Topic: A sign of leanness?

[wadarush]

I know my cb500 has never been properly tuned by the previous owner after he stuck these stinking no-restriction open ended pipes on.  I'd like to put a couple hundred miles on this beast before I dump a ton of money into it.  I haven't done enough plug reading to determine the mixtures at each throttle posistion but what I'm most curious about is what happens just above idle.  If I give the throttle a little snap and the revs reach above 2,500 rpm the revs will hover.  The engine will stay idleing between 2,500 and 3,000 rpm.  If I let the clutch loose a hair just enough to grab the engine the revs will lower and the idle will return back to a normal speed of 900 rpms.  Is this a lean condition symptom? 

[bwaller]

Lean? maybe but that's not what's causing your throttle to hang up.

Check that your cables aren't binding along their length. Turn the bars full left and see if you have free play in the cable, then try full right. Are the cables stiff or dry feeling? A good lube might be in order any way. You might find they can be rerouted if they are in fact binding somewhere.

Other possible causes include a dry mechanical ignition advance, improperly synced carbs, you get the picture.

If some cable attention doesn't solve your problem take the time to give it a good tune-up, it's certainly the best place to start.