Running Rich?

[Esab]

Hi
Have been a member a while and introduced myself last year.
My ZXR400 has been sat for several years ( previous owner) and had a couple of runs out last summer but up until this last month has pretty much just been sat. It wasnt very keen on starting last year but would eventualy fire up fine. Now my other half has past her test and will be riding it often I set about servicing it...just the plugs...filter and oil.
The plugs looked fine...oil was..well..used oil and the filter was falling apart . Everything changed and fired up on first hit of the button and has done ever since. Great I hear you all say...but...Im pretty sure everything isnt quite as it should be. It fires up no problem but without any choke at all....if its been sat a week or after a run...fires up and idles and runs well but never needs the choke. I usually start my 7 up at same time as the 400 and leave both running and have noticed that the 400 smokes a little and continues to do so when I follow the better half down the road but this stops after a mile or so. I can 'smell' it as well...not bad but enough to make me think...hmm somethings not quite right.
So...am I right in thinking its running a little rich? I am loathe to start fiddling with it until I know exactly where to start. I am clueless with carburettors and dont want to start messing until I know what to mess with if you know what I mean so any advice or pointers would be very much appreciated.
Before the service it always needed choke to start...and then ran ok....now it needs no choke and runs very well and is a cracking bike...its just niggling me that I thnk it needs a little bit of attention and figured this is the best place to ask!

Andy

[RedexRobB]

That could well be that as the old filter was falling apart, necessitating the use of the choke to richen then mixture with so much more air available?

Now you have a proper filter, id imagaine its a bit more restrictive and not needing so much more fuel for the mixture?

If you want to be sure, get it on the dyno and see. Also you could see how many miles a tank lasts, avergae is on the 100miles mark, perhaps a bit more.

[Tirpitz]

Jeez Redex, what speed do you ride about at I get about 130 miles before it goes on reserve, probably about 160 until it goes onto the fumes in the tank. Maybe I'm not riding mine hard enough

[bendog66]

...... my reserve tank emptied after 107 miles a few weeks back leaving me stranded in the middle of F-ing nowhere til my mate came and picked me and the bike up in the back of his van

[gavinfdavies]

i'd go for 110 for reserve, then maybe 130 to you die... although cruising at 110mph on e day i did only get 100 miles in reserve.

oh, and at mallory I was getting roughly 2 sessions to reserve, about 50 miles! that'll teach me to embarrass 600s!