Intruder 1400 idle problems

[Paul wkd]

When I tried to adjust the idle using the adjuster by the back carb the idle went to 950 but then got erratic and was going up and down from 950 to 550

[Paul wkd]

Ok so yesterday I retested everything with my neighbor who is a retired mechanic.
The battery is good ,all connections are clean and tight .
It has 12.63 v at idle and 14.32 when being revved
All connections to rectifier are good .
Rear coil is reading 4.1and 20.6
However the front coil is 4.2 and had problems with the second reading sometimes no reading then various numbers from 11-15 ,
We noticed the inside of the plug cap was corroded and the cap was a little loose .
Took a direct measurement from the end of the cable and it was 11.
Ordered a new lead and cap to see if that helps if not ,
Will replace the coil

[hillsy v2]

12.63v at idle is too low - maybe bump up your idle speed?

You should be at around 13.5v

[navigator]

You can unscrew the plug cap from the end of the plug wire.
Trim off 1/8" to 1/4" of cable and screw it back on for a better connection.

Did you have the battery load tested?
A bad battery will cause a lot of issues that appear to be carb related.

[Paul wkd]

So I took your advice navigator,
I trimmed the wire back and fitted the new cap , seems much better.
The battery is reading 12.63 when the bike is off , 14.36 when idling and when revved makes no difference,

[hillsy v2]

The battery is reading 12.63 when the bike is off , 14.36 when idling and when revved makes no difference,

OK that's "kinda" good. But you should see a voltage increase when the bike is revved so this might be a wiring issue. Check the connectors from the stator are good....and all the grounds.

[Designer]

So I took your advice navigator, I trimmed the wire back and fitted the new cap , seems much better.

Good Work. Glad this suggested Easy Fix made the difference.

.........The battery is reading 12.63 when the bike is off , 14.36 when idling and when revved makes no difference,

There's a fairly good chance one or more of the three Metal Terminals within the Plastic Connector of the Yellow Stator Wires has either worked loose from the plastic, or are oxidized/dirty. Often the added resistance of lack-of-full-connection and or dirty will cause your symptom and even melt the plastic!

[Paul wkd]

Thanks designer ,
I will check that next .
I appear to have a short circuit in the turn signals somewhere in the headlight bowl ,
Maybe that was causing the backfire when using the turn signals

[navigator]

A common place for turn signal failure is before the headlight bucket. The wires from the tank area go around the steering neck where the constant flexing causes failure.

[Lechy]

This is what can happen to the connector for the 3 yellow wires. I soldered the wires to avoid the high resistance caused by the connector.



I had another problem years ago with the bike running like crap. Went through just about everything that could cause it. After loads of work and scratching me a big old bald patch I found that the battery earth cable, whilst looking in good condition, was stiff for about 2 inches before the battery lug. After fabricating and fitting a new cable with soldered ends the problem went away. On inspection of the old cable I found that the copper strands had de-natured due to heat caused by a high resistance thereby impeding the flow of power to the system.

[Herb]

I had that happen on my 99, but when it happened it also burned out one leg of the stator.

[Paul wkd]

Wow that’s pretty horrific,
I just went through all the connections for the rectifier and stator,
They are all in tact , clean and no issues,
I took the battery out cleaned all the terminals smeerde all the connections with Vaseline ,
Now it’s showing 13.6 at idle which is an improvement,
I have also isolated the short circuit to inside the headlight bowl and will go through the wires and replace as necessary
Again thanks for all the help

[hillsy v2]

Good to hear you found the problems

[Paul wkd]

Which petrol is best to use , I have heard conflicting reports,
I filled up with 98 because I was told it was better for the small jets in the carbs,
Then was told it wasn’t necessary?

[Herb]

Run the lowest octane gas that the engine will run on without the ping on heavy acceleration at low rpms.

The 1400 starts and runs best with 87 or lower octane.

High octane ratings means that the fuel is less likely to burn especially in a lower compression engine like the 1400.

I used to be able to get 85 octane and my bike started better and got better mileage than even on 87 octane.

AND you are wasting money and fuel on the high octane fuel.