66 Dream - Daily Rider Suddenly Running Sluggish

pwilke1 · Post by **pwilke1** » Fri Mar 25, 2011 2:41 pm

Hey guys - I currently ride my 66 Dream 3-5 days out of the week. Everything has been fine until a few days ago when it all of a sudden seems to have lost some of it's power. The RPM rev up after switching gears is taking longer than usual and the top speed has greatly reduced. A week ago it would do 70-75 easy now it's topping out around 55-60. I've drained the gas tank and replaced with new gas. Currently running super unleaded. The only changes I've made in the past few days is - changed the oil from a standard Honda motorcycle grade to the 30 weight non detergent Auto Zone motor oil suggested here. I've also added two small running lights for the back end but that wasn't until yesterday. I do have a small leak in my petcock than hasn't been addressed but it's a very small amount of gas leaking. Any ideas? When it comes to the engine I'm a bit clueless. Thanks in advance for the help!

-Patrick

joeweir1 · Post by **joeweir1** » Sat Mar 26, 2011 8:03 am

You sure your clutch is not slipping?Did you pull your carb and clean it?Check your timing and basic tune-up...ETC.Why are you running super unleaded in the bike?Could have many reasons.Hows the battery?

davomoto · Post by **davomoto** » Sat Mar 26, 2011 8:43 am

Pull the spark plugs, and see what color they are. You may have one bad / fouled plug. Clean the air filter, may be restricting airflow. How many miles since last tuned?

Davo

pwilke1 · Post by **pwilke1** » Mon Apr 04, 2011 11:02 am

Thanks for the replies.

The bike was last tuned about a year ago but was done by a bike mechanic/restorer. To be honest I'm not sure what steps need to be taken to truly "tune" the bike. Are there steps in Bill's restoration guide? I have the Motor Tuning, Repair and Maintenance Guide, so I'll flip through it when I get home.

For the clutch plates, they were replaced also about a year ago and it doesn't seem to be slipping. The battery is in good shape and new as of about 5 months ago. And to be honest I'm running super unleaded gas because I figured it was better? Am I totally off base here?

One the same topic, I've always run the bike at half choke as it sputtered a bit when the choke was all the way off. I did check it the other day and realized it actually now dies when the choke is completely off. Even after running it for a while. Could this be connected? I'd assume it means I'm not getting enough gas through the carb unless I'm running on choke.

Hippykid · Post by **Hippykid** » Mon Apr 04, 2011 11:41 am

It sounds like a fuel delivery problem...clean carbs run swell...

davomoto · Post by **davomoto** » Mon Apr 04, 2011 2:16 pm

There is definately an issue if you were having to run it on half choke. Pilot circut too lean, clogged or too small pilot jet, air/fuel screw not adjusted properly. Search the site and or Bill's book for tune up procedure.

Davo

pwilke1 · Post by **pwilke1** » Tue Apr 05, 2011 5:12 pm

Great. Thanks for the suggestions. Back to the gas choice though, should I not run the premium gas over the unleaded or does it simply not make a difference?

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66 Dream - Daily Rider Suddenly Running Sluggish

66 Dream - Daily Rider Suddenly Running Sluggish

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