Last year when I purchased my2002 5eb R6, I pulled up at my girlfriend’s house and her step-dad told me it sounds rough like it is only running on 3 cylinders. He used to own his own shop building custom bikes and doing repairs so I think he should know what he is talking about.
Having listened to him I replaced all of the plugs, checked the compression on all cylinders, checked the primary and secondary resistance of all coils, checked that they were all sparking, everything seemed to be fine. I also changed the oil and filter and no un-burnt petrol had contaminated the oil.
After these checks I thought nothing of it, I’ve done 160mph on the bike, I’ve road it loads with no problems. It’s been off the road for about 7 months, just got back riding it again, pulled up at my girlfriend again and her stepdad says the same thing, he can smell petrol and it sounds like it is only running on 3 cylinders.
Does anybody know what other things I could check or what other causes could there be for it running rough? It sounds ok to me, add the lads I go out riding with say it sounds fine. The only thing I notice is when putting it next to my mates R6 the flow of exhaust fumes is not as smooth. The only way I can explain it is rather than it been a constant flow -> #############, it seems more like -> # # # # # # # # # #.
Bad gas? "sat for 7 months" Dirty carbs? I would start there, if it sat for that long the gas will go bad and gum up the carbs too.
Wrong gap on plugs, coil not seated on 1 of the plugs are possible issues too.
Thanks for the info guys, I havenet had a change to have a look yet as its been raining all week, but if it stays dry today I may get the biek out after work.
Its definatley not the fuel as it was running the same before i took it off the road. Also the fuel tank was drained and new fuel put in.
My idle is a bit bouncy but I wouldnt say it was enough to notice a problem. I dont have a power commander or any mods appart from a blue flame can. The air filter is in good nick, it looks like the person i brought the bike off recently fitted a new one.
Its definatley not the fuel as it was running the same before i took it off the road. Also the fuel tank was drained and new fuel put in.
I with Shush, sounds like gummed up carbs for sure! If the bike sits for any more than a few months, the fuel sitting in the carb bowls goes bad and turns into molasses ESPECIALLY if the bike was stored with fuel that has ethanol in it . Draining the fuel tank and putting fresh fuel in doesn't flush it out of the carb bowls. Could be gummed up pilot jet as well.
I have a question, I recently took my carburetors off of my 02 r6, I got frustrated with something and through it back together quickly, possibly leaving the clamps on the rubber boots that hold the carburetor in place untightened. Also, I may or may not have lost a screw that went on one side of one of the velocity stacks, only because I knew I'd be taking it to another shop for them to work on. Would these factors cause the bike to completely miss out and barely run? Thank you.
as some mentioned above, the FIRST thing you need to do is get the 7 month old gas OUT. Next, you are likely gonna need a carb clean. You just can not let e10 (pump gas with 10% ethanol) sit for more than a few months without some risk of damage to the machine.
Not sure what state you live in, but just because your local station's pumps don't SAY clearly "contains up to 10% ethanol" .. they do. Some states don't require the stations to notify you of that. Nice , huh??
ESPECIALLY if the bike was stored with fuel that has ethanol in it 
. Draining the fuel tank and putting fresh fuel in doesn't flush it out of the carb bowls. Could be gummed up pilot jet as well.
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