I think I may have a bit of a header leak on the backfire, did replace one gasket on a ride from Houston to San Diego, the other is sounding a bit like the tiniest bit of paper in the rumble. BUT, Someone did suggest to come here and that I may have a throttle body problem. I guess whats throwing me for a loop is if I needed to up my throttle, then why am I running a bar hotter than i think I should. I live on Big Island in Hawai'i and it can be a bit hot here on Kona side during the day, but I can still run 3 bars deep on a cool night..? I think I am burng a bit more oil as a result. Any takers as to what the issues may be. I have clutch chudder, but as is my understanding this is just a part of owning a Strom unless you modify your or replace with a $$$ aftermarket... I already got a girl, the chudder doesn't bother me, but of course as someone who is obsessed with the sound of my machine (as so many of us are) its hard not to want to believe all symptoms have a common pathology. When you are hearing the chudder all you can think about is what is going on in there doesnt sound healthy. lmbo! Thanks in advanced for any takers on this. In the mean time I am going to up my rev a bit and start there. Can't hurt to try...but, if anyone has experiences similar to mine please reaach out and help a brother! Thanks!
SavageBam
From what I have read, the most common cause of the backfire on the Vee, is the throttle body rubberboot that has come adrift. Have a look at #12 of Tuning issue - pardon the story :). and Rear Throttle Body Out of Boot (manifold) For the clutch chudder, Clutch basket fix. All DL1000's should consider this! and Chudder vibration?
3 bars is right, the thermostat determines the coolant temperature.
Ger's suggestion is a good one it is quite common to pop a throttle body off.
A good TPS test is to open and close the throttle a few times with the ignition off then test ride the bike to see if you have any improvement, it is only temporary fix.
Ger's suggestion is a good one it is quite common to pop a throttle body off.
A good TPS test is to open and close the throttle a few times with the ignition off then test ride the bike to see if you have any improvement, it is only temporary fix.
There's a number of issues covered here, but you didn't go into much detail to help us armchair analyze. Low rpm and chudder could go together, or not. It depends. If you are sure you have clutch chudder, yeah fixing it will cost some cash, but it is money well spent. Google Werks Parts – owned and operated by one of us here on the forum. Your bike will ride completely like a different bike. But, increasing the rpms on take off and up hills can make it temporarily disappear.
The only time my Vee ever backfired was when the high pressure fuel filter clogged. It lost power and I had to ride in lower gears and higher rpms. You haven't mentioned losing power, so your filter is probably not an issue.
Throttle body problem..... two things may participate in backfires, if it is backfiring inside the airbox. First, take the air box apart and ensure the ports to the throttle bodies have not popped loose. When mine backfired, both came off. Second, do a throttle body sync. Make sure the two throttle bodies are pulling the same vacuum. Unequal vacuum pulls also contributes to a chudder type feel.
If you suspect a header leak, put the bike on its centerstand and run it. Use a listening tube (cardboard roll from wrapping paper, or short piece of garden hose) to help focus your hearing as you search for the sound. It will be a distinct high pressure air spurt on the compression stroke.
Can't really reply to your question about whether you need to up your throttle or not. You haven't mentioned what rpm you run at. These bikes like to run a higher rpm level – not crazy high though. If you are lugging, it could be your riding style needs to drop down a gear. I came off big cruisers before getting my Vee and I liked riding low rpms. The Vee didn't.
As to temps, 3 bars is not uncommon. Honestly, I've learned to not pay any attention to the temp bars. There are times when the ambient temp is low enough that I think my engine should be running cooler, like you mention, but as long as I don't exceed 3 bars I am OK with it. How old is your cooling fluid? You might want to consider flushing the system and putting in new coolant.
Are your valves clearances within spec? If not, there are a number of issues that could be related.
Your statement “burning a bit more oil” means what? It shouldn't be burning any. Is the exhaust actually smoking? Could you explain what you mean?
The only time my Vee ever backfired was when the high pressure fuel filter clogged. It lost power and I had to ride in lower gears and higher rpms. You haven't mentioned losing power, so your filter is probably not an issue.
Throttle body problem..... two things may participate in backfires, if it is backfiring inside the airbox. First, take the air box apart and ensure the ports to the throttle bodies have not popped loose. When mine backfired, both came off. Second, do a throttle body sync. Make sure the two throttle bodies are pulling the same vacuum. Unequal vacuum pulls also contributes to a chudder type feel.
If you suspect a header leak, put the bike on its centerstand and run it. Use a listening tube (cardboard roll from wrapping paper, or short piece of garden hose) to help focus your hearing as you search for the sound. It will be a distinct high pressure air spurt on the compression stroke.
Can't really reply to your question about whether you need to up your throttle or not. You haven't mentioned what rpm you run at. These bikes like to run a higher rpm level – not crazy high though. If you are lugging, it could be your riding style needs to drop down a gear. I came off big cruisers before getting my Vee and I liked riding low rpms. The Vee didn't.
As to temps, 3 bars is not uncommon. Honestly, I've learned to not pay any attention to the temp bars. There are times when the ambient temp is low enough that I think my engine should be running cooler, like you mention, but as long as I don't exceed 3 bars I am OK with it. How old is your cooling fluid? You might want to consider flushing the system and putting in new coolant.
Are your valves clearances within spec? If not, there are a number of issues that could be related.
Your statement “burning a bit more oil” means what? It shouldn't be burning any. Is the exhaust actually smoking? Could you explain what you mean?
Okay so I am not a new rider, but my ownership has been spread out and only consisting of a super bike and couple of large cc cruisers, and if you wanna count that I had dirt bikes when I was young. All that being said, I've ridden many many miles on many different bikes through my years. Now onto my story and issues..
SOO... I buy this bike from a guy who seems really legit, in Houston. The bike though laid down at very low speeds on a dirt road, seemed tip top running shape. (I did hallucinate I heard what I thought could be the faintest of exhaust leaks. And I mean so faint I dismissed it as air noise from the front of the bike.) With 24,000 miles on the bike there was zero chudder and the bike wound tight without any noises aside from the beautiful motor. 2 Days later I am turning around in a parking lot at night. As I entered I was automatically making sure I could turn round, so I scan the edges and then fix my eyes on the exit.. long story longer... Randomly the business put a 4in curb running right down the middle of the lot so I strike the curb doing about 3 mph and eat concrete. I know, this is shameful but I want you to know the origins of the woes. Or at least all the parts i have may have played in something gone bad with the bike.
So even though I dumped it, still no clutch chudder but not long after (Like a day), I def hear the exhaust leak issues. Other than that, there is the ever so slightest scratch on my hand protector and a little scrape on my aluminum under-hood. Pissed about the small casualties but thankful everything else seemed cool I continue to bang around Houston while everyone gawks. So at this point, only when its really hot out do i hear the gasket problem..
Well, 3 days later I leave on my trip from Houston to San Diego. The first 300 hundred miles were frustrating for me as I was at a loss as how the power ratios worked on this bike. Like I said I have had several motorcycles in my life and I just thought I would jump on, feel it out, and cruise. WRONG!!! This bike, as I have heard now from others, has odd places it likes the rpms depending on the gear, grade, etc..
So it feels like I am constantly either riding in higher gears at way too low rpms, or i'm in the lower gears feeling like I am over revving and/or in too low of a gear. And still there is just this incongruency to me between 1st and second gear in this bike, and really across the gears to a degree. it gets smoother after 3rd and the consistencies smooth out on up, but..yeah...its definitely not like the majority of bikes I have been on, where the power seems more evenly distributed. Its like in the lower 2 gears you could tow a car, and then in 3 the bike starts having identity issues resulting at the back end of 3 on thru 4 the bike decides "hey now i wanna start acting like a Ducati", then you get to the back end of 5 and up to 6 and its like "JUST KIDDING LETS CRUISE LIKE A HARLEY ON BICYCLE TIRES WHILE YOU ARE 2ft HIGHER FROM THE GROUND!!!!" LMAO!
And i am not opposed to the notion Maybe I made it harder than it was or should be, and that all of this distribution of power can be very useful to the one who posses the magical powers and incantations of the 'Lesser Key of V-strom', but I am still feeling this bike out with over 2,500 miles in 3 months.,
I know, I know, I should have def just looked all this crap up, but I'm a man, right? So I can figure things out through "understanding" , "experience" and "intuition". All of which have not a thing to do with my Strom, so I find. lol
So..back to the story.. Well I get to Abilene, Tx and by this time the the gasket is full on rattling and I have backfired a few times, and then I have also acquired the beginnings of "clutch chudder", at the slightest degree.
At this point I am forced to pull over, because I do not want to burn my valves and REALLy be stuck, so I get a hotel order parts and next day them to the shop. This is painful as it was $18 for parts but $80 for shipping and 3 hours of time to put it all on, PLUS a night at a hotel, another day of food and drink on the road, and that will bring us to a total of $600 to fix that single leak.
When I take it to the Harley and Suzuki shop there in town and I tell them about the leak and ask them to check everything on the bike and make sure it is good to go for the trip I am on. Well, they found the leak but the bolt had bent in the block, so it took the guy 3 hours just to get the bolt out and put that gasket on. Which if that bolt would have broke off, well I honestly may have just fire sold the bike and flew back to Hawai'i.
I have the tech test drive my bike around on the highway and he introduces me to the topic of "clutch basket chudder". I am relieved its not my gears and I am glad my bike is road worthy...because its all been checked over and I have been charged out the butt, as proof, right? BUT, as I am jumping on my bike the tech asks me, "oh when was the last time the oil was changed, and I told him the previous owner said he did it a few months ago and had about 700 miles on the new change. He told me that I wouldn't need to change the oil until I got to San Diego. That didn't strike me as odd until I am thinking about what struck me as odd about the interaction. I'm like why he didn't TELL me what was going on with my oil rather than ask me. He made no indications he checked it, it was almost like he forgot until I was driving away and he was looking for a comforting answer so he could clench his cheeks and not have to profess was never physically checked.. (I can't prove that part, btw), but when I take my machines to get oil changed, it is generally the tech telling me how things looked and what I might need to do or maintenance, So there is that, and it leads us to the next experience to come on the trip.
I get to El Paso and notice the clutch chudder noise getting more obnoxious and is now prevalent in different places along clutching and moving through gears than before. So I pull over and check the oil and my oil is low and very dark from what it appeared when I started the trip.! I mean I was easily half a quart low! I add oil the chudder is MUCH better and I bang on through to San Diego still trying to feel the bike out because as everyone knows, especially in the summer the geography drastically and consistently changes along that route along with temperatures and humidity.
I get to my parents and immediately do a full oil change with some lucas oil, as they live out in the middle of no where in San Diego county and it was what the little autoshop had.
The oil change in and of its self was the biggest pain in the butt I have ever undergone with a machine. I read 15 different snippets from sources on the internet ranging from threads in forums like this to manufacturer recommendations and specs. Well, come to find the general consensus, due to mass antidotal experience, says to stand the bike up in the middle on flat ground, turn the bike on and let it warm up, let it sit for 5 minutes and then check the stupid little window (just give me a dipstick people). Well I put too much in because I did manufacturer specs first, which says side stand it while you add and look at window. (How are people not blowing their rings and seals on these directions. I was a third a quart over!!!) so had to drain, when I saw that it should about 2.9 to 3 flat.. I FINALLY find the "not so secret" "secret way" to not over fill the bike by. which is done by standing it upright. I do not know how this next part is possible but although as you pour through the fill hole you literally literally watch oil go into the crank case and fill up the window. It read PERFECT!. So when I got the SUPER chudder back as soon as I drove I flipped back down the block and checked it again...IN THE EXACT SAME SPOT ..discovering it to be low. WHAT THE FLYING MONKEY BURRITOS?!?!?! Before the jokes roll in...I KNOW HOW TO CHANGE OIL, FOLKS!! I SWEAR!!! lolol
To finish this thing out, I drive the bike a 150-200 miles around town at my parents, then fly home to Big Island and have my bike shipped to Hilo (other side of Island). I pick it up and drive it home the 2.5 hour 100 mile trip. Start getting power chuggs in lower gears, super chudder sounds like its on its way and I check my oil and its dirty and about a quarter qt low on oil.. Less than 500 miles later and again not only dark oil but low low?!?!?!
Other than the exhaust leak, power chugging at low gears, chudder ....the bike RUNS PERFECT. If I pull that clutch in and rev that things sounds like its a year old...
I want to love this bike. For how heavy and long it is, it is balanced so beautifully and that motor (when void of other competing noises) is simply magnificent sounding. I love the over all utility of the bike. Not hugely thrilled with the ground clearance, but with how well the bike is balanced, I feel like if you can find a reasonable line, you have the control to get that bike to swing through a lot of crazy terrain.
I am looking on tutorials for more in depth information on the power details of this bike and how and when to shift. I think I was banging through gears a little to tightly at the beginning and not depending on my clutch enough, but I do not seem to have ANY shifting problems, like I said.
I also recognize I need to approach this bike differently and like I said, I am willing to learn. But the endless contraindicatory manner it needs to be done reveals the need for that esoteric knowledge that only come from longtime ownership. So this is to all you V-Strom Yoda's out there... l am willing. I may have gaps in knowledge and understanding but if you tell me to do it because it works and you personally know it, I will follow the advice, as I am convinced the Strom is a metaphysical apparatus to higher levels of existence. I will know when I am enlightened as all things Strom begin to make sense to me!!!! lmao
PS. I just checked my resting rpms and its like 1,100. Any help on what to do about that is great! Also, I will def fix the clutch basket as i can afford and as I see what needs to happen next with ole BeastyBoi, here! If you got a guy here who owns a clutch basket manufacturer, tell him I would love to create some marketing material for him in form of video and review of the install ease and performance as a flat trade!!!! LOL!!! Seriously I read the reviews and hear those clutch baskets are the go to and change everything. So I will just kinda go along in the order of necessity right now, but its HIGH on my list.
If this was too much info, sorry. If there are other specifics I need to detail because you want to and are capable of helping, please let me know! Seriously appreciate any and all positive feedback, guys! Thanks!
SOO... I buy this bike from a guy who seems really legit, in Houston. The bike though laid down at very low speeds on a dirt road, seemed tip top running shape. (I did hallucinate I heard what I thought could be the faintest of exhaust leaks. And I mean so faint I dismissed it as air noise from the front of the bike.) With 24,000 miles on the bike there was zero chudder and the bike wound tight without any noises aside from the beautiful motor. 2 Days later I am turning around in a parking lot at night. As I entered I was automatically making sure I could turn round, so I scan the edges and then fix my eyes on the exit.. long story longer... Randomly the business put a 4in curb running right down the middle of the lot so I strike the curb doing about 3 mph and eat concrete. I know, this is shameful but I want you to know the origins of the woes. Or at least all the parts i have may have played in something gone bad with the bike.
So even though I dumped it, still no clutch chudder but not long after (Like a day), I def hear the exhaust leak issues. Other than that, there is the ever so slightest scratch on my hand protector and a little scrape on my aluminum under-hood. Pissed about the small casualties but thankful everything else seemed cool I continue to bang around Houston while everyone gawks. So at this point, only when its really hot out do i hear the gasket problem..
Well, 3 days later I leave on my trip from Houston to San Diego. The first 300 hundred miles were frustrating for me as I was at a loss as how the power ratios worked on this bike. Like I said I have had several motorcycles in my life and I just thought I would jump on, feel it out, and cruise. WRONG!!! This bike, as I have heard now from others, has odd places it likes the rpms depending on the gear, grade, etc..
So it feels like I am constantly either riding in higher gears at way too low rpms, or i'm in the lower gears feeling like I am over revving and/or in too low of a gear. And still there is just this incongruency to me between 1st and second gear in this bike, and really across the gears to a degree. it gets smoother after 3rd and the consistencies smooth out on up, but..yeah...its definitely not like the majority of bikes I have been on, where the power seems more evenly distributed. Its like in the lower 2 gears you could tow a car, and then in 3 the bike starts having identity issues resulting at the back end of 3 on thru 4 the bike decides "hey now i wanna start acting like a Ducati", then you get to the back end of 5 and up to 6 and its like "JUST KIDDING LETS CRUISE LIKE A HARLEY ON BICYCLE TIRES WHILE YOU ARE 2ft HIGHER FROM THE GROUND!!!!" LMAO!
And i am not opposed to the notion Maybe I made it harder than it was or should be, and that all of this distribution of power can be very useful to the one who posses the magical powers and incantations of the 'Lesser Key of V-strom', but I am still feeling this bike out with over 2,500 miles in 3 months.,
I know, I know, I should have def just looked all this crap up, but I'm a man, right? So I can figure things out through "understanding" , "experience" and "intuition". All of which have not a thing to do with my Strom, so I find. lol
So..back to the story.. Well I get to Abilene, Tx and by this time the the gasket is full on rattling and I have backfired a few times, and then I have also acquired the beginnings of "clutch chudder", at the slightest degree.
At this point I am forced to pull over, because I do not want to burn my valves and REALLy be stuck, so I get a hotel order parts and next day them to the shop. This is painful as it was $18 for parts but $80 for shipping and 3 hours of time to put it all on, PLUS a night at a hotel, another day of food and drink on the road, and that will bring us to a total of $600 to fix that single leak.
When I take it to the Harley and Suzuki shop there in town and I tell them about the leak and ask them to check everything on the bike and make sure it is good to go for the trip I am on. Well, they found the leak but the bolt had bent in the block, so it took the guy 3 hours just to get the bolt out and put that gasket on. Which if that bolt would have broke off, well I honestly may have just fire sold the bike and flew back to Hawai'i.
I have the tech test drive my bike around on the highway and he introduces me to the topic of "clutch basket chudder". I am relieved its not my gears and I am glad my bike is road worthy...because its all been checked over and I have been charged out the butt, as proof, right? BUT, as I am jumping on my bike the tech asks me, "oh when was the last time the oil was changed, and I told him the previous owner said he did it a few months ago and had about 700 miles on the new change. He told me that I wouldn't need to change the oil until I got to San Diego. That didn't strike me as odd until I am thinking about what struck me as odd about the interaction. I'm like why he didn't TELL me what was going on with my oil rather than ask me. He made no indications he checked it, it was almost like he forgot until I was driving away and he was looking for a comforting answer so he could clench his cheeks and not have to profess was never physically checked.. (I can't prove that part, btw), but when I take my machines to get oil changed, it is generally the tech telling me how things looked and what I might need to do or maintenance, So there is that, and it leads us to the next experience to come on the trip.
I get to El Paso and notice the clutch chudder noise getting more obnoxious and is now prevalent in different places along clutching and moving through gears than before. So I pull over and check the oil and my oil is low and very dark from what it appeared when I started the trip.! I mean I was easily half a quart low! I add oil the chudder is MUCH better and I bang on through to San Diego still trying to feel the bike out because as everyone knows, especially in the summer the geography drastically and consistently changes along that route along with temperatures and humidity.
I get to my parents and immediately do a full oil change with some lucas oil, as they live out in the middle of no where in San Diego county and it was what the little autoshop had.
The oil change in and of its self was the biggest pain in the butt I have ever undergone with a machine. I read 15 different snippets from sources on the internet ranging from threads in forums like this to manufacturer recommendations and specs. Well, come to find the general consensus, due to mass antidotal experience, says to stand the bike up in the middle on flat ground, turn the bike on and let it warm up, let it sit for 5 minutes and then check the stupid little window (just give me a dipstick people). Well I put too much in because I did manufacturer specs first, which says side stand it while you add and look at window. (How are people not blowing their rings and seals on these directions. I was a third a quart over!!!) so had to drain, when I saw that it should about 2.9 to 3 flat.. I FINALLY find the "not so secret" "secret way" to not over fill the bike by. which is done by standing it upright. I do not know how this next part is possible but although as you pour through the fill hole you literally literally watch oil go into the crank case and fill up the window. It read PERFECT!. So when I got the SUPER chudder back as soon as I drove I flipped back down the block and checked it again...IN THE EXACT SAME SPOT ..discovering it to be low. WHAT THE FLYING MONKEY BURRITOS?!?!?! Before the jokes roll in...I KNOW HOW TO CHANGE OIL, FOLKS!! I SWEAR!!! lolol
To finish this thing out, I drive the bike a 150-200 miles around town at my parents, then fly home to Big Island and have my bike shipped to Hilo (other side of Island). I pick it up and drive it home the 2.5 hour 100 mile trip. Start getting power chuggs in lower gears, super chudder sounds like its on its way and I check my oil and its dirty and about a quarter qt low on oil.. Less than 500 miles later and again not only dark oil but low low?!?!?!
Other than the exhaust leak, power chugging at low gears, chudder ....the bike RUNS PERFECT. If I pull that clutch in and rev that things sounds like its a year old...
I want to love this bike. For how heavy and long it is, it is balanced so beautifully and that motor (when void of other competing noises) is simply magnificent sounding. I love the over all utility of the bike. Not hugely thrilled with the ground clearance, but with how well the bike is balanced, I feel like if you can find a reasonable line, you have the control to get that bike to swing through a lot of crazy terrain.
I am looking on tutorials for more in depth information on the power details of this bike and how and when to shift. I think I was banging through gears a little to tightly at the beginning and not depending on my clutch enough, but I do not seem to have ANY shifting problems, like I said.
I also recognize I need to approach this bike differently and like I said, I am willing to learn. But the endless contraindicatory manner it needs to be done reveals the need for that esoteric knowledge that only come from longtime ownership. So this is to all you V-Strom Yoda's out there... l am willing. I may have gaps in knowledge and understanding but if you tell me to do it because it works and you personally know it, I will follow the advice, as I am convinced the Strom is a metaphysical apparatus to higher levels of existence. I will know when I am enlightened as all things Strom begin to make sense to me!!!! lmao
PS. I just checked my resting rpms and its like 1,100. Any help on what to do about that is great! Also, I will def fix the clutch basket as i can afford and as I see what needs to happen next with ole BeastyBoi, here! If you got a guy here who owns a clutch basket manufacturer, tell him I would love to create some marketing material for him in form of video and review of the install ease and performance as a flat trade!!!! LOL!!! Seriously I read the reviews and hear those clutch baskets are the go to and change everything. So I will just kinda go along in the order of necessity right now, but its HIGH on my list.
If this was too much info, sorry. If there are other specifics I need to detail because you want to and are capable of helping, please let me know! Seriously appreciate any and all positive feedback, guys! Thanks!
Okay, well that makes a lot more sense. My oversight seems way more likely than a factory one.
However, that is precisely what I ve been doing and I think I am confident I have it down now. I am still worried about how dark my oil gets. Also, the longer I drive my bike and the warmer everything gets, it seems like the more issues I am noticing with the power and rpm churning, as well as, the chudder going on. Those generally are happening in gears 1 and especially 2. Noticed it a little in 3rd yesterday though. RPMS are anywhere between 1,100 (resting) and up to 3,500. It is especially noticeable if i have been costing downward in the lower gears and and start giving it some juice. Then its really prevalent.
However, that is precisely what I ve been doing and I think I am confident I have it down now. I am still worried about how dark my oil gets. Also, the longer I drive my bike and the warmer everything gets, it seems like the more issues I am noticing with the power and rpm churning, as well as, the chudder going on. Those generally are happening in gears 1 and especially 2. Noticed it a little in 3rd yesterday though. RPMS are anywhere between 1,100 (resting) and up to 3,500. It is especially noticeable if i have been costing downward in the lower gears and and start giving it some juice. Then its really prevalent.
When you have time, you may want to have a look whether the front and rear sprocket tooth count is stock per your manual (17F/41R). It is possible that the sprocket ratio has been changed. Some of the Vee owners have gone to a 16T front sprocket, which it is said to make the Vee gearing more suited to their style of riding, Another sprocket question 16/41.
As to a list of known possible issues on the 1st gen Vee, I suggest reading '05 DL-1000 question (s), attention to advice in #10 of the link. For more reading, Suzuki DL 1000 GT [K6] - Convince me to buy it! and #2 of Just Bought a DL1000.
As to a list of known possible issues on the 1st gen Vee, I suggest reading '05 DL-1000 question (s), attention to advice in #10 of the link. For more reading, Suzuki DL 1000 GT [K6] - Convince me to buy it! and #2 of Just Bought a DL1000.
You have "new bike overload"!
I suspect there are many things going on. Some may be your doing, or not. Get the bike warmed up, put it on the center stand and let it sit for a while. Then look at the oil sight glass for oil level. Most accurate way to check oil level in these. Do it consistently so you can judge if it is losing/using oil. Dark oil? That can simply be the detergents in the oil turning dark after they get hot a few cycles.
1100 rpm at idle causes issues even when in gear and running around on the bike. For best running go to 1250-1300 rpm after the bike is fully warm with bike in neutral and clutch lever out. There may be a need to inspect the rubber boots on the throttle bodies as these commonly slip off just enough to cause an air leak into the manifold. If you can, adjusting the Throttle Position Sensor so it "raises" around 1800 rpm. Probably in the 2500-3200 rpm range now.
Your issues with power delivery, especially in lower gears, may be chain/sprocket related. Have you inspected your front sprocket for wear? If the teeth are rather thin at the top ( sharp?) or the slots for the chain rollers are not a nearly perfect "U" shape that causes the chaing to catch on the sprocket teeth under load and then they POP off causing vibrations and a feel of the engine not running correctly. A chain that has red dust around any of the links, or kinks in the links that are very stiff will do the same thing.
If he bike has more than 20,000 miles on it the clutch basket has wear. Some a lot earlier, some later. Won't hurt the bike to ride it, but since it creeps up slowly most owners don't realize how bad it has gotten. You can test for chudder, which is the vibration coming from a worn clutch basket ( not so much the noises but they can be rather noticeable) by following this test: https://www.werksparts.com/clutch-baskets-pg-1.html
Many mistake clutch chudder for poor engine running. I don't know if this is a factor in your case without being there to check the bike myself
I suspect there are several things that need attention. Each of these can add up to make the bike seem to run poorly. I see these bikes sold around the 30,000 mile mark frequently as the owners just don't know why it isn't running like it should.
I suspect there are many things going on. Some may be your doing, or not. Get the bike warmed up, put it on the center stand and let it sit for a while. Then look at the oil sight glass for oil level. Most accurate way to check oil level in these. Do it consistently so you can judge if it is losing/using oil. Dark oil? That can simply be the detergents in the oil turning dark after they get hot a few cycles.
1100 rpm at idle causes issues even when in gear and running around on the bike. For best running go to 1250-1300 rpm after the bike is fully warm with bike in neutral and clutch lever out. There may be a need to inspect the rubber boots on the throttle bodies as these commonly slip off just enough to cause an air leak into the manifold. If you can, adjusting the Throttle Position Sensor so it "raises" around 1800 rpm. Probably in the 2500-3200 rpm range now.
Your issues with power delivery, especially in lower gears, may be chain/sprocket related. Have you inspected your front sprocket for wear? If the teeth are rather thin at the top ( sharp?) or the slots for the chain rollers are not a nearly perfect "U" shape that causes the chaing to catch on the sprocket teeth under load and then they POP off causing vibrations and a feel of the engine not running correctly. A chain that has red dust around any of the links, or kinks in the links that are very stiff will do the same thing.
If he bike has more than 20,000 miles on it the clutch basket has wear. Some a lot earlier, some later. Won't hurt the bike to ride it, but since it creeps up slowly most owners don't realize how bad it has gotten. You can test for chudder, which is the vibration coming from a worn clutch basket ( not so much the noises but they can be rather noticeable) by following this test: https://www.werksparts.com/clutch-baskets-pg-1.html
Many mistake clutch chudder for poor engine running. I don't know if this is a factor in your case without being there to check the bike myself
I suspect there are several things that need attention. Each of these can add up to make the bike seem to run poorly. I see these bikes sold around the 30,000 mile mark frequently as the owners just don't know why it isn't running like it should.
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