Ok so I am a bit embarrassed to ask such a noob question when Ive built a few of these bikes now, but what is detonation? I hear people talking about it all the time and I have gathered it has to do with heat and the head? Fill me in... MOTO
Moto, don't be embarrassed about this! Detonation and Pre-Ignition are 2 of the most mis-understood events that happen in a cylinder. In simple terms I will explain what detonation is. Detonations direct cause is when the spark fires and as the flame front moves across the cylinder the pressure rises causing a rise in temperature which at the hottest spot where un-burned Air/Fuel mixture resides causes the A/F mixture to ignite on its own. The resulting flame moves across the cylinder and meets the original flame front and that is detonation aka spark knock.Ok so I am a bit embarrassed to ask such a noob question when Ive built a few of these bikes now, but what is detonation? I hear people talking about it all the time and I have gathered it has to do with heat and the head? Fill me in... MOTO
Unfortunately the exact sound varies with the severity of the knock, engine RPM, engine design and other factors. They can also be called a silent killer of engines because you can get just to the point where the knock cannot be heard but it destroys the engine. We only hear it when it is severe and unfortunately, the smaller engines it is just about impossible to hear until it is too late. The best recommendation I can make is pay carefully attention to your spark plug for aluminum deposits and look into the bore for signs of piston damage.Thanks so much for the great info! What exactly does it sound like?