On this side of the pond it is called pinking so i did a wee search on it here is what i found
Engine knocking - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Brian
Engine knocking - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Brian
Am I being to hard on my bike?
- Thread starter GimmeFuel
- Start date
nakkers
Junior Member
Let the engine breath and run through the gears. Don't short shift too early or "babying" the engine can be just as harmful and costly in the name of longivity. Bud probably put is better.......
I just wouldn't turn the engine over and crack the throttle wide open right away or blip the throttle just for fun.
Cheers.
I just wouldn't turn the engine over and crack the throttle wide open right away or blip the throttle just for fun.
Cheers.
Hoople
Account Removed
You probably have your answer by now but if not,
"Pre" as in before. "Ignition" as in Spark. Pre-Ignition as in Before Spark.
Any flameable liquid will ignite if exposed to enough heat and compression. An open flame or spark is not needed for a flameable fuel to ignite. Ignition of the fuel & O2 in the combustion chamber can happen without a spark. Compress it enough or add enough heat and you will have spontaneous combustion. Pre-ignition is just that, spontaneous combustion before the spark plug event. Because our engines are air cooled and head temps can easily roll above 300*, we can experience pre-ignition much more easily than the water cooled counterpart which has a even consistent temp.
Our cylinder temps span such a wide band due to ambient temp and velocity of the bike, so what works good on 1 day may not work on the next.
J
Jack Klarich
Guest
You probably have your answer by now but if not,
"Pre" as in before. "Ignition" as in Spark. Pre-Ignition as in Before Spark.
Any flameable liquid will ignite if exposed to enough heat and compression. An open flame or spark is not needed for a flameable fuel to ignite. Ignition of the fuel & O2 in the combustion chamber can happen without a spark. Compress it enough or add enough heat and you will have spontaneous combustion. Pre-ignition is just that, spontaneous combustion before the spark plug event. Because our engines are air cooled and head temps can easily roll above 300*, we can experience pre-ignition much more easily than the water cooled counterpart which has a even consistent temp.
Our cylinder temps span such a wide band due to ambient temp and velocity of the bike, so what works good on 1 day may not work on the next.
On the flip side of what Hoople is saying is detonation the destroyer of lower ends from higher heat and pressure
Pinging is simply the metallic rattling sound when fuel detonates before the ignition spark and full compression before top dead center piston position occurs. It is usually caused by slightly low octane rating of the fuel or carbon causing this premature ignition problem, which can destroy the engine or hole a piston if it persists.
Well, I haven't heard anything like what you guys describe, so I guess it's not happening. From the description, it sounds like something that I would know if I heard it.
Also, are some of you guys saying that I shouldn't baby it as much as I do or at all? Is it better for the engine to have it perform the way it was designed?
I just want to do as right by this bike as I can? Know what I mean?
Though your Harley is a high torque machine, it does work better if you do not shift to early and "lug" the engine..."that" is not babying the bike. There are many posts regarding the RPM vs MPH, but generally 5-10 MPH higher than the associated RPM is shift point that allows the engine work efficiently.
http://www.hdtimeline.com/general_harley_davidson_topic/30771-suggested_shifting_speeds.html
http://www.hdtimeline.com/general_harley_davidson_topic/30771-suggested_shifting_speeds.html
Mad Dog Jim
Banned
I beleive the stock ignition (in EFI bikes) have rev-limitation. Not that you ought to push it to that all the time, but most people don't even come close to it. I think most don't rev high enough before shifting up. If you add a tach, you'd see right away what I mean. Its a long way to 5 grand...
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In my opinion they are meant to be run at about 2500-3500 rpms with a load on and wind wistling over the engine coooling fins. In other words, I 90 toward Sturgis at 70 -80 mph with your ol lady on the back....
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In my opinion they are meant to be run at about 2500-3500 rpms with a load on and wind wistling over the engine coooling fins. In other words, I 90 toward Sturgis at 70 -80 mph with your ol lady on the back....
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I'm glad you posted that link. I had been lugging the engine when I thought I was doing what was best for it. Thankfully I learned that after lugging the engine for only three weeks. I'll be sure to shift higher. Thanks.
In the cooler months, like now, I always give my bike 10 or 15 minutes of easy riding. This gives the crankcase oil, primary and transmission ample time to warm up before I lean on it pretty good. When I start it up I let the fuel injection take over and it will have a fast idle of say 1200-1500 rpms for thiry seconds or so before it steps down to 950-1000 rpms. When I see someone crack the throttle open on a cold bike when they start it up, I always cringe. Bye the way, that seems to be the way most Harley salesman demonstrate the new bikes on the showroom floor. That poor bike may have been sitting at rest for 4 or 5 days. All the oil has drained off the cylinders and rings and then somebody fires it up at 4000 rpm.