Hi all, long time lurker, first time poster.
I'm looking for some guidance as to how my sled is running. It's a 2000 SX700R. Not sure how many miles are on it. Speedometer wasn't working when I got it, and the hood was replaced in the past so the odometer says 1800 miles. It does have more than that though. Compression is 122-124-124.
I recently bought this sled and have put about 300 miles on it. I have been checking the plugs after every ride and the first few times I checked them they always had a nice chocolate color to them.
It does seem to have an occasional misfire that has a sharp cracking sound to it. At first I thought it was just exhaust noise because one of the exhaust manifold bolts had vibrated out. (I had this happen to my car over the summer and was surprised that just a loose bolt caused such a noise, but it was that simple to fix.) I put a new bolt in and the noise didn't change. It is occasional, random, and happens pretty much across the rpm range.
I just put new plugs in before a 100mile ride last week. It ran well, but I think I heard a slight backfire when letting off the throttle. The entire ride was pretty slow. I was with a slower rider, so there was very little high speed running. It was mainly 30-45 mph. I did a few wide open runs across a field, and then just waited for them to catch up at the next road crossing.
When I got back, this is what the plugs looked like. I think in person they looked a tiny bit lighter than the pictures show. They all seemed like the middle one looks in this picture. Does this look like I'm running a bit lean in the mid range? Do the needle jets need to be cleaned/adjusted?
I had the sled idling for a bit yesterday checking some other things out, and this is what the plugs look like today. I think the idle is pretty rich and smokes a lot.
What's your opinion on how the carbs are set up? Anything to be concerned about?
Thanks,
Mike
I'm looking for some guidance as to how my sled is running. It's a 2000 SX700R. Not sure how many miles are on it. Speedometer wasn't working when I got it, and the hood was replaced in the past so the odometer says 1800 miles. It does have more than that though. Compression is 122-124-124.
I recently bought this sled and have put about 300 miles on it. I have been checking the plugs after every ride and the first few times I checked them they always had a nice chocolate color to them.
It does seem to have an occasional misfire that has a sharp cracking sound to it. At first I thought it was just exhaust noise because one of the exhaust manifold bolts had vibrated out. (I had this happen to my car over the summer and was surprised that just a loose bolt caused such a noise, but it was that simple to fix.) I put a new bolt in and the noise didn't change. It is occasional, random, and happens pretty much across the rpm range.
I just put new plugs in before a 100mile ride last week. It ran well, but I think I heard a slight backfire when letting off the throttle. The entire ride was pretty slow. I was with a slower rider, so there was very little high speed running. It was mainly 30-45 mph. I did a few wide open runs across a field, and then just waited for them to catch up at the next road crossing.
When I got back, this is what the plugs looked like. I think in person they looked a tiny bit lighter than the pictures show. They all seemed like the middle one looks in this picture. Does this look like I'm running a bit lean in the mid range? Do the needle jets need to be cleaned/adjusted?

I had the sled idling for a bit yesterday checking some other things out, and this is what the plugs look like today. I think the idle is pretty rich and smokes a lot.


What's your opinion on how the carbs are set up? Anything to be concerned about?
Thanks,
Mike