Motorcycle Repair: blue smoke, bill silver, blue smoke

Question
i have a brand new v max,and only 2000kilometers on it.the carbs do need adjustment.theyre really rich,and i also noticed just a hint of blue smoke out of the exhaust . the smoke isnt constant.could this be because it needs a tune up?i have it scheduled for a servicing.

Answer
Gord, with all the emission controls on bikes these days, it is odd that your bike is running rich right out of the box.

Blue smoke only means one thing... oil burning in the cylinders or exhaust system, most likely getting past the piston rings. An overfill in the crankcase can push some fumes back through the crankcase venting system, too.

Dunno if you read the owner's manual about break-in periods, but the rings require a few hundred/thousand miles to fully seat in their bores. Once they do, then the smoking should cease. If you have been out full-throttling it before break-in, then the smoke may continue longer than normal. Be sure to use only conventional oil until break-in is complete. Changing out to synthetics prematurely will REALLY slow down the break-in period.

Bill Silver