Is there a rev limiter on the bike? (At 6500rpms?)

[Marc]

I know that during the break in period on the bike, you're not supposed to take it past 6500 RPMs, but will it prevent you from doing so until you've logged 1000kms on the spedometer?

Whenever I get to about that point the bike starts to lurch a little bit and it feels bogged down. Any ideas why?

[Myth]

I can tell you there's not a rev. limiter.  During my break in I got up to about 9k RPMs.  
As far as what might be wrong, I'm a little useless...  So, good luck with that.

[drummerben]

Check the plug and the oil level (should be between high and low line). These two will definitly give you the symptoms you describe.

[Marc]

Well you were right, The oil level was way too high (I could have sworn I added until it was between the lines) Anyway, here's my new dilemma:

I drained the oil and then slowly started adding more.

First question: Should the bike be positioned with the kickstand down and the bike leaning slightly to the left when I'm reading the oil level? If I stand the bike vertical with one hand and look it's the right amount, but if it's leaning then it looks like I need to add more. What's the proper way to do this?

Second question: I added more until the level was mid-way with the bike leaning on the kickstand. I took the bike out for a ride and got it to about 7500 before it did the same thing. A little better, but far from the redline. When I came back I set the bike back on its kickstand and checked the level again, but now it's back below the line.

So, to sum this up, what's the proper way to add the right amount of oil? Thanks!!

[drummerben]

Definitly read the level with the bike straight up...this will give an accurate reading. As for your continuing symptoms, you might have some of the overfilled oil clogging up your air box. Open the box and clean it out along with the filters. There's also a small reservoir tube at the bottom of the airbox...this will probably need to be emptied as well. With the extra oil being splattered through the carb, you probably fouled out a plug, so you might need to change that.

Hope that fixes your problem.

[Marc]

You've been right about everything so far. I opened the air box to see oil splattered around in there, so I cleaned it out the best I could. Now, I'm definitely not a mechanic, so I don't know much about spark plugs. I'm going to read the manual today about them in the hopes that I figure out how to remove and replace them properly, but in case I can't understand the bad english in it, is there anything I should know about it in advance? Can I just take a plug out, go down to NAPA and say "I need a new one of these?"

Thanks so much for the continuing help, I appreciate it immensely.

[drummerben]

Take the plug to Advanced and they can match it. The size you are looking for is d8ea, but they can match it for you. The only one compatible that I've been able to find locally (without buying online) is the ngk brand.

As for the plug itself, you basiclly want a brownish color (perfect) for the tip of the plug (hooked end). Dark, sooty black means your air/fuel mix is too rich (too much fuel in the mix). A white color means you are running too lean (not enough fuel in the mix). This air/fuel mix can also cause some performance problems, so you might need to have the carb tuned by a mechanic. Changing spark plugs is very simple and cheap, so it definitly doesn't hurt to change them...nor to keep a couple on hand while on the road. I keep two spare and a socket wrench just in case.

Best to ya!

[Marc]

Well I pulled the plug out and it looks (to my untrained eye) to be a desirable brown. I'm going to have it replaced anyway since it sounds easy enough. Is it possible to still be 'fouled' if the air/fuel mix is correct? I'd just love to fix this 'sludging' problem and get my bike up to top performance. I'll post results when I get the new plug installed and take the bike for a spin.

[Marc]

Well I got a new spark plug, put it in, and here are my results:

The bike was a little harder to start. I had to give it a little throttle and hold it a bit before it would stay idling.

I took it for a ride and I'm still facing the same problem of it getting to about 7500-8000rpms and then lurching and not going any higher than this. Next step?

[Marc]

Does anyone have any other ideas of what to do next? This is turning into quite a chore.

[Myth]

Marc,

I took my bike on a bike run over the weekend and got a little curious...  So I tried to see how high I could rev a lower gear...  It made it to about 10k RPM's.
Then it kind of sounded like it wanted to come apart.  So, I think that it would be impossible to reach the 12k RPM redline.  Also, sometimes when I'm running W.O.T. (wide open throttle), which is more or less all the time, I can only get to about 8k.  Sometimesi can get up to 9k.  But I don't really know that you're experiencing technical difficulties.  And if you are, then I might be too.  And the 8k-9k RPM is speeds between 70-80mph.

[Marc]

At this point I'm barely getting to 60 before it starts showing symptoms. I need the bike to go at least 60 because the "road to town" is 60 and I need to be able to go fast enough on it. But it is a little finicky. Today i was up to about 7000RPMs before it started causing problems, other times it can be at 6500 or 8000, so it's not like that's any particular cutoff exactly, which makes me think that it's a bad air/fuel mix.

Then again, I don't know anything about anything when it comes to motorcycles. Should I start adjusting my carb or should I just get it to a mechanic at this point?

[drummerben]

Well, If your plug is the caramel brown color you described then I would guess your carb is in sync. It could be electrical--not too sure. You might want to take it to a bike mechanic to get hooked up to a machine to check. My bike is having electrical problems right now. I've actually talked to several people who have had electrical problems with Zong. in particular.

My specific problem (I think) is the ignition coil. I called Scooter Dynasty and they are sending me a new one. Basically, when it gets hot the plug will stop firing and I get stuck whereever I am. After it cools, the bike will fire right up like there is no problem. This misfiring also gives me the "stalling, sludging, surging" problem I experience as well. Maybe this fits you? Get it checked out.