It's always the carb...unless it's something else. XF200

david3921 · 04-23-2011, 03:56 AM

So, my XF200 was running crappy after getting it out of winter storage. Even though I treated the gas and ran it long enough to get it circulated well, I drained it and replaced with new. Ran a little better but wouldn't idle well, surging. I thought that I might have gotten something in the carb so I pulled the jet and made sure it was clear. Looked good. Buttoned everything back up but same problem. So, thinks I, vacuum leak. I had two plugs on the carb from when I removed the air injection stuff so I replaced them.

Nope, still no love.

While the bike was running, I pushed on the plugs to make sure they were seated well. The idle changed when I pushed on the top plug. Mmmm...something is becoming clearer. I could vary the idle moving the carb up and down so I grabbed a can of WD40 (I didn't have a propane cylinder or starter fluid) and sprayed around the intake manifold. Yep, the idle changed.

Eureka! I have a manifold leak!

So, I took the carb and manifold off. Yep, the top of the manifold had a split in it. I didn't get a picture of it so I borrowed a picture from Andrew's jet change post to show the location (I hope you don't mind, Andrew).

I used JB weld to fill it in and clamped it until dry. I will install it tomorrow but am confident that my idle problems will disappear. I have not heard of this happening on Qlink/Qingqi bikes but have read about other makes.

Maybe I was too agressive when I changed the jets and did it then. Or it could be another cost cutting measure we have to deal with. I did notice that the screws holding the manifold on did not have any thread lock on them. They do have lock washers, however. They were not on super tight, either. I am replacing them with bolts, however, so that I can torque them correctly. I also put a thin bead of sealer in the manifold O-ring groove to raise the seat up a bit.

So, I guess that I would recommend that your manifold screws be checked and tighted (along with all the rest) and maybe even replaced with bolts.

FastDoc · 04-23-2011, 11:52 AM

Good diagnosis and repair. I never had an issue with the boots, but I never touched the carb on a Q. It is possible the Q boot is not as good as the S boot. I'd be inclined to but an S boot and upgrade. Or at least try to find a DR200SE somewhere and look at the boot and see if it's made of better material.

Weldangrind · 04-23-2011, 12:28 PM

I can certainly see the benefit to some hex head bolts. You can then snug them up with a box end (likely 8 or 10mm) wrench.

JTCAndrew · 04-23-2011, 08:32 PM

How old is your "q" dave? When you store it is it cold storage? Inside? Just trying to get a feel of your storage enviroment. This is something for all "q" Owners to keep in the back of thier minds. Thanks for sharing.

PS - Glad my Picture came in handy!

2LZ · 04-24-2011, 12:06 AM

Good to know. I have a raised eyebrow to ALL CB rubber..... I'm hoping the Q's are not as dreadful as the Hondanoids I've had or worked on.
My father-in-laws little Hensim 110 quad's rubber boot from the carb to the air cleaner was so hard and dry (3 years old), I could barely saw through it with a hacksaw to remove it! 8O There was NO WAY it would stretch enough to take off without destroying it.
Mr. Uni cured the problem. 8)

david3921 · 04-24-2011, 01:06 AM

Andrew, my bike is an 09.

Here's an update; the JB weld didn't hold. Well, it did long enough for me to get stranded when the bike shut down. I had to call the wife to come and get me with the trailer. I've been searching on line for awhile and I think I found something affordable;

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/NEW-R...Q5fAccessories

Kind of tired right now so I'll send an email tomorrow and give them the dimensions I need. The DR200 intake won't fit as the carb is larger (31mm) and the GN125 is smaller (26mm). The Kawasaki 125 Eliminator is just right at 28mm but the intake has a fitting that my bike doesn't have. I will post when I find out more.

FastDoc · 04-24-2011, 01:17 AM

David,

Q Link has the OEM item on the website right here.

http://store.qlinkmotor.com/products...1704.0.0?pp=8&

Also, don't forget you have a WARANTEE! Call the Q people and have them send you the item!

david3921 · 04-24-2011, 01:34 AM

Thanks Doc. I was going to look there next but forgot. My Warrantee expired in March (Murphy's law) so I can't go that way. My dealer may honor it if I called him but he's 45 miles away. The cost of gas to haul the bike there and back would be more than if I ordered the part and replaced it myself.

The above link to the Ebay site looks more promising then the Qlink part, however. If it pans out, I would be getting a Mikuni part made in Japan. I already know that the part on my bike isn't...

david3921 · 05-07-2011, 03:55 PM

Time for an update. I ended up ordering the intake from Qlink. It ran me about $40 with shipping. I looked and looked and couldn't find one that was a direct bolt on. The 28mm intakes I found had the wrong bolt pattern. I also ordered and received a genuine Mikuni intake from JC Whitney to try if I needed to. The was about half the price. It has a built in O ring while the Qlink one is separate. The bolt pattern is off by 5mm (2.5mm per side) so I feel confidant that I can elongate the holes a bit to get it to fit if needed.

04-23-2011, 03:56 AM	#1
david3921 Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Michigan Posts: 1,030	It's always the carb...unless it's something else. XF200 So, my XF200 was running crappy after getting it out of winter storage. Even though I treated the gas and ran it long enough to get it circulated well, I drained it and replaced with new. Ran a little better but wouldn't idle well, surging. I thought that I might have gotten something in the carb so I pulled the jet and made sure it was clear. Looked good. Buttoned everything back up but same problem. So, thinks I, vacuum leak. I had two plugs on the carb from when I removed the air injection stuff so I replaced them. Nope, still no love. While the bike was running, I pushed on the plugs to make sure they were seated well. The idle changed when I pushed on the top plug. Mmmm...something is becoming clearer. I could vary the idle moving the carb up and down so I grabbed a can of WD40 (I didn't have a propane cylinder or starter fluid) and sprayed around the intake manifold. Yep, the idle changed. Eureka! I have a manifold leak! So, I took the carb and manifold off. Yep, the top of the manifold had a split in it. I didn't get a picture of it so I borrowed a picture from Andrew's jet change post to show the location (I hope you don't mind, Andrew). I used JB weld to fill it in and clamped it until dry. I will install it tomorrow but am confident that my idle problems will disappear. I have not heard of this happening on Qlink/Qingqi bikes but have read about other makes. Maybe I was too agressive when I changed the jets and did it then. Or it could be another cost cutting measure we have to deal with. I did notice that the screws holding the manifold on did not have any thread lock on them. They do have lock washers, however. They were not on super tight, either. I am replacing them with bolts, however, so that I can torque them correctly. I also put a thin bead of sealer in the manifold O-ring groove to raise the seat up a bit. So, I guess that I would recommend that your manifold screws be checked and tighted (along with all the rest) and maybe even replaced with bolts.
	0

04-23-2011, 11:52 AM	#2
FastDoc Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Southeastern Washington desert Posts: 14,761	Good diagnosis and repair. I never had an issue with the boots, but I never touched the carb on a Q. It is possible the Q boot is not as good as the S boot. I'd be inclined to but an S boot and upgrade. Or at least try to find a DR200SE somewhere and look at the boot and see if it's made of better material. __________________ Happy to serve.
	0

04-23-2011, 12:28 PM	#3
Weldangrind Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Sardis, BC, Canada Posts: 25,977	I can certainly see the benefit to some hex head bolts. You can then snug them up with a box end (likely 8 or 10mm) wrench. __________________ Weldangrind "I figure I'm well-prepared for coping with a bike that comes from the factory with unresolved issues and that rewards the self-reliant owner." - Buccaneer
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04-23-2011, 08:32 PM	#4
JTCAndrew Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Jamestown, PA Posts: 589	How old is your "q" dave? When you store it is it cold storage? Inside? Just trying to get a feel of your storage enviroment. This is something for all "q" Owners to keep in the back of thier minds. Thanks for sharing. PS - Glad my Picture came in handy! __________________ Andrew - Jamestown, PA 16134 YouTube Videos: http://www.youtube.com/user/Jtcomp2009#p/u 2009 Qlink XF200 Supermoto 1982 Honda CM200 Bobber - SOLD 2003 JEEP Liberty SPORT = 3" Lift 2002 Chevy Trailblazer LTZ - Family Cruiser
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04-24-2011, 12:06 AM	#5
2LZ Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Volcano, Ca Posts: 7,080	Good to know. I have a raised eyebrow to ALL CB rubber..... I'm hoping the Q's are not as dreadful as the Hondanoids I've had or worked on. My father-in-laws little Hensim 110 quad's rubber boot from the carb to the air cleaner was so hard and dry (3 years old), I could barely saw through it with a hacksaw to remove it! 8O There was NO WAY it would stretch enough to take off without destroying it. Mr. Uni cured the problem. 8) __________________ "Light a fire for a man, and you heat him for a day. Light a man on fire, and you heat him for the rest of his life." 2007 Suzuki DRZ400S (SM convert) 2009 Q Link XP 200 1967 BSA B25 250cc Starfire 2022 Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 2023 Royal Enfield Scram 411 1948 Royal Enfield Model G 350
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04-24-2011, 01:06 AM	#6
david3921 Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Michigan Posts: 1,030	Andrew, my bike is an 09. Here's an update; the JB weld didn't hold. Well, it did long enough for me to get stranded when the bike shut down. I had to call the wife to come and get me with the trailer. I've been searching on line for awhile and I think I found something affordable; http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/NEW-R...Q5fAccessories Kind of tired right now so I'll send an email tomorrow and give them the dimensions I need. The DR200 intake won't fit as the carb is larger (31mm) and the GN125 is smaller (26mm). The Kawasaki 125 Eliminator is just right at 28mm but the intake has a fitting that my bike doesn't have. I will post when I find out more.
	0

04-24-2011, 01:17 AM	#7
FastDoc Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Southeastern Washington desert Posts: 14,761	David, Q Link has the OEM item on the website right here. http://store.qlinkmotor.com/products...1704.0.0?pp=8& Also, don't forget you have a WARANTEE! Call the Q people and have them send you the item! __________________ Happy to serve.
	0

04-24-2011, 01:34 AM	#8
david3921 Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Michigan Posts: 1,030	Thanks Doc. I was going to look there next but forgot. My Warrantee expired in March (Murphy's law) so I can't go that way. My dealer may honor it if I called him but he's 45 miles away. The cost of gas to haul the bike there and back would be more than if I ordered the part and replaced it myself. The above link to the Ebay site looks more promising then the Qlink part, however. If it pans out, I would be getting a Mikuni part made in Japan. I already know that the part on my bike isn't...
	0

05-07-2011, 03:55 PM	#9
david3921 Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Michigan Posts: 1,030	Time for an update. I ended up ordering the intake from Qlink. It ran me about $40 with shipping. I looked and looked and couldn't find one that was a direct bolt on. The 28mm intakes I found had the wrong bolt pattern. I also ordered and received a genuine Mikuni intake from JC Whitney to try if I needed to. The was about half the price. It has a built in O ring while the Qlink one is separate. The bolt pattern is off by 5mm (2.5mm per side) so I feel confidant that I can elongate the holes a bit to get it to fit if needed.
	0