Waterbeads on intake?

GoldenMotor.com

Felix

Member
Mar 26, 2012
67
1
6
Texas, USA.
Taking the first rides on my just finished bike. First bike build. Felt great getting it runing a taking it out a couple of times. Gonna go thru the brake in process before trying to mess with the cns carb that came with the grubee kit. There were waterbeads on the intake tube right behind the carb after this last run. What does that mean? If anything?.crt.
 

2door

Moderator
Staff member
Sep 15, 2008
16,302
175
63
Littleton, Colorado
It means the humidity was high. :)

No, not trying to be a smart a$$ but the reason is that as air is drawn into the engine through the intake it is cooled by the effect of passing through a narrow space. It drops below the dew point which can cause moisture in the air to condense on the surface of the manifold much like it does on the outside of a cold glass of ice water.

This is why airplanes have a method, (carburetor heat), to keep that moisture from freezing and blocking the carb. On a car or a motorized bicycle, no big deal, but in an airplane if the carb ices, you'll be looking for a place to land, real quick. This is an oversimplication of why the intake manifold gets cold but suffice it to say that it is simple physics. And, it's normal.

Tom