IDLE ADJUST QUESTION

[The Mad Duck]

I need to adjust the idle after installing the aftermarket exhaust and PC V.  The idle is too low even after warm up.

I was given a tip here to find the idle adjust tube/screw on the back of the front fairing.  I also consulted my 2011 Concours 14 ABS Owners Manual.  On page 216 in the Maintenance and Adjustment section there is a really poor image of the idle adjustment.  It appears there is a rubber tube with a metal adjustment screw at the end.  My adjustment screw seems to be missing.  Is it possible to adjust with a screwdriver inserted into the rubber tube?  OR, do I need to get a screw into the tube?  If so, does anyone know what size this idle adjuster screw is?  Any help would be much appreciated.     

 

[B.D.F.]

I think you have the wrong tube. There are quite a few tubes together in a group there, most are drain tubes but one will have a metal ball sticking out the end. Find that one, hold the body and twist the metal ball and the idle will change.

Brian

I need to adjust the idle after installing the aftermarket exhaust and PC V.  The idle is too low even after warm up.

I was given a tip here to find the idle adjust tube/screw on the back of the front fairing.  I also consulted my 2011 Concours 14 ABS Owners Manual.  On page 216 in the Maintenance and Adjustment section there is a really poor image of the idle adjustment.  It appears there is a rubber tube with a metal adjustment screw at the end.  My adjustment screw seems to be missing.  Is it possible to adjust with a screwdriver inserted into the rubber tube?  OR, do I need to get a screw into the tube?  If so, does anyone know what size this idle adjuster screw is?  Any help would be much appreciated.   

 

[The Mad Duck]

Thanks Brian,  I am looking in the right area(actually left side ;D) and understand there are various tubes.  The one for the idle adjust with metal ball sticking out the end is not visible on my bike.  It must be underneath the lower fairing body work.  Looks like I will be removing the body work.  What adds more complexity to all of this is that I now have R&G Adventure Bars over the body work.  I may be able to give my tuner credit for this since he did my exhaust, tuning, crash bar install and re-installed the body work.  I recall when picking up the bike from the tuner and commenting to him that the idle seemed low.  Well, time to get to work.  Thanks again for the tip. 

P.S.  The owners manual still contains a poor illustration.   

 

[MAN OF BLUES]

see the Knob @ 9:00 adjacent to the bolthead in this photo...?
that's the spot....

 

[The Mad Duck]

I do but my 2011 model has more body work, a panel covering the open area where your adjuster is.  Thanks for the reply and photo. 

 

[MAN OF BLUES]

really?
I didn't realize they placed hard plastic there... that's weird.
should only be a foam panel up inside.

wow, just looked at the fiche
that's a bummer.... makes a difficult and time consuming job to do something simple....
glad I don't have issues with the heat, and I have an 08'....pulling those plastics is enough work as it is... :rotflmao: :rotflmao:

 

[leo167]

You are on the correct side.. It will be the only one sticking out and it is outside the textured bottom fairing piece.
As photoed by MOB but it will be lower (closer to the clutch cylinder) and will be coming out on the textured black fairing just sitting there.... Hanging like a little dongle
If you don't find it by the time I get home (6pm EST)  I'll take a photo and post it

 

[B.D.F.]

Right- your side fairings are actually sealed to the frame in that location. As I have an '08, I am not sure what is needed to get to those hoses and that adjustment. Can you possibly reach up / in from the bottom, under the fairing and forward of the engine? It would be a lot of work to remove that fairing just to make an idle adjustment....

Brian

I do but my 2011 model has more body work, a panel covering the open area where your adjuster is.  Thanks for the reply and photo.

 

[B.D.F.]

You will take a photo of your hanging dongle and post it or a photo of his hanging dongle and post it.

So many, many responses come to mind. So few are printable....

:rotflmao:

But now that that is out of the way, if you wouldn't mind, it would be great if you could post a photo anyway. I have not ever had to use that adjustment and we have a 'tech. day' coming up in a week so it would be great to know where that thing was on the Gen. 2 C-14's.
Thanks,
Brian

<snip>

Hanging like a little dongle
If you don't find it by the time I get home (6pm EST)  I'll take a photo and post it

<snip>

 

[leo167]

Lol... Actually thought about what I wrote... After I hit post,, but figure leave it ... Someone's gonna have fun with it... So as I sit here thinking about dongles, I looked up a few photos on the web this one is cropped and not so clear but look directly to left of the shifter shaft.... That shiny little dongle thingy is the adjuster  ( the part you twist is exactly the same as the one MOB posted) .. Dammit...I've went ahead and mentioned shaft along with dongle... If still unclear I will post a pic when I get home

 

[thebroz]

I have a 2012 and mine was shoved up under the soft rubber near the fairing. All you have to do is stick your finger in their and pull it out.

 

[Flat-spot]

:-\ :-\ :rotflmao: :rotflmao: :rotflmao:

 

[The Mad Duck]

UPDATE:  Just back in from the garage.  Man, what a pain to just locate.  I did get underneath and moved two rubber overflow/breather tubes out of the way and there is the Idle Adjust Dongle just hanging there.  It may have been assembled bunged up & hidden.  I never recall seeing the Idle Adjuster in the correct/visible position and I have owned the bike since new, September 2011.  I cannot blame my tuner for stuffing it up in there.  I think it was bound and twisted with the breather/overflow tubes.  It took me quite some time to locate and even longer to correct.  Here is a list in the order of events:

- Removed lower allen bolt from the left lower fairing panel.  This enable me to pull the lower fairing panel out slightly. 
- Pulled back the rubber cover from in front of the slave cylinder area.  It runs under/near the foot shift and kick stand.  This allowed to access points to the area in question but very limited access.  My hands are simply too large to move around in that area.
- I located the Idle Adjuster Knob from underneath.  Relieve it was silver and not black like everything else under there! 
- I pushed the vertical downward facing Idle Adjuster up from underneath.  Note; This was on the garage floor on the center stand, not much head/elbow room but can be done.
- I then retrieved the Idle Adjuster and pulled it out as far as I could being careful not to pull on the knob itself or too strongly.    It was tangle up with the breather/overflow tubes, got untangled. 
- I moved the Idle Adjuster up as far as I could with the adjuster knob/phillips slots facing upward.  This makes sense to me instead of the adjuster facing downward.  Shift boot will not contact the adjuster. 
- Moved back the rubber cover being careful to place it all along the areas it conforms to. 
- Re-installed the allen bolt to the lower fairing. 
I can now adjust my idle for the first time ever! 

I will see about editing this with a picture or two.  All I can say is thank you all for your interest and tips.    I am liking naked bikes a little bit more today.  :truce: :-[

Moral of the story:  Confirm you can locate your idle adjust AND if body work is ever taken off and then replaced for any mods or maintenance be sure your idle adjuster is where you can reach it and not tucked up inside somewhere.  Why was this so important to me.  Stock setting bike had spot on good idle, no bother and no thought about adjusting.  I replaced the stock exhaust with a full performance system and Power Commander V along with removing the upper throttle butterflies.  End result, the idle was affected.  The idle was too low now and did impact safely operating the bike.  This is when I began looking into adjusting the idle.  I don't consider this a major obstacle in itself but given the above situation it has taken my Good Friday afternoon of riding away from me.

 

[The Mad Duck]

I have a 2012 and mine was shoved up under the soft rubber near the fairing. All you have to do is stick your finger in their and pull it out.

If you have the hands of a brain surgeon and it is not tangle twisted with other breather tubes you would be correct in this situation. 

 

[leo167]

I have a 12 amazing how all bike are different??
Mine was right there and obvious as I posted earlier with the photo
no fingering, no endoscopes, now have to think which is the correct way this came from the factory..
Exposed hanging dongle or buried behind the plastic?
So I'm not going to bother posting a photo since you found it

 

[The Mad Duck]

Thank anyway Lenny.  As far as hanging or buried.  I say it doesn't matter but you want it accessible if ever needed.  I added to my previous post with pics and a further explanation.  This is a minor thing in itself but when you don't have good idle and the adjuster is buried on non accessible when on the road it could create not just an inconvenience but a safety issue.  I will leave mine right where I can get to it, thank you very much!

 

[B.D.F.]

You- Guys-Are-Killing-Me!      :rotflmao: :rotflmao: :rotflmao:

Glad you found it jammed up in there and your hands, while rather large for that area, were able to grab it and pull it out.

By the way, at least on the Gen. 1 bikes, the idle adjusting tube is attached to another drain tube (now you have me providing comic fodder) so that it stays [more or less] in place. Of course if it did get twisted with a drain tube that would not be a problem on the Gen 1 bikes as the entire area is open at the rear. In dealing with the heat issue and sealing the fairing to the frame on the later bikes one of the results is that there is little or no access to that general area.

Glad you got it sorted out and it should be much easier to find next time. And thanks for the photos too.

Brian

UPDATE: 
<snip>
Man, what a pain to just locate.  I did get underneath and moved two rubber overflow/breather tubes out of the way and there is the Idle Adjust Dongle just hanging there.
<snip>
I cannot blame my tuner for stuffing it up in there.
<snip>
It took me quite some time to locate and even longer to correct.  Here is a list in the order of events:

<snip>
This enable me to pull the lower fairing panel out slightly. 
<snip>
This allowed to access points to the area in question but very limited access.  My hands are simply too large to move around in that area.
<snip>
I then retrieved the Idle Adjuster and pulled it out as far as I could being careful not to pull on the knob itself or too strongly.
<snip>
I moved the Idle Adjuster up as far as I could with the adjuster knob/phillips slots facing upward.  This makes sense to me instead of the adjuster facing downward. 
<snip>
-Moved back the rubber cover being careful to place it all along the areas it conforms to. 
<snip>

I am liking naked bikes a little bit more today.  :truce: :-[

Moral of the story:  Confirm you can locate your idle adjust AND if body work is ever taken off and then replaced for any mods or maintenance be sure your idle adjuster is where you can reach it and not tucked up inside somewhere.  Why was this so important to me. 
<snip>

 

[OMoaC]

Theres a little cut out in the sealing rubber for it to pass through and keep it accessible but yes, a lot of folks don't notice it on reassembly so it goes gopher and you gotta dig it back out (no offense to Kirby's distant Kin) 

 

[The Mad Duck]

I did find the clip that hold the two breather tubes and the Idle Adjuster.  I have decided not to put back in place. 

I also noticed the notched area in the rubber seal/flap.  I have decided to turn my adjuster up and locate further up.  If this turns out to be a disadvantage, I will drop it down  and maybe use the clip to hold them all together. 

And Yes, I kill me sometimes too! 

 

[ghostrider990]

What speed IS the Connie supposed to idle at???? 

Mine seems set very high from setup, @ 1500.  Haven't found the "optimum" or the area in svc man.
that specifies.

A little insight would be appreciate.  :beerchug:

gr

 

[gharriman]

What speed IS the Connie supposed to idle at???? 

Mine seems set very high from setup, @ 1500.  Haven't found the "optimum" or the area in svc man.
that specifies.

A little insight would be appreciate.  :beerchug:

gr

Mines set around 1150, and that is at or close to the factory setting.  Yours at 1500 is pretty high.     

 

[Fred H.]

One of the mistakes made when reinstalling the plastic on a 2010-2014 model is that folks forget to leave the idle adjuster outside of the rubber air dam when they put it all back together. I've seen this issue on several of the newer model bikes after the owner or dealership removed the left side plastic.

 

[rabyland]

What speed IS the Connie supposed to idle at???? 

Mine seems set very high from setup, @ 1500.  Haven't found the "optimum" or the area in svc man.
that specifies.

A little insight would be appreciate.  :beerchug:

gr

Per the manual... 1050 to 1150

 

[B.D.F.]

Around 1,100- 1,150 works for me. Funny thing but on this bike, changing the idle by 200 RPM and I have to re-learn how to synchronize the throttle and clutch for a decent (read: not a 'what the hell was that') launch from stops. Nothing wrong with the bike, and it does not do anything odd or funny but any big change to idle and I almost have to re-learn how to ride it. Talking about casual, lackadaisical riding here; if ridden a bit harder (easy boys!) of course the idle makes no difference.

Brian

What speed IS the Connie supposed to idle at???? 

Mine seems set very high from setup, @ 1500.  Haven't found the "optimum" or the area in svc man.
that specifies.

A little insight would be appreciate.  :beerchug:

gr

 

[ghostrider990]

Thanks guys.  :beerchug:

I probably should have searched the manual a bit more carefully.  Sometimes it's easier, and more fun to ASK. 

I've easily identified my adjuster knob OUTside the fairing, but I'm already not real confident in the PDI or setup from my dealer.
I suppose that's what I get for buying online, and having it shipped half-way across the country.  ???

I've had a relatively difficult time making smooth shifts thus far....perhaps a lower idle setting will help this.

gr

 

[gpink]

Thanks guys.  :beerchug:

I probably should have searched the manual a bit more carefully.  Sometimes it's easier, and more fun to ASK. 

I've easily identified my adjuster knob OUTside the fairing, but I'm already not real confident in the PDI or setup from my dealer.
I suppose that's what I get for buying online, and having it shipped half-way across the country.  ???

I've had a relatively difficult time making smooth shifts thus far....perhaps a lower idle setting will help this.
gr

Adjusting the throttle cables to zero freeplay and higher rpm shifting will help. The clutch lever doesn't have to be pulled to the bar to shift allowing for a faster shift. Idle setting is only good at idle.