merc stix

[wolfie]

I would like some suggestions for brands of merc stix that are dependable and not too expensive. Also, where is the best place to buy them from. Thank you all.

[wolfie]

In case it matters, the bike is an '81 gs850gl.

[fastpakr]

You can get the MotionPro sticks for something like $40 through RonAyers, or you can get the Morgan CarbTune (by most accounts a better unit, although the MotionPro would probably be fine) and I seem to recall somebody indicating it was $65-70.

[Jethro]

I got the cheap Motion Pro sticks from Dennis Kirk a few years back for $40. They work just fine.

[DaveDanger]

I have an 81 GS850GLX as well, and have been shopping the net for a good deal on carb sticks too. The Morgan Carbtune? seem to be the best available, but when I checked the price conversion from British Lb's yesterday... it came up to something in the ballpark of $100. US. The Motion Pro unit is listed for around $54.00. Both of these may be cheaper from other sources, but I've had little luck finding them.

[fastpakr]

Use p/n 150437 at RonAyers - price should come up as $41.86

[DaveDanger]

Found the site, found the price you quoted... ordered it. Should have it in a few days. I surely would like to have gotten a Morgan Carbtune, but that's a mite rich for my blood. Thanks

[wolfie]

Thanks for the help.

[skip]

I got a motion pro through Jc whitney for about 40 dollars also.

[toymechanic.]

Thinking that more is better, I got the expensive MotionPro $80.00 JCWhitney. Use it Sunday it works great. The '82 is purring like a kitten, but now I get to remove the carbs again to readjust the floats. The Clymers book says to set them at .84-.92(I think these are the numbers). The picture in the Clymers is right by where the float has a step in it. and of course I used the wrong step, and have the floats set too high. They are not closing off completely, and have dumped about 3 pints of fuel in the crankcase. Luckily I have not changed my oil yet.

[Guy]

I bought a morgan carbtune last week. Excellent kit. Far more accurate than the *@%^$*@%^$*@%^$*@%^$ty dial indicators you see on ebay, and much less fiddly than mercury sticks.

[bgk]

The $40 Motion Pro and $100 Carbtune are equally accurate.

The principal advantage of the Carbtune is that it uses solid stainless steel rods inside the tubes, rather than liquid mercury.

Mercury is a poison, and many people don?t like the idea of tubes full of mercury in the house, especially if there are young children in the house, and children have a habit of getting into things that they shouldn?t.

In addition, if you use mercury sticks, you have to be careful modulating the throttle during a carb synch procedure. If you are revving the bike up in the range of 3000 rpm or so during the carb synch (which is a recommended part of the procedure), and suddenly you let go of the throttle, you?ll suck some mercury into your carbs and therefore into your engine.

This won?t really hurt your engine much, and you can just keep the engine running and get rid of the mercury through the combustion process, but just consider the poisonous mercury-laden exhaust fumes you?re inhaling while this is going on.

So, the bottom line is that both products are equally accurate and acceptable for a carb synch, but you just have to be more careful with the mercury sticks.

[fastpakr]

What's the difference between the econo and pro versions of the MP sticks? All I can see or find in the description is color

[bgk]

One is metal, one is plastic. Ironically, the plastic one is more expensive, but it is more robust than the metal one.

Buy the inexpensive one, it's fine for your purposes.

If you were to decide to buy the more expensive Motion Pro, you might as well just buy the Carbtune instead.

[Jethro]

I wish I had bought the Morgan. The Motion Pro unit has to sit upright while in storage, or the mercury will spill out. Can't travel with it too easy. Works just fine however...