Carb Kits - A Discussion

[Rat]

Pete's REALLY good at it.

Gord

[ericheath]

Gord?....Just Gord??? I don't think I've seen that signature yet. Surely it was Gord, "I was in a big hurry and forgot," Jones.

[ericheath]

Whoops, wrong Gord.

[Whiskerfish]

hmmmm...... I thought it was the right one

[ericheath]

It's bad when you read this site to see what different sig he has.

[Rat]

Gord (I snuck on at work) Jones.

Now get back to carb kits willya.

[rcmatt007]

work?????? gord works??????

[mikenixon]

Great comparo! Been working on something like this myself, as of course did Randall. I hope you don't mind if I make a couple comments, beginning with links to relevant articles on my website. It is my picture of the peeling float needle, just for reference. Oh, and you'll want to use Firefox to view any of the articles linked below.

http://www.motorcycleproject.com/motorc ... ers_v2.swf
http://www.motorcycleproject.com/motorc ... _paper.swf
http://www.motorcycleproject.com/motorc ... ork_v3.swf
http://www.motorcycleproject.com/motorc ... air_v5.swf

First, I always gauge jets. I do this whether the jets are new or used, OEM or aftermarket, because they vary, even from Honda. Some will be undersize, some over, and sometimes someone before I got the carbs did some drilling or other nonsense. Also, the sync adjuster screw ("linkage adjuster screw" in your article) that comes in one or two kits is quite valuable and useful. I have bought kits just to get that part! The "hat" you are referring to at the top of the secondary main emulsion tube is of course the needle jet. As I used to tell my students, just focus on the last word in the name to remember what it is and to tell it apart from the similarly-named jet needle. The NJ comes from Honda only with the jet needle (JN), which is fitting as they constitute a circuit together. Finally, as you have pointed out, the big problem with aftermarket kits is the metal parts. You rarely need them so you are paying for them needlessly, they are made of inferior materials compared with stock (Honda went to beryllium JN and stainless steel NJ in 1978 on all Keihin carbs, prior to that they used brass -- and Dynojet stuff started out made of aluminum!), they are sized incorrectly, leading to performance issues, and of course they wear quickly. The worst part of all is that countless people throw the stock JN and NJ away, parts worth their weight in gold now that you can get them only by cannabalizing a set of carbs, and this in my mind is next to criminal. That such parts should get so much press when their results are so consequential. Thanks for letting me comment.

Mike Nixon

[CYBORG]

always good to hear from you. and very informative. thankyou

[KYpondman]

Thanks Mike, great info!
Claude

[appiebroomer]

Wished I saw this post before I bought the Saber cycle kits, these kits are poor quality. What I needed was just the o rings and soft parts, but you can't use Sabre's o rings on the OEM jets. You can only use them on the jets supplied in the kits, and the jets in the kits are not stamped with the size on the jet. I should have purchased the Randakk's kit or the Honda kit.

[robin1731]

Wished I saw this post before I bought the Saber cycle kits, these kits are poor quality. What I needed was just the o rings and soft parts, but you can't use Sabre's o rings on the OEM jets. You can only use them on the jets supplied in the kits, and the jets in the kits are not stamped with the size on the jet. I should have purchased the Randakk's kit or the Honda kit.

I even stay away from the Honda kits. One area where OEM is not the way to go. At least for the rubber parts.

[Jeremy91]

Ok, I am a new at the motorcycle and building a naked goldwing but I am moderately mechanically inclined and I believe my bike would benefit a lot by rebuilding the carbs. My caution on rebuilding my own carbs is having all the right parts which seems to require multiple kits to acquire all the necessary parts. I am looking for advice from the more experienced guys here and see if carbs are something I should just let the experts handle or tackle myself. Not sure how much a professional charges to do carbs vs. buying all the kits and from what I have read a decent sized sonic cleaner and doing it myself this winter.

[appiebroomer]

Ok, I am a new at the motorcycle and building a naked goldwing but I am moderately mechanically inclined and I believe my bike would benefit a lot by rebuilding the carbs. My caution on rebuilding my own carbs is having all the right parts which seems to require multiple kits to acquire all the necessary parts. I am looking for advice from the more experienced guys here and see if carbs are something I should just let the experts handle or tackle myself. Not sure how much a professional charges to do carbs vs. buying all the kits and from what I have read a decent sized sonic cleaner and doing it myself this winter.

Buy the Randakks kits and do it your self, way more fun.

[ericheath]

PistolPete charges around $400 for a set. Randakk kit, and they are synced on a running motor before being returned. I've done my own. First time I was a rookie and those carbs are now junk. When you figure all the potential pitfalls $400 or $450 is pretty decent. If you get Randakks kit, and your carbs are in decent shape, and if they have original brass, you will have a good set. There is a good write up in Shoptalk to read first.