Carburetors

-If the bike that you have acquired has been sitting for any extended period of time, the chances are VERY good that the carburetors are going to have to be “overhauled” before you even try to start your bike.

-You may have difficulty even removing the tops of the carbs and pulling out the slides – applying some heat from a heat gun (not open flame) may help “free up” the slides – apply the heat uniformly around the body of the carb up and along the area where the slide sits and you may break the bond and the slide may pull out.

-Remove the float bowl and don’t be surprised at what you find in there – it may be a thick layer of green crap or a white powder.

-Carefully remove the float pin – if you need to tap it out with a small nail or ??– try to support the alum. posts that it goes through first – or you may break them

-Check the float by shaking it and listening for any liquid that may have gotten inside it – if there is any – it won’t float

-Carefully remove the needle valve and check the upper “pointed” section for a wear “ring” with a magnifying glass – if you see any evidence of a ring, it should be replaced – I prefer replacing the needle/seat valve with a Viton-tipped needle. You need to get a size 2.5 needle/seat valve for our triples.

-In order to thoroughly clean the brass jets, it is necessary to remove all the jets from the carb body, i.e., the pilot jet, the main jet and the needle jet.

-It is a good idea to soak the carb bodies and the carb brass parts in a carburetor cleaning solution such as Berryman's Carb Cleaner – at least 4 hours, maybe overnight. If you leave them in there much longer, they will turn dark in color.

-Once cleaned, you should check and make sure that the carb “internals” are what they should be for your bike. The stock specs may need to be changed, if your bike has been modified, i.e., chambers added or different air filters installed, the stock specs. may not be correct.

-If any of the carburetor parts need to be replaced - be aware that most of the "carb kits" that are available have jets that may NOT be accurate - it is best to make sure that you obtain genuine Mikuni jets for any replacement items