[Discussion] General Queries From Newbies

[Zhi Ming]

for myself, due to my missing finger, ive to keep my thumb away from th 'bottom' of th bar to grip th lever. you can try tht too..

 

ok will try , thanks !

[wAnDeRiN_sPiRiTz]

Hi all, finally, OFFICALLY TOOK OWNERSHIP of PHANTOM TA200 from a seller online, YESTERDAY!! Drove to work today, and disappointingly i can only hit 80km/h. 90 it will scream, 100 its begging for mercy! Former lady rider.

Could it be the carb fuel air mixture or the sproket setting?

[VidaK]

Hi all, finally, OFFICALLY TOOK OWNERSHIP of PHANTOM TA200 from a seller online, YESTERDAY!! Drove to work today, and disappointingly i can only hit 80km/h. 90 it will scream, 100 its begging for mercy! Former lady rider.

Could it be the carb fuel air mixture or the sproket setting?

 

you mean the speed shown on the meter...? hmmm... it would be good to get the bike checked... I would recommend going to planet...

[Pandoras Kitten 3]

Well it's a torque biased engine by default, but behold, change out the sprockets for something more reasonable for highway cruising!

 

I'm okay with the 100kph top speed though Nothing like cruising down the middle of the highway at 80 with big fat side panniers facing everyone else.

 

HOWEVER. Your bike should be capable of at least 120, and if really well tuned, 151kph recorded by our Phantom Racer Mr Silent Hunter. But get the motor checked first! And get a less conservative sprocket ratio. Old TA200 doesn't have a rev limiter which means you can rev the thing to self destruction if you so desire.

[jtzx]

Hi all, finally, OFFICALLY TOOK OWNERSHIP of PHANTOM TA200 from a seller online, YESTERDAY!! Drove to work today, and disappointingly i can only hit 80km/h. 90 it will scream, 100 its begging for mercy! Former lady rider.

Could it be the carb fuel air mixture or the sproket setting?

 

maybe clutch plate needs to change. must get used to TA200 screaming and vibrations... just dun look at the meter and trottle all the way.. ;D

[wAnDeRiN_sPiRiTz]

haha! thnx ya all!

[wAnDeRiN_sPiRiTz]

Broz, anyone knoes if ah chong, or ah khoon opens tomorrow?

[Pandoras Kitten 3]

I don't think they're open on sundays at all

[devil.L]

Broz, anyone knoes if ah chong, or ah khoon opens tomorrow?

 

its ah koon.

koon operate monday to saturday only.

off on sunday & p.h

[wAnDeRiN_sPiRiTz]

thnx broz.. ny the way, that bronze screw on the left side of the carb is where air tuning is right?

[wAnDeRiN_sPiRiTz]

one other question, whats the stock size for sprokets TA200? thnx

[Pandoras Kitten 3]

Left side of the carb - mixture screw; turn in (clockwise) to enrich, out (anticlockwise) to lean. Slight rich mixture recommended unless you've some fancy solution for engine cooling.

 

Sprockets - standard rear is 41. Front? Erm, haven't dismantled the cover to see yet.

[wAnDeRiN_sPiRiTz]

Thumbs up bro! Thnx. Going to stiffen the rear suspension, tune

carb, wash this gressy bike. No time to go to bike shop. Busy week comin up. It can only run 80km/h, anything more, the smell of burnt wires...

[Pandoras Kitten 3]

Burnt wires - fuel-air mixture is too lean! Start turning the screw in, you're overheating.

[kamelp]

hi, i am a new phantom rider and been surfing around on sbf for days to understand more about my phantom. i saw some dude have problem to start the bike when come to a dead battery and the solution was push start. to a new rider definately might not know what is push start, so.. any expert care to teach whats the procedures? so next time come across this problem can diy it without towing to workshop just to replace a battery.

[Pandoras Kitten 3]

Technique: you need to switch the ignition on and engage 3rd gear. Hold the clutch in.

 

The easy way is to get someone to push the bike as fast as possible, then release the clutch and the engine will fire up by itself. From a week of push starting my bike, no throttle input is required. However, you may take a few tries to get the feel of the bike, get proper momentum, and get the engine turning over until it finally creates a spark.

 

If you're alone: -

 

You're fortunate if you have a downslope somewhere you can roll down, hopefully you will start before the end!

 

Or else there are approximately two ways you can solo start:

 

1. Grab the handlebars, run with the bike, dump the clutch, start it and immediately pull the clutch again. Sit on the bike, go to first gear, off you go.

 

2. Sit on the bike and use leg power to try and "duck - walk" forward until there's enough speed to try turning the engine over.

 

On very slippery surfaces like tiled driveways in some landed properties, you need to go all the way to 4th or even 5th gear for the engine to turn over; the compression of the motor will lock the wheel if too low a gearing is selected. For normal roads, 3rd is probably optimal.

 

More tips here:

 

If you don't have a kickstarter and your electric starter fails, you only have one choice... push start it. The drill is this. Put the engine in second gear. This will allow the rear wheel to turn the engine over easier. Now pull the bike BACKWARDS with the clutch engaged. You will feel the engine turn over and then the rear wheel will lock up from the engine compression. This means that the piston is just past Top-Dead-Center of the compression stroke only in reverse. This is right where you want to be. With the ignition on, choke and throttle set, pull the clutch lever in and start pushing. Push as fast as you can. When you are going as fast as you can push jump onto the bike and let go of the clutch. You want to release the clutch exactly when your rear end hits the seat. You can land side saddle or straddling the bike. If the engine starts, pull in the clutch lever, keep the engine running, seat yourself properly on the bike and off you go! If it does not start, you will have to reset the engine and try again. On a big bike you can work up quite a sweat doing this! It helps if you can push down hill.

 

Source: http://www.dansmc.com/starter.htm

 

ps. No need to go to the gym, push start for one week. It's fun and easy after a while

[kamelp]

thanks bro kalyan for the precious tips given. appreciate

[Pandoras Kitten 3]

If that noisy sound is caused by the fuel I think the problem will end soon. For the TA200, many owners here said that the valves (or other parts in the engine) get noisy since only thousands kms used. Anyway, what will be will be.

 

I have heard that there will be a couple of new models here (150i and 250i) from Honda.

 

Thanks for your advice.

 

I broke in mine like a race bike and ride it like a race bike; definitely it does create a bit more mechanical noise than usual after 7000km but who cares - powerrr!!!

 

"Virgin" bikes that have never been ridden hard are noticeably quieter, smoother at low revs but don't have any top end character at all; and if you put your ear in the engine compartment you could still hear everything; no engine is completely silent.

 

End of the day, I prefer my ticking, swishing, screaming and snorting horse. If anything goes wrong (even when to change the oil!) it's clearly audible :3

[naim]

Left side of the carb - mixture screw; turn in (clockwise) to enrich, out (anticlockwise) to lean. Slight rich mixture recommended unless you've some fancy solution for engine cooling.

 

Sprockets - standard rear is 41. Front? Erm, haven't dismantled the cover to see yet.

 

bro.. do u mind taking a pic and showing me whr this screw is? im sry if its troublesome.. wud lyk to adjust mine as its still running hot.. want to learn more about my bike oso..

[Pandoras Kitten 3]

Ahh running hot - how hot? Roasted feet and burning wires smell is the first indication of overheating. Remember it's a naked engine and the settings that come from bike shops usually are okay if it doesnt backfire everytime you engine brake, or stall when opening up the throttle fully. Pretty high rpm engine working overtime to run on the highways, so naturally it does run fairly hot compared to other bikes.

 

As the engine covers are actually part-time heatsinks, you can fry an egg on them.

 

There is only one screw on the left side of the carb, look under the fuel selector switch and trace the line coming out from it.. it leads to the carb and towards the front left section of it there's a big looking screw that you can reach easily with a swiss army knife. That's the mixture control.

 

Remember to note down how many turns you made in case the bike doesn't like the settings and you need a reference point.

[naim]

burning smell la.. anyway, looking frm the left side of the carb, isit d screw on the bottom left of the carb? i see a flat-tip screw, wif sum letterings beside it... is dat d one?

[Pandoras Kitten 3]

Yep correct screw. Remember, SMALL changes. How small? 1/4 turn is small. 1/2 is big. 1 turn? Erm, did you install turbo? Ride the bike, feel the power delivery. You need to test throttle response. Gently at first, and if it sounds okay, go wide open throttle and make sure it's not choking (too rich).

 

If it's spongy at speeds around 70-90 (ie, open throttle but power comes in one second later) then it's also too rich.

 

How to tell lean condition? Easy. Hot running, fierce sound, revs fast and roasts your feet. Not recommended unless you want to learn how to fly 1941 Japanese Zero fighter.

 

And where do you live lol, if nearby, won't mind a late night playing carburettor. Lmao.

[naim]

thanks so much bro! i will turn abit 2mr morning.. maybe 1/4 or 1/2 turn 1st b4 heading to camp.. and see the throttle response..

[Pandoras Kitten 3]

What my dispatch rider does is to hook a screwdriver onto the front console and optimise the idle and mixture every long traffic light stop. Lol.

 

But carb settings for a fully run-in bike should be stable forever. Tune once, forget about it. Can't say the same for a just-overhauled machine.

 

 

Just don't blow up the motor. If it sounds funny use backup settings

 

Remember to warm up the bike before going WOT (wide open throttle). Or else oil is not flowing fast and hot enough = premature engine wear.

[wAnDeRiN_sPiRiTz]

Bro, what's with the backfire? Valve setting no seatin properly? This bike loves to fart!