Exhaust turning colors / Engine tuning question

Joined
Jun 20, 2005
Messages
122
Location
Murfreesboro, TN
Bike
2006 ST1300
This particular 2006 ST1300 is my third. I bought it in May 2016 with 5700 miles on it. I have put about 3K miles on it so far this summer. I noticed today that the left side rear portion of the exhaust system is changing colors as if being really hot. However the right side of the bike suffers no discoloration. Would you think that the left side might be running too lean and overheating? I have not looked into the throttle body setup to know if it is even possible to have differences in that way. I know the bike runs like a scared rabbit and gets an average of 42MPG per tank. Should I be concerned enough to have it checked out?
 
Joined
Aug 11, 2014
Messages
838
Location
Lake Zurich, Illinois
Bike
04 ST1300
No need to be concerned. The exhaust does change color and I would not worry too much about left vs right. The dealer told me, that's the way the ST is. Your bike is practically new. Nothing is exact, slight changes left vs right is nothing to worry about. I think a lot of ST owners pay too much attention to their bikes and look far too deep into trivial matters. This leads them to start tinkering with the bike (without a valid reason), which causes more problems. Just ride and enjoy and keep up the regular maintenance.
 
Joined
Jan 8, 2011
Messages
7,062
Location
Arizona
Bike
2007 Honda ST1300A
"The dealer told me" :rofl1:
Don't even get me started on all the damage on service I have seen dealerships do on members bikes.
Yes, the stainless steel mufflers change color to a beautiful gold, and you may see some bluing near the joints, but if only one side is changing I sure would not just ignore it and ride the thing. You may want to check simple things like the airbox for a rodent nest. Or have someone you trust do a TB sync etc.
 
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