Shimming mod complete, question!

rustler753 · June 22nd, 2009, 05:19 PM

I live at altitude, specifically, Boulder,CO which is 5,500 ft in elevation. I added (2) .020" thick washers and removed the snorkel. I took her for a spin, and it feels the low rpms arent as giddy as before if that word could be used as a description.

I believe I'm still running too lean, and should add one more .020" shim for a total of .060" spacing. Is my notion correct?

ps, first post! Hiya

kkim · June 22nd, 2009, 05:24 PM

Hi Mike.

Try another and see if that helps, though at your altitude it would seem you would need less, not more than the recommended shims to richen the mixture.

rustler753 · June 22nd, 2009, 05:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kkim

Hi Mike.

Try another and see if that helps, though at your altitude it would seem you would need less, not more than the recommended shims to richen the mixture.

Yea, at 5000ft, the fuel mixture runs richer by about 4% from my research, but I will put in another shim, gotta wait for her to cool down, so either tonight before its dark or it'll have to wait till tomorrow.

I'll let you know how it turns out.

kkim · June 22nd, 2009, 06:51 PM

I'll be here...

rustler753 · June 22nd, 2009, 07:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kkim

I'll be here...

Well, I managed to sneak in the shim before it got dark, it ran WAY too rich. I think given the altitude, I will probably just go back to the stock setup and put back in the snorkel. Can't seem to find the sweet spot, maybe I'll try again at some point in the future.

kkim · June 22nd, 2009, 07:18 PM

do you know if the shop readjusted your jetting for the altitude? the owner's manual says something about jetting can be adjusted by the shops for altitudes above 5000 ft. You may want to ask the dealer where you bought your bike if they did anything before selling it to you.

Do you plan to do the majority of your riding at that altitude?

rustler753 · June 22nd, 2009, 08:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kkim

Do you plan to do the majority of your riding at that altitude?

Pretty sure 99.99999% of my riding will be done in the Colorado region.

kkim · June 22nd, 2009, 08:29 PM

Then maybe you should speak with your dealer who sold you the bike and see if they can modify your bike for the altitude. Don't know exactly what's involved, but I suspect they will change the main jets out for smaller ones and perhaps redo the mixture screw settings. I believe this should be free.

Ask them first to get an idea of what they will do before you decide to let them touch the bike.

rustler753 · June 23rd, 2009, 12:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kkim

Then maybe you should speak with your dealer who sold you the bike and see if they can modify your bike for the altitude. Don't know exactly what's involved, but I suspect they will change the main jets out for smaller ones and perhaps redo the mixture screw settings. I believe this should be free.

Ask them first to get an idea of what they will do before you decide to let them touch the bike.

Sounds like a plan

VeX · June 23rd, 2009, 12:45 AM

A friend of mine who lives in the mountainous area of Nevada brought a Ninja 500 in from out of state and it ran really really rich (due to the altitude difference). His dealer literally sold him a "high altitude" jet kit (which consisted of smaller main and pilot jets) and it ran like a champ. It's pretty common place really for high altitudes to have to re-jet.

You might just pop open one of your fuel bowls and take one of the jets out and read the P/N to see if it has been changed out...

Speaking of Boulder, I lived in Louisville for a couple of years and a good friend used to race Volvo's (well still does really). He was the one that turned me onto turbochargers and himself run consistent mid-13 second timeslips (due to the turbocharger making up for the thinner oxygen content). Meanwhile a lot of the naturally aspirated 5.0 Mustang guys instead of running low 14 second 1/4 mile times they'd run a whole second slower (low 15 second times) due to the lack of oxygen content! So yes fueling is very different at higher altitudes

June 22nd, 2009, 05:19 PM	#1
rustler753 ninjette.org member Name: Mike Location: Boulder, CO Join Date: Jun 2009 Motorcycle(s): 09' Ninja 250 (SOLD); 00' CBR 929RR Posts: 133	Shimming mod complete, question! I live at altitude, specifically, Boulder,CO which is 5,500 ft in elevation. I added (2) .020" thick washers and removed the snorkel. I took her for a spin, and it feels the low rpms arent as giddy as before if that word could be used as a description. I believe I'm still running too lean, and should add one more .020" shim for a total of .060" spacing. Is my notion correct? ps, first post! Hiya

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June 22nd, 2009, 05:24 PM	#2
kkim Join Date: Nov 2008 Posts: Too much.	Hi Mike. Try another and see if that helps, though at your altitude it would seem you would need less, not more than the recommended shims to richen the mixture.

June 22nd, 2009, 06:51 PM	#4
kkim Join Date: Nov 2008 Posts: Too much.	I'll be here...

June 22nd, 2009, 07:18 PM	#6
kkim Join Date: Nov 2008 Posts: Too much.	do you know if the shop readjusted your jetting for the altitude? the owner's manual says something about jetting can be adjusted by the shops for altitudes above 5000 ft. You may want to ask the dealer where you bought your bike if they did anything before selling it to you. Do you plan to do the majority of your riding at that altitude?

June 22nd, 2009, 08:29 PM	#8
kkim Join Date: Nov 2008 Posts: Too much.	Then maybe you should speak with your dealer who sold you the bike and see if they can modify your bike for the altitude. Don't know exactly what's involved, but I suspect they will change the main jets out for smaller ones and perhaps redo the mixture screw settings. I believe this should be free. Ask them first to get an idea of what they will do before you decide to let them touch the bike.

June 23rd, 2009, 12:45 AM	#10
VeX That's me! Name: TJ Location: Ames, IA Join Date: Nov 2008 Motorcycle(s): 2008 Ninja 250r (Tis blue), 2008 CBR600RR Posts: 454	A friend of mine who lives in the mountainous area of Nevada brought a Ninja 500 in from out of state and it ran really really rich (due to the altitude difference). His dealer literally sold him a "high altitude" jet kit (which consisted of smaller main and pilot jets) and it ran like a champ. It's pretty common place really for high altitudes to have to re-jet. You might just pop open one of your fuel bowls and take one of the jets out and read the P/N to see if it has been changed out... Speaking of Boulder, I lived in Louisville for a couple of years and a good friend used to race Volvo's (well still does really). He was the one that turned me onto turbochargers and himself run consistent mid-13 second timeslips (due to the turbocharger making up for the thinner oxygen content). Meanwhile a lot of the naturally aspirated 5.0 Mustang guys instead of running low 14 second 1/4 mile times they'd run a whole second slower (low 15 second times) due to the lack of oxygen content! So yes fueling is very different at higher altitudes