Topic: CB650 White Smoke

[cb650guy]

Hello All,
Thanks in part to the help this community as given me I finally got my 1980 CB650 started today for the first time.  It required some starting fluid and a full choke, but hey, atleast it started.  After letting it run for a couple of minutes I noticed a SMALL amount of white smoke coming out of the exhaust.  I was not too worried, but then another SMALL amount of white smoke started coming from under the engine.  I could not tell directly where it was coming from.  I touched several places on the bottom of the engine, especially around the oil sump and it did not feel that hot.  What could it be?

This is the first time the bike has run in several years so I imagine there is a lot of crap inside the engine.  So far, I have taken off the carbs and cleaned them.  I just poured a bunch of seafoam into the oil port and let the starter motor run for a couple seconds to mix it all around.  I am going to leave it overnight and start it up again tomorrow.  If the problem persists the next thing I am going to do is replace the oil (which needs to be done anyways) and wipe down the bike to make sure it isn't just burning gunk and accumulation on the outside of the engine case.

How does this plan sound?

Adam

[scunny]

sounds good to me.

[TwoTired]

Don't worry about white smoke.  Condensation boil off.

Blue smoke - oil
Black smoke - fuel too rich.

[fantino]

Blue smoke - oil

Haha, I remember learning that with my first car (91 Golf) when it was accidentally severely overfilled with oil one day. I had to gun it to get up an incline and suddenly the poor girl in the car behind me was engulfed in a thick, 50 ft long plume of blue smoke. That stuff really hangs in the air!

[cb650guy]

How do I know I dont need to worry about it?  I have been told it can be anything from a non serious issue, like condensation boiling off, to something very serious like a cracked head gasket.

[Modest_Man]

In a car with a radiator a bad head gasket can lead to white smoke as water/antifreeze is getting into the combustion chamber.

Last I checked our 650's aren't fluid cooled.   

I agree with TT, it's just condensation burn off.  My 650 did the exact same thing the first time I started it up (had sat for a year).

Lets see some photos and make sure to join the 650 owners registry we need to stick together as the 750's are everywhere!

http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=32307.600

[Motoguy23]

White smoke could also be coolant leaking into the cylinder. 

Call me crazy but I highly doubt that.

[Frostyboy]

Aaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrgggghhhhhhhhh! 

[KingCustomCycles.com]

Change the oil and run it around, too much shop running and it will get too hot.  Don't be afraid of leaving some seafoam in the new oil for a few hundred miles.  I have had two Goldwings recover nicely from oil burning/smoking issues with seafoam.