Carb Anti Icing ideas

[ducpainter]

Not sure it needs to be that involved. Just needs to stop air from flowing through.

[Howie]

There was an aftermarket one available from the same guys that made the slave pistons...Evoluzione I believe. Eric didn't like them because they reduced flow even when fully open.

Yes, I remember that.  Didn't know about the reduced flow. 

[koko64]

I had some naugahyde which I cable tied on over the oil cooler. I added a tiny pair of side cutters and spare ties to the tool kit. Nothing melted and the bike warmed up quickly.

The bike ran the smoothest ever with CV carbs in cold weather that I can remember. I rode over the local mountain on this misty late afternoon (a good test) without any hesitation or rough carburation. Just letting a bike warm up as you should really helped. I still doubt the CV carbs will get through unscathed in extreme conditions, but this was another incremental improvement. I feel motivated to do the Full Monty on a spare set of CV carbs as a future project.

Thanks you blokes.

[koko64]

Clearly the time of the previous post proves I finally got it right .

11.11.11pm.

[koko64]

Final update and we can close the book on this one.

Recently did over 100 miles through the local mountain ranges with no significant carb icing, but for a very occasional slight roughness at part throttle. There was plenty of elevation, damp, mist and bloody cold, on the kind of roads that had grown lichen/moss. A pretty good test.

I never got around to borrowing Nibor's spot temp tester, but the riding tests showed that at temps down to 5-10 C the carbs would function fine with wrapped manifolds, the oil cooler covered and a warm up. Letting the motor run warmer and then trapping that heat in the inlet tract appeared to work quite well.

My riding buddy was on a Triumph America cruiser with electric float bowl heaters and it did not miss a beat. He had no idea that carb icing existed, so the system Triumph uses appears to work. I checked the Triumph's float bowls and they were not chilled like the Ducati's, just a little cool, so appreciably "warmer".

I can let this thread go knowing that I have a reasonable if not excellent solution.

[ducatiz]

Nice to hear your bowls are warm. 

[koko64]

Made bugger all difference to the bowls, but got the manifolds nice and hot.
Not a perfect solution, but it'll do.

[ducatiz]

Made bugger all difference to the bowls, but got the manifolds nice and hot.
Not a perfect solution, but it'll do.

have to say it just right.

[Nibor]

Nice to hear your bowls are warm. 

 

[koko64]

Just an update.
I have been riding the Monster alot in this early cold winter and really enjoying it despite having detuned the motor by about 6hp and softening the response. I can confirm that if I dont give the bike a good warm up before riding there is evidence of carb icing until the motor warms up. If I let the motor warm up, the basic steps taken result in no carb icing and me riding in weather I previously would not have considered.
It seems to work down here with our mild southern winters.

Warm bowls dont help if you have a frozen tract .

[Howie]

have to say it just right.

 

[koko64]

Sounds best with a Southern drawl.

[ducatiz]

Sounds best with a Southern drawl.

Down 'round Melbourne?   

I was thinking about htis issue before and I think wrapping the manifolds is about as good as you're going to get without some external heating. 

Borrow some heat from the head.  Maybe wrap in exhaust wrap and them a little velcro'ed jacket

[koko64]

Yeah, seems to be working.