Topic: Needle jets - Prologue

[Patrick]

For those of you who read the last string, I changed the needle jets, likely the original 31-year-old jets, and reinstalled the carbs. I synched them, I tuned them and I went for a ride.

I wept.

She idles better, she accelerates better, that annoying slight popping is gone, even the clutch works better and she finds neutral easier.  Not only that, I am now younger than I was yesterday and a far sight better looking. The first beautiful girl who saw me on my purring Widowmaker swooned and demanded that I take her on the spot. I did. Now I can't go back to that grocery store again for a while. Why couldn't I have run into her at Autozone?

This is only a slight exageration. OK, the part about the girl may not be true, but it should be. It's that good. And maybe I'm stretching a bit about the clutch and neutral - although I swear it seems like I am not. But it is a stone cold fact that the improvement in performance was breathtaking.

It's hard to type. Tears of joy blur the screen.

Patrick

[heffay]

   <---  joy

[dusterdude]

groovy

[liaudio]

how is that possible? 

[heffay]

"Sticky side down!"

unless you've got gum on your seat, audio.   

happened to my gf on our vegas ride... it was fun to call her gumass for the rest of the trip   

[nickjtc]

There is NOTHING to match the feeling when the bike runs right after you've done some fettling, NOTHING!!!!!

[liaudio]

what was improved by doing this exactly?  I will def. do it if there is a substantial improvement, as you've stated!

If they're not all gummed up, bent, or worn, I don't see an advantage.

I want that warm feeling in my gut too!




(oh, and by the way...  please no more chihuahua bashing.  my guy is super chill  )

[jsaab2748]

what was improved by doing this exactly?  I will def. do it if there is a substantial improvement, as you've stated!

If they're not all gummed up, bent, or worn, I don't see an advantage.

I want that warm feeling in my gut too!




(oh, and by the way...  please no more chihuahua bashing.  my guy is super chill  )

The needle rubs the inside of the jet constantly every time the throttle is moved open or closed, causing the needle and jet to both wear, allowing more fuel (richer mix). This condition of the jet/needle is not always visible to the naked eye, but can have dramatic effects on the way the engine runs. Replacement of the pair can really clean up performance

[ic455]

Could this be the reason for being able to start a bike in cool weather without applying choke?

[Patrick]

Consider, if you will, how your main jets would look if they were original and had sat unattended for 31 years. That's how my jets looked. It's easy to check the next time you tear down your carbs. Just use a dowel like was talked about in the other string. It's easy. Unfortunately, you don't get to use much force. Tap them out and take a look at them. You might be disappointed.

Patrick

[ic455]

Consider, if you will, how your main jets would look if they were original and had sat unattended for 31 years. That's how my jets looked. It's easy to check the next time you tear down your carbs. Just use a dowel like was talked about in the other string. It's easy. Unfortunately, you don't get to use much force. Tap them out and take a look at them. You might be disappointed.

Patrick

Where did you get your kits?

[Patrick]

I stumbled on these kits on Ebay. Some of the best work I've done for my bike has been sitting in an easy chair with my laptop.

Patrick

[ic455]

Yeah, I did alot of hard-time scouring the net for info, too!  When I landed here, I knew I was home.  I've made alot of progress just slapping away at the keyboard and running my printer ragged

[Patrick]

By the way, Audio, in our neighborhood learning to co-exist with Chihuahuas is not optional. The place is crawling with them. Everywhere. Ever see the movie "Ben?"

My wife and I walk the neigbborhood every night, part of her devious plan to keep my income rolling in. Anyway, we have some friends on the other side of the neighborhood. They have a pack of 'em. At least six, maybe seven, it's hard to tell what with all the frenetic activity. Boucing everywhere.

And the yapping. Oh. My. God.

Sometimes as we walk past that yard I get a vision of just how Jazzy might have reacted.

Patrick

[liaudio]

i know what you mean, but my guy's real cool.  quiet, obedient, etc..


What if I take the tubes out and don't see any visable wear or gunk?

Should I still consider changing them? 

The reason I'm so curious is because I've been having a hard time tuning these carbs. 

My 550, no problem.  My 450, no problem.  750f, no problems.

This guy is just frustrating me.  Maybe I should do the needles and needle jets either way.

[Patrick]

When I pulled mine I had no trouble spotting the wear and corrosion. If yours look OK, they may not need changing. Try running your needles back and forth and see if there's any play. The needles I pulled from my carbs were only in there a couple years and they were ridged from the needle jets. They were aftermarket needles, so they may not have been a perfect match. But if needles wear out, so do the jets they go through. If your needles have ever shown wear, your jets would have equivalent wear. It's just something to look at. I rode my scoot again today just to see if I would be as impressed today as I was immediately after I finished yesterday. It's true, my bike has never run better, at least since I owned it (two years, including a complete rebuild). The idle is smooth and it punches when I hit it. And the air screws were so close when I checked the color on the plugs that  adjusted one an eighth of a turn, and I didn't need to do that. It was a major improvement for my ride.

Patrick

[nickjtc]

How many miles on the bike will be an important consideration. If it's 'up there' (I'll pick a figure out of thin air and say 20,000 miles) maybe we should consider changing needles and needle jets as a matter of routine maintenance.....?? IT has to be done on Amal carbs as a matter of routine.

Carb rebuild kits can be got from: http://siriusconinc.com/search/show_result.asp

This is the 750 page.

[ic455]

How many miles on the bike will be an important consideration. If it's 'up there' (I'll pick a figure out of thin air and say 20,000 miles) maybe we should consider changing needles and needle jets as a matter of routine maintenance.....?? IT has to be done on Amal carbs as a matter of routine.

Carb rebuild kits can be got from: http://siriusconinc.com/search/show_result.asp

This is the 750 page.

Good link, I see that the Keyster kit comes with the jet needle and the needle jet, as well as the rest of the stuff.  I saw a couple kits elsewhere that do not appear to have these.  Thanks for the link!