Topic: What is the point of a carb rebuilding kit?

[jorwesflow]

I just took the carburetors apart on my '76 CB550F that I just bought from a guy (my first bike). They were super dirty and stuck so I bought one of those carb cleaners that comes in the paint can with the dip basket. After leaving the disassembled carbs in the cleaner for an hour or two, they come out as good as new (at least they look that way). So I'm wondering when it is appropriate to purchase a carb kit? I can't imagine carburetors being in worse condition than mine were, but all parts seem to be okay.

[BeSeeingYou]

I don't think parts like the jets commonly wear out but the gaskets do and maybe the needle valve.  The problem seems to be with some carb kits the parts are of low quality and may be worse than the old oem stuff in your carbs.  Try and clean and salvage what you have and throw in new gaskets.

[Johnie]

Don't buy a kit. Clean it up like you did, put it together, do a bench sync, put it on the bike and turn on the gas. First wait to see if gas flows from the overflow tubes or float bowl gaskets. If not you are half way there. Then fire it up and see how she runs. If gas comes from the overflows you may need new needle jets and seats if they are worn to a point they will not seal. Or if they leak some guys have luck using a polish on the seats and needles, but that is down the line if you have problems. If the bike runs good then do a vacuum sync and you are good to go.