13 replies to this topic

[tesla]

Smells like the typical catalytic converter rotten eggs smell. Could it be bad gas? Didn't notice the smell on the first 100 miles after fill up but did the second time I got out on the bike. Before the fill up, I did take the gas tank off to install Broadies harness to replace the spyders and also changed the battery. We have a big trip coming up in a couple of weeks......anything to worry about?

[Dj Brady]

where is the smell coming from?
Bad eggs (converter) smell usually comes from exhaust.
My guess is you've got some road carcass (dead animal) splashed up under the bike.

[lnewlf]

I had a chipmunk get jammed up next to a head pipe. That stunk.. Riding bud had mice build a nest in one of the cans on his Blackbird which caught on fire as he was going down the road-that stunk. Cool looking tho.

[wheatonFJR]

I remember a bad smell when I first got my FJR.

If I remember from the threads in 2004, I think it had something to do with residual factory oils in the exhaust system.

[ionbeam]

If the smell is indeed "the typical catalytic converter rotten eggs smell" the root cause is a very rich exhaust. Bad gas shouldn't cause this. If it only occurs when cold it probably isn't a problem. If it occurs once fully warmed up it may be worth looking at as an indicator that something isn't working correctly. If the ECU fails to read the intake air pressure sensor correctly, incorrectly reads the intake air temprature or the ECU does not know that the thermostat opened it could cause rich running. The O₂ sensor should not play a role in this because there is a fairly narrow operating range where the ECU runs in closed loop.

Have you noticed a drop in gas mileage over several tanks to indicate that you are your FJR is running very rich?

[JamesK]

I know this is not a likely culprit, and the smell would be different, but double check that you've reconnected the tank vent hose.

[cruppelt]

Building on the root cause being the engine running to richly - do you have a PC-III by any chance? If so I would recommend hooking it up to a laptop and synchronizing the throttle. I had mine loose the throttle sync when I unplugged the tank connections (as in to get the heat blanket out) and mistakenly turned the bike back on before I plugged the tank connectors back in. Loosing the sync makes the rpm mapping shift = way too rich.

[tesla]

No PC-III, dead varments and tank vent hose is connected. Will get it out this weekend and make note of the gas mileage. Called my local Yammy dealer and he said don't worry about it if the mpg is ok.

[SwollenRaccoon]

Could also be the battery. They can produce that rotten smell, whether new or old, car or bike.

[dcarver]

By chance, did YOU eat eggs before riding?
Sorry, couldn't resist...

[ionbeam]

Could also be the battery. They can produce that rotten smell, whether new or old, car or bike.

If his sealed AGM battery smells as strongly as reported, tesla's FJR has a serious electrical problem and probably won't run.

[BikerGeek99]

Could it be bad gas?

Possibly.

What did you have for dinner last night? Anything with beans? Have you tried Beano in your gas tank?

(C'mon... It IS Friday after all...)

[Peter_MA]

It may not be "bad" gas but it could be the brand. I had a Saab Turbo that would stink on one particular brand whenever I'd use it. Learned to avoid it.

[JimNtexas]

Smells like the typical catalytic converter rotten eggs smell...

I noticed that on my first ride (450 miles return from distant dealer). It turned out to be the heal of my boot melting on the left pipe.