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1981 GS550 (cv carbs) needle question

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    1981 GS550 (cv carbs) needle question

    Quick question to discuss with those who have tinkered with GS550 cv carbs....

    Bike: 1981 GS550 with cv carbs. This is my "project" that I've totally rebuilt over the past year (I have a very detailed thread in the project section).

    As others have done, I am running a Dynojet kit for the 1982 Katana (closest fit for this bike, as the '82 550s and 81s have the same carbs). I'm also running K&N paired filters, running a 4-1 Mac exhaust (baffled), and the engine is basically stock. It has good compression and a leak-down test was good too.

    When re-starting the bike, it idled great, but showed all the classic signs over being way too rich under throttle - ran worse as it warmed up, bogging down under throttle (worsening as it warmed up), and it would foul plugs very quickly (within seconds).

    The dynojet kit calls for the new needles to be on the 3rd e-clip position down. I set them up on the 4th clip position down, so I expected it to be a little rich, but not THAT rich. I pulled the carbs and opened them up anyway. Here's what each needle looked like:



    ***So here's my question*** There were no detailed directions for my jet kit other than recommended settings, but it did say "keep stock washers in their positions" so I did that when I rebuilt them. HOWEVER, I don't think they were correct when I got the bike, so I might have them wrong now.

    I remember reading something somewhere about owners swapping the fat spacer and the washer around because Suzuki jetted these carbs too lean from the factory. I wondered if that had happened to this bike before I got it. If you look at the pic above, is that correct? I'm now thinking it isn't. Just imagine the fat orange spacer being moved to ABOVE the black e-clip, and the small silver washer being moved below the clip. That would essentially lower the needle by nearly the diameter of the fat spacer (minus the diameter of the thin washer) and make it run much less rich.

    So I swapped the spacer and washer - to what I now think was stock. Like this:


    Soo....Is this the stock position for the spacer/washer, or is it like the first pic??

    #2
    Hi,

    Your second picture is the stock arrangement.


    Thank you for your indulgence,

    BassCliff

    Comment


      #3
      Try following the instructions with the spacer over the e-clip.
      I bet it's not as rich.
      1983 GS 1100E w/ 1230 kit, .340 lift Web Cams, Ape heavy duty valve springs, 83 1100 head with 1.5mm oversized SS intake valves, 1150 crank, Vance and Hines 1150 SuperHub, Star Racing high volume oil pump gears, 36mm carebs Dynojet stage 3 jet kit, Posplayr's SSPB, Progressive rear shocks and fork springs, Dyna 2000, Dynatek green coils and Vance & Hines 4-1 exhaust.
      1985 GS1150ES stock with 85 Red E bodywork.

      Comment


        #4
        Second picture is correct, move the clip back to the proper groove while you are at it.

        .
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        hers: 1982 GS850GL - "Angel" and 1969 Suzuki T250 Scrambler
        #1 son: 1986 Yamaha Venture Royale 1300 and 1982 GS650GL "Rat Bagger"
        #2 son: 1980 GS1000G
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        Comment


          #5
          Those dont look like any DJ needles I have seen, too blunt, not enough taper

          Comment


            #6
            Thanks guys!

            That should drop the needle enough to lean it out plenty.

            These are the needles that came with the kit. They do look pretty straight, but everything else with the kit is OK, so I'm trusting they are the right ones. Others have made them work successfully on '80 and '81 GS550s.

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