Red Hot sparks pipe !!!!! Normal ????

[2manycrashes]

Guys, I have the Sparks full exhaust and am jetted to 190 with open airbox. The jetting looked right and there is just the slightest amount of black smoke when revving in the main jet area. But the black smoke is only for a second and for very light, kinda like it might be just a tad bit to rich. The temperature is around 50 Fahrenheit and I am at 1600 feet altitude when I ride in the sand. Otherwise, I am at 800 feet where I ride the trails.

Anyways, I need to doublecheck the jet settings for my sanity, but here is my question/issue.

The sparks exhaust is glowing red leaving the motor. Sometimes it glows like this up to or past the bend. This mostly occurs when idling, however slow speeds can have a very similar effect. Everyone that saw how hot the pipe was, asked if I had it jetted to lean. I told them I didn't think so but would doublecheck. The 450R has never gotten hot or lost a drop of coolant. So what am I doing wrong? Or is this normal for the sparks exhaust?

The jets for the 450R keihin jump from 185 on up in increments of 5.

Please let me know what you think.

[okie400exrider]

Have you pulled your spark plug to check your jetting, you want the electrode area to be a tan color. White is lean, black is too rich. Make sure you have it to operating temperatures after adjusting jets before you check the jetting, by pulling the plug.

[fasthonda450r]

I am running a 52 pilot and a 190 main and a perfomance needle in the 3rd clip position. I also have a sparks full exhaust and his air filter kit , and mine has never got hot or glowed red.

[fasthonda450r]

your pilot is probably to lean. try a 52 pilot

[joe1l]

My dealer told me that my exhaust would glow red when the bike got real hot, and so far it has, when it was idling for a while one night. I would call sparks and check with them to be safe.

[2004TRX450R]

It is normal. Mine does it with the stock pipe and in stock form and slightly worse with the HRC kit. It is NORMAL. Pulling the plug and looking at it after you've ridden with it for awhile won't tell you anything. To do an accurate plug reading you have to put in a new plug then do a plug chop on it and see what it looks like. Also changeing the main jet won't do anything for the pilot circuit at idle. The proper way to set the pilot screw is to get it completely up to operateing temp and adjust it in and out until you reach the highest idle.

[RobRacing]

Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't setting the fuel screw to the point were the engine idles the highest the richest setting? I would think so. The ideal place to set it is there is none. You have to tinker with it until you reach some sort of point in between rich and lean. This can be tuff to find and it all has to do with throttle response. Blip the throttle and see how it reacts, then adjust the screw in or out and see if it makes it better or worse. That's really the only good way to do it. There's my 2 cents.

[2manycrashes]

Well, It took me a couple of days to get to, but I checked the plug and it looked fine. So I called Sparks and explained my issue, they asked what needles and jetting that I had. They said it sounded like the pilot jet was adjusted correctly. They said it should be four turns out. Well I checked it and it was only two turns out. So I screwed it in all the way and backed it out 4 full turns and let it idle for about 5 minutes and THE PIPE DIDN'T GLOW .... :D :)

Anyways, the pilot was working fine for the HRC-or at least I didn't notice the issue. But it has to be adjusted for the sparks pipe.

Thanks for the help.

[04trx450R]

My stock pipe glows red if I let it idle for a while,,,,, but only when its cold out, which leans it out a bit,,,, for summer it should be fine

[2004TRX450R]

Originally posted by RobRacing
Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't setting the fuel screw to the point were the engine idles the highest the richest setting? I would think so. The ideal place to set it is there is none. You have to tinker with it until you reach some sort of point in between rich and lean. This can be tuff to find and it all has to do with throttle response. Blip the throttle and see how it reacts, then adjust the screw in or out and see if it makes it better or worse. That's really the only good way to do it. There's my 2 cents.

OK I'll correct you.:D
No that isn't the riches spot. The richest spot will be with it turned WAY out. It is where the air/fuel mixture is most accurate for complete combustion thus it makes more power and is more efficient and idles higher. Sometimes if you adjust it there and still have a little bog if you wack the throttle open real fast you can richen it up a tad to make the throttle response a little better but usually it won't get a lot better anyway. If you wack it open as fast as you can from a dead idle most any bike will bog at least a tiny bit. You do need to make sure the bike it completely up to operateing temp because it will end up being to rich once it warm up completely if you adjust it cold.

[tdd6405]

heres what i do.. the ideal spot for the mixture screw is 1 an 1/2 turns out. so i always set it there and go from there. if your headpipe is glowing, you are most likely running a little lean, usually it wont hurt anything though.

pilot jet is the jet you adjust for bottom end, if ur sitting at idle and u nail it, and it bogs, your probably too lean, if its breaking up on top end, your lean in the main jet.

if you're bike backfires when u try to start it, or ur plug is getting wet, you are obviously too rich.

usually you can adjust alot with just the fuel screw. turn it out to richen it, turn it in to lean it out.

anyone have any objections to what i said?

[FASTeR]

It perfectly fine the heads on the yfz and trx flow very well they also dont have much room for dissapation of there very hot eg's, My yfz is jetted rich as hell, and it still does it, especially idling with no air passing over the pipe... the crf bikes does it and yz bike does it, dont worry with it, if your worried step up the pilot 1 notch, but i feel your wasting your time.

[cb2910]

I just got the sparks pipe sat and put it on. It revs up fast with it. We were out playing in the field and when i had it reved up real fast and let off the the throttle it backfires a bunch of times. Any Ideas to what cause this. It was running lean so we moved the clip on the needle down one and it helped a little but now its looks like its running rich. I think i will put it back up and ajust the pilot. It was bogging down with the stock pipe. Not so bad now. Have to get it ready getting ready to go till little sahara in a couple of weeks.

[2manycrashes]

It does seem like it has been a little harder to start since I adjusted the pilot screw from 2 turns out to 4 turns out. Does this sound right? I may have gone just a little to far. Somewhere between the two is probably right.

[tdd6405]

cb2910-its lean if its backfiring when u rev it out in a gear and let off..

[crashsmith]

You have your answer already but i'll add my 2 cents worth. My wifes 450 R does exactly the same -glows red on idle -raise the RPM slightly and it will give you an even better glow. This is normal. A lot of manufactures make double walled header pipes to stop this showing and to stop the bluing of the chrome. As this is almost a competion quad/ save weight they have used thin walled tubing and this gets a bit hot low down. Ride the quad or have air flowing across the pipe and it will glow less. The fan did not even come on when it does this. Which will give you a better idea that it is not over heating.
Its almost accurate.

It is still completely stock!

[sparky450AR]

the pipe glows?

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid105/p2b6c072f6dced2e8c6b7e1572f522876/f977adc8.jpg

yeah, its normal....i was worried about it too when i first saw it.....the yfz does the same thing....thin pipes i guess!

[2manycrashes]

ok, now what??? :( Do I adjust to a happy medium? Or should I go back to the two turns. My fan never came on as well. Don't know for sure that I've heard it come on to tell you the truth.

I think I will try the 3 turns and go for a happy medium.

Appreciate your thoughts.

[TRX450rRoostin]

yeah mine does the same thing, it is glowing red only after 1min of idling.......you guys sure its normal, lol i just dont want anything happening to my new quad....im scared. haha

[MAD450r]

Just wondering if this only happens to 450r's that dont have the hrc installed? I have it in mine and I still didnt' put my sparks pipe on. I never seen mine glow.


If it turns out to be only the stock one's then with better flow out the silencer it should stop it from doing this.

[FASTeR]

IT IS NORMAL!!!! my yfz is jetted perfectly does not run hot and is not lean, the temp of exhuast gas plus the bend in the head causes the hot spot.

[tdd6405]

i was running my yzf426 quad this winter with the same jets from the summertime, it was liek 10 degrees out and it was real lean, the pipe was glowing and it was poppin and shootin flames. i went from a 40 pilot to a 48 pilot! it made it run perfect and the pipe did not glow at all anymore