i-cat......

[SIXSIXZERO]

has anyone used these??
i bought one, installed it, and burned a hole in my piston in less than 10 minutes. YES, i installed it as instucted.
there is nothing about jetting, supposed to be plug and play.

 

[fatboyslim]

Ya i was actually wondering about investing in one of those b/c i read in transworld motocross it does wonders for two strokes.

 

[Rich Rohrich]

has anyone used these??
i bought one, installed it, and burned a hole in my piston in less than 10 minutes. YES, i installed it as instucted.
there is nothing about jetting, supposed to be plug and play.

While I don't doubt you have a hole in your piston to match the one in your wallet from buying that POS gimmick, you can count on the fact that the i-cat wasn't the cause of the damage.

 

[SIXSIXZERO]

oh , contrary to your beliefs, i have a mechanic (quicktime motorsports) and was told that was exactly my problem. like i said, there is nothing about jetting. you cant very well test and tune w/o riding the bike, so i did. the i_cat had things runnin super lean, wich i could tell after riding for a minute but too late, i didnt even get turned around and back to the parking area before it burned up. you have to take into acount that i live in MO, home of the most bipolar weather in the country. the sat we left to go riding it was like 45-50, the sun we rode it was like 75 -80, then the next day it was around 35. its very hard to jet your bike in these conditions, especially when the humidity is as erratic as the temp. dont get me wrong, i dont doubt that some of it was me, but ive NEVER had an issue w my bike like that untill i installed that thing. it will not be a product i put back on my machine. i just spent 2000$ on my winter rebuild, then had to turn around and spend another couple hundred to fix my bike wich was barely broken in. dont worry, i had it fixed the next day and its fine. broke it in again and ready to ride!!!!!!!

 

[mkelly04]

oh , contrary to your beliefs, i have a mechanic (quicktime motorsports) and was told that was exactly my problem. like i said, there is nothing about jetting. you cant very well test and tune w/o riding the bike, so i did. the i_cat had things runnin super lean, wich i could tell after riding for a minute but too late, i didnt even get turned around and back to the parking area before it burned up. you have to take into acount that i live in MO, home of the most bipolar weather in the country. the sat we left to go riding it was like 45-50, the sun we rode it was like 75 -80, then the next day it was around 35. its very hard to jet your bike in these conditions, especially when the humidity is as erratic as the temp. dont get me wrong, i dont doubt that some of it was me, but ive NEVER had an issue w my bike like that untill i installed that thing. it will not be a product i put back on my machine. i just spent 2000$ on my winter rebuild, then had to turn around and spend another couple hundred to fix my bike wich was barely broken in. dont worry, i had it fixed the next day and its fine. broke it in again and ready to ride!!!!!!!

I dont want to sound like an a$$ here, but how exactly can something that modifies the spark cause your bike to run lean?

Rich or lean is purely a function of the carburetor and jetting. Regardless of whether you put the useless i-cat back on or not you better check your jetting before you burn up another piston.

 

[Rich Rohrich]

I dont want to sound like an a$$ here, but how exactly can something that modifies the spark cause your bike to run lean?

It can't, but that won't stop chemistry impaired "mechanics/tuners" from proclaiming otherwise. :rotfl:

oh , contrary to your beliefs, i have a mechanic (quicktime motorsports) and was told that was exactly my problem.

Unlike your "genius" mechanic, I actually stayed awake during my physics and chemistry classes. So even though you and your "mechanic" are free to believe the i-cat leaned out your bike, science says otherwise. ;)

 

[SIXSIXZERO]

my jetting is fine, like i said, w the weather its hard to keep a bike jetted out here. i also said that i didnt doubt that some of it was my fault, i just wont be using it again. my thread was out of curiousity if anyone else was running one and if so, how much of difference does it really make and is it worth my time to persue using it again. thanks for the input guys, when i ask a question, i dont lable anyone as an a$$ because of their response. just askin for a little knowledge to better make a decision based on others experience. i appreciate the input. now, IS ANYONE LOOKING TO BUY AN i-CAT????? :laugh:

 

[whenfoxforks-ruled]

Quad guys will by them, by the bucket!

 

[mox69]

For arguments sake lets say he had a bad electrical system which was causing a weak spark. Lets say he then jetted said bike with weak spark. Then he put the i-cat on and went from weak spark to better than ever spark.


Could that cause a lean(er) condition?

 

[whenfoxforks-ruled]

Depends on the jetting, again. Now if the timing was advanced? That will melt a hole quick!

 

[Rich Rohrich]

For arguments sake lets say he had a bad electrical system which was causing a weak spark. Lets say he then jetted said bike with weak spark. Then he put the i-cat on and went from weak spark to better than ever spark.


Could that cause a lean(er) condition?

Nope.

 

[Chili]

just askin for a little knowledge to better make a decision based on others experience.

Really little point in asking when you are certain you know the answer to the question. Bottom line your mechanic buddy is wrong and I hope you find the real reason you melted down your bike before it happens once again.

 

[whenfoxforks-ruled]

Check the rotor woodruff key is still intact.

 

[SIXSIXZERO]

thanks guys. went back to stock pipe, stock jetting, and no icat. bike is back together, broke in, and running great. now i know, stay stock, and i will not have to ask questions like this again.

 

[whenfoxforks-ruled]

Best mods for the YZ, in my opinion: Get the suspension set for your ability and weight, MX Tech, and get it jetted crisp!. Stock and in race condition, maybe a couple hundred racers actually would benefit motor mods in this country. Then,cheap, sst pipe and silencer, v force reed. Best, box up the top end and send it to Forward Motion, either keep the stock bore or go bigger. Eric's porting and head work is unmatched, yet. The pipe advanced the timing on the 05 I worked on, garbage race gas took care of that. Good race gas has not been tested by me, yet. The more you mod the engine, the shorter the life span. Have you viewed the maintenance schedules for your bike?

 

[SIXSIXZERO]

yes, i do all maint myself and as scheduled or sooner. my motor has always been stock, i like it that way, easier to order parts. i have a new fmf rev pipe and shorty silencer, but im gonna ride it stock for a week or two, then ill work with the pipe. my susp. is valved and setup for me. im 6'1", and weigh 160. thanks for all the advice guys

 

[jcarautos1]

Sadly even a too hot of a spark plug can and will burn a hole in a piston. A exhaust leak too close to the head will burn a hole in a piston. Running too lean will also burn a hole in a piston. The wrong length spark plug will poke a hole in a piston. Personally from 25 years experience i believe this i-cat could and would help! burn a hole in the piston especially if the carb is already leaned out for altitude. Even if you change exhaust systems on a bike you have to lean or richen the exhaust to compinsate for the lack of or more backpressure.
NOTE: only my opinion of 25 years fixin motors etc.

 

[Rich Rohrich]

Personally from 25 years experience i believe this i-cat could and would help! burn a hole in the piston especially if the carb is already leaned out for altitude.

Care to share with us the basis of that thought?

 

[hot125mod]

hmmm here we go :boss:

 

[holeshot]

i bought one, installed it, and burned a hole in my piston in less than 10 minutes.

You're giving the icat way too much credit.

 

[jcarautos1]

The carb is already lean for altitude running factory plug and coil. Install I-cat and spark increases and is hotter than normal causing an extreme lean condition. It is like running no mix gas in a 2 stroke. See the picture?

 

[whenfoxforks-ruled]

What the hell do you need a bigger spark for? This bs goes down the same road as the splitfire plugs did, and a whole host of others. At best, the engine jetted real rich, and blubbers and runs like crap off bottom, may benefit from putting all that money into the icat. Adjusting the carb is a lot easier and cheaper, 5 to 10 dollars for jets. There is no miracle out there, gremlins included.

 

[BigRedAF]

How extensive was the winter rebuild?

Did you replace crank seals?

If so did you grease the lip before putting them in?

If not perhaps a dry side air leak until the seal mated the crank.

 

[Rich Rohrich]

. Install I-cat and spark increases and is hotter than normal causing an extreme lean condition.

Don't start with that tired old pseudo science nonsense. :bang:

My auto shop teacher in high school used to go APE when someone said HOTTER spark around him. It took me a few years to appreciate why he was so intolerant of this out of context misrepresentation of basic principles, but I eventually learned. The thermodynamics, and physics involved is pretty long and probably boring to most , so here's a few basic facts explaining ignition from the highly regarded book

"Mixture Formation in Spark-Ignited Engines" by H.P. Lenz :

"In a spark-ignited engine, ignition normally occurs when a small portion of the mixture is caused to react by the passage of a spark at a temperature between 3000 degrees C and 6000 degrees C. The effect of heat is of SECONDARY importance, the decisive factors for initiating ignition are molecular excitation and ionization. "

So now that we have that out of the way, how EXACTLY will a spark (of any duration or temperature) have any effect on the ratio of usable oxygen molecules and fuel molecules that can partner up in the combustion chamber?

Enlighten me. I'm always up for learning something new.

 

[whenfoxforks-ruled]

Nothing??? Figuring against science never wins! Still not as good as scarynow's representation of how air and fuel move through the carb.