throttle. Does that made a difference?
 
No room for adjustment with the needle on the 450 carbs. No place to even shim it. The only way to make needle adjustments is to have them turned down on a lathe (not recomended). I went with 499cc kit in my 450 and was running straight through exhaust w/ k&n filters. I had to bump up to 150 jets from a factory 130 jet. Best bet is to check your plug after five minutes at idle (use a fan to keep your engine cool). If that checks out ok then your slow jet should be fine. Next do a speed run. Get your bike up to full throttle (or close if you're worried) and without dropping rpm's hit the kill switch on your bike and pull in the clutch. Pull off to the side of the road and check your plugs again. If they look white their lean if their black you're rich, if their tan you're golden. That will tell you if your main jets need to go up or down. You don't need to up the needle jet (the tube looking one). Could your home made baffle be too restrictive?
 
I agree with Gage. Do the plug checks. That should tell you if you are running lean.

It might have been getting too hot because you weren't moving and were revving it up. Also, isn't the idea behind wrapping the pipes to keep the heat in them? Maybe that contributed to it. You can always try taking the baffles out and see if that changes anything. I don't think these 450s run to well with straight pipes though.
 
Thank you guys!

And Mike, that makes a lot of sense. I didn't have the chance to get the bike moving at all so it probably didn't have time to cool. Also the wraps are new so they haven't been "burned" yet, and maybe that is contributing to the red pipes?

Gage, how would a restrictive pipe cause the glowing red effect? Is it because not enough exhaust is escaping and in turn is heating up the pipe even more? I'm going to remove some steel wool that I packed the baffled on and maybe add a few holes as well. I'll check the plugs too.

Thanks for advice guys!
 
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