C10 Adjusting Pilot/Idle Screws

[roncours]

Checking previous posts, it's been mentioned that the idle screws are not necessarily set correctly from the factory. As it turned out, that was true with mine & I (NOT a notable mechanic) was able, with helpful advice from a friend, to correct the situation WITHOUT removing the carbs. (Excuse me if this particular method has been documented before.) To begin with, I bought my '01 last year & it has just over 3k miles on it. I experienced a lot of hesitation at low speed cruising & accelerating from low RPM. It was hard for me to believe that on such a new bike that something set at the factory (and sealed away from sight) was the culprit. Once convinced, the thought of removing & reinstalling the entire carb set in order to drill out the caps guarding the adjustment screws was, eh, daunting. I also had no sort of 90-degree dentist's drill to put a hole in the caps in place. When my friend suggested I drill from the side to gain access, my initial reaction was, "I've got a nearly new bike & you want me to drill a hole in WHAT?" To shorten the story, I happened to have a cordless screwdriver/drill skinny enough to reach the inner carbs, & a 3/32 bit was the ticket. I started the hole ~1/8 in. from the bottom, just enough the scrape the tops of the caps going in but far below the adjustment screws. A curved, dental-style pick tool popped them out. Now, were they maladjusted at the factory? Yep. #1 & 4 were nearly identical at about 1-1/2 turns out; #2 was 1-1/4; #3 was less than a turn, about 5/6 turn out. (I put masking tape on the facets of a hex screwdriver bit & #'d them so I could read the rotation while I turned it with my fingers.) As generally recommended, I turned them all out 2 turns & my low speed problems are over. I will also synch the carbs soon but not before the SW/NW rally in Mt. Shasta this weekend. How nice to have the Connie smoothed out before I go! Ron Aikins Pacific Grove, CA COG #8461 AMA #365830 American Voyager Association BMW MOA #67364