81 550 carb swap question

[ezmack]

short version: what needs to be replaced to use the carbs from an 850 on a 550?

I got my 81 550t as a 'free if you can fix it' type of deal. It came with 2 carbs, one was locked up pretty bad and missing parts, the other wasn't so bad.
I went to put it on the bike and realized it was a little longer than the intake boots.
I manage to fit it on the smaller rack by swapping the ?throttle linkages? on 2 and 3.
Right now I have it all apart and soaking so I can put in new O rings. From what I can tell from the 'oem carbs specs' thread it is from an 850gt.
In order to make this run properly what exactly needs to be switched? Are just the parts from a 550 carb kit enough or do I need additional parts such as a needle jet and jet needle? Also I've read bad things about carb kits, am I better off ordering jets individually?

Thanks in advance

[cowboyup3371]

Two carbs on a 550T? Someone sold you a story as the 550T has a bank of 4. The 83 models came with the siamese carbs but that was a totally different setup.

You'll be better off getting the correct carbs for your bike as i believe the 850 has a different setup. With that, yes, carb kits are unnecessary and come with useless parts. Get new orings from www.cycleorings.com and dip them properly according to the instructions you'll find at http://members.dslextreme.com/users/bikecliff

Post up some pictures of these carbs so we can help you out more.

[Steve]

Hopefully you can return those "carb kits" and get your money back.

Most "carb rebuild kits" typically contain inferior parts and are not worth the cardboard they are packaged in.

To answer your question, though, you need to change the throttle linages for carbs 2&3, all the jets, which include mains, pilot fuel, pilot air, needle jet and the jet needle. You will also need to change the "choke" rod that links all the carbs.

You would be far better off using all the stock parts that came out of your 550 carbs, instead of using the junk in the "kits".

.

[ezmack]

Maybe I wasn't clear; it came with 2 sets of carbs (like 2 banks of 4) however the ones that were stock are missing parts like someone tried to clean them and gave up.

I didn't order anything other than o rings I'm trying to figure out what I need.

Edit: so: mains, pilot air and gas, needle and needle jet. I'll see what I can get from the old stock one after it soaks for a while.

[cowboyup3371]

Past what Steve already said, all you will need is the orings from www.cycleorings.com, Berryman's carb dip, and time - about 24 hours each carb. Also pick up some new bowl gaskets from Z1 Enterprises, G&S Suzuki, or Boulevard Suzuki (to name a few) and a valve cover gasket. While your carbs are soaking, check the valve clearances (email Steve above for his spreadsheet), and order new shims as needed (might not need many depending on how well took care of it was).

[Steve]

In that case, you need to order up a bunch of stock, OEM Mikuni jets. Might cost as much as (or a bit more than) your carb kits, but you will be guaranteed the proper jets.

Now, before you order anything, are there any other mods on the bike? Stock airbox or pods? Stock exhaust or a header?

.

[ezmack]

No mods, airbox and exhaust are stock. I haven't read the valves guide yet, I'll have to go through that tomorrow.