It should read whats new for Cycle Improvements.
Diagnosing engine problems with the use of a Digital Oscilliscope is not new for the Auto Industry but is very rare in the Bike Industry. What is an Oscilliscope? It really is just a much much faster graphical way of looking at voltage and current over time as compared to a volt meter. Whay is this important or even necessary? With the advent of ABS brakes and and CanBus type Networks that control and talk to your bikes "Black Box" it is impossible to analyze or measure these signals with anything but a scope. Many newer bikes now use a computer Network much like the Computer Network you might find at your work. It is not now or never has been imho acceptable to fix any problem by guessing or replacing parts until you fix the problem. The investment in this equipment is large, the learning curve is big but the benefits that the both the customer and the shop will gain are immense. Let me show you an example.
Below is an example of a "bad cylinder compression waveform" from a twin cylinder Yamaha using a scope. This is much like checking a cylinder for compression with a compression guage but as you can see you can gain a far greater insight on any possible mechanical problems. This engine has good compresssion when checked with a guage but to a knowledgeable eye looking at the waveform reveals a camshaft valve timing problem. That would be impossible to determine by conventional testing methods.
Diagnosing engine problems with the use of a Digital Oscilliscope is not new for the Auto Industry but is very rare in the Bike Industry. What is an Oscilliscope? It really is just a much much faster graphical way of looking at voltage and current over time as compared to a volt meter. Whay is this important or even necessary? With the advent of ABS brakes and and CanBus type Networks that control and talk to your bikes "Black Box" it is impossible to analyze or measure these signals with anything but a scope. Many newer bikes now use a computer Network much like the Computer Network you might find at your work. It is not now or never has been imho acceptable to fix any problem by guessing or replacing parts until you fix the problem. The investment in this equipment is large, the learning curve is big but the benefits that the both the customer and the shop will gain are immense. Let me show you an example.
Below is an example of a "bad cylinder compression waveform" from a twin cylinder Yamaha using a scope. This is much like checking a cylinder for compression with a compression guage but as you can see you can gain a far greater insight on any possible mechanical problems. This engine has good compresssion when checked with a guage but to a knowledgeable eye looking at the waveform reveals a camshaft valve timing problem. That would be impossible to determine by conventional testing methods.
In the waveform below you can see the results of correcting the camshaft timing on the waveform pattern. This is an example of a "good compression waveform" and the bike now runs good.
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