Old rocket man

.020 Over
Joined
Jun 29, 2023
Messages
41
Location
Kentucky
Ride
2007 rocket 3 classic tourer
Just picked up my 2007 classic tourer a week ago and all seems to be working fine and it may be normal but I have to ask. Is it normal for all the backfiring sound when you let go of the throttle in gear while riding? The bike runs very well otherwise and only has under 9000 miles on it. Thanks for your advice and time. Steve in Kentucky
 
Most Rockets will do that with the stock setup. The stock mufflers are so quiet you hardly notice it. If the bike has been modified (different mufflers, air intake) you may need to get a new tune for it. Check out the TuneECU comments on this forum.
Thanks for the advice and it’s all stock except for a k&n air filter
 
Greetings from sunny North Texas. The decel pop is caused by a too lean mix below 6% throttle opening. There are ways of tuning it out but require a TuneECU or other mapping tool. The L Tables need to be increased by about 15% or so and that should tame the pop. BTW that pop is harmless to the motor and exhaust system, so unless it really bothers you just ignore it.
 
Greetings from sunny North Texas. The decel pop is caused by a too lean mix below 6% throttle opening. There are ways of tuning it out but require a TuneECU or other mapping tool. The L Tables need to be increased by about 15% or so and that should tame the pop. BTW that pop is harmless to the motor and exhaust system, so unless it really bothers you just ignore it.
Thanks and I thought it was running lean because of the decel popping just from past experiences on my other bikes but had to make sure since it’s all factory except for a k&n air filter. Also I was a little surprised because of the rocket only having 8300 miles on it being a 2007 year bike. I’m assuming a tune isn’t cheap but only getting about 130 miles from a full tank driving close to normal with a few throttle twists on the straight aways seems to be a little too lean and I did smell gas a few times but have no gas leaks anywhere after I checked so I presumed the smell was from a too lean mixture because of it not burning all the gas. Don’t want to make any changes in performance as the rocket has plenty of that for me so maybe like you said just leave it alone for now and keep up with the regular maintenance schedule
 
Thanks and I thought it was running lean because of the decel popping just from past experiences on my other bikes but had to make sure since it’s all factory except for a k&n air filter. Also I was a little surprised because of the rocket only having 8300 miles on it being a 2007 year bike. I’m assuming a tune isn’t cheap but only getting about 130 miles from a full tank driving close to normal with a few throttle twists on the straight aways seems to be a little too lean and I did smell gas a few times but have no gas leaks anywhere after I checked so I presumed the smell was from a too lean mixture because of it not burning all the gas. Don’t want to make any changes in performance as the rocket has plenty of that for me so maybe like you said just leave it alone for now and keep up with the regular maintenance schedule
Another thing to check is if the exhaust pipes are on tight. A leak will also cause more backfiring and loud. I like to use copper gasket sealant on the end of the header before tightening her up. Worth a try and easy to do....
 
Another thing to check is if the exhaust pipes are on tight. A leak will also cause more backfiring and loud. I like to use copper gasket sealant on the end of the header before tightening her up. Worth a try and easy to do....
Thanks I hadn’t thought of checking that and I will but wouldn’t that be a constant pop being in that location OR maybe it does have a leak there but I can’t here it well enough until more reps are relevant
 
Is your mileage based on a fuel gauge or odometer? The odometer is a better predicter of when to refuel than any tank gauge (they are notorious for being off). I set an odometer reading of 160 miles on my trip meter between fillups. That gave me about a 50 mile cushion to an empty tank. If you want to improve your fuel economy ride in a herd of Harleys, my fuel consumption improved to 50mpg because I was always getting off the gas to prevent colliding with the guy in front of me. Average for most standard tunes is about 33 to 38 mpg. With the bike that low in mileage at that age I'd clean the fuel injectors and fuel system to make sure it's flowing properly.
 
Is your mileage based on a fuel gauge or odometer? The odometer is a better predicter of when to refuel than any tank gauge (they are notorious for being off). I set an odometer reading of 160 miles on my trip meter between fillups. That gave me about a 50 mile cushion to an empty tank. If you want to improve your fuel economy ride in a herd of Harleys, my fuel consumption improved to 50mpg because I was always getting off the gas to prevent colliding with the guy in front of me. Average for most standard tunes is about 33 to 38 mpg. With the bike that low in mileage at that age I'd clean the fuel injectors and fuel system to make sure it's flowing properly.
Thanks for the input and I’ll get to that soon. Also dropping iridium plugs in it soon just because I like them😉😎
Another thing to check is if the exhaust pipes are on tight. A leak will also cause more backfiring and loud. I like to use copper gasket sealant on the end of the header before tightening her up. Worth a try and easy to do....
they are very tight and all is ok there. Thanks
 
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