Carb overhaul?

[Anonymous]

'82 GS1100GK- Pulled the Mikuni carbs off to clean up. Couldn't resist so I pulled one bowl off to have a look. Found a good quantity of sand like sediment the color of rust. Pulled another bowl with the same results.

So, I'm committed to tearing these bad boys down. Should I spend the money on a rebuild kit or just new bowl gaskets and clean everything out. How likely are the jets and needles to be worn? I don't mind spending the money on kits if needed, but I want to make sure it's warranted.

What is a good source for carb kits/parts?

Chumpy

[Jeff Tate]

Personally I'd just try cleaning them real good to start with. You didn't say how many miles your bike has but I kind of doubt if you need to buy rebuild kits right off. If you do decide you need them try... www.denniskirk.com I believe they're about $25.00 per carb. I tear mine down every couple of years and shoot Gumout thru every hole and orifice I can find and they work fine from there. Mine's a '82 1100EZ.
Also, check to see how many turns out any air/fuel screws are before removing them(note it)and don't mix any of the parts between carbs.

[Anonymous]

The bike has 49,000 miles. I just bought it. I am going to go through the valve adjustment and balance the carbs. If I can get away with just a cleaning with new gaskets, that's great. But if there's a chance that the needles and/or the jets could need replacing, I want to do it now.

Chumpy

[dgeorge]

Chumpy, there is a guy here that sells just the o-rings for our carbs, then all you might need is the bowl gaskets. He charges about $12.00 for the o-rings and the bowl gaskets can be had for about $3.00 apiece so for the cost of one carb rebuild kit you can rebuild all four carbs. The guy with the o-rings is Robert Barr and you can check out his web page at http://home.att.net/~robert.barr/
I just installed them in my carbs, don't have them back on the bike yet due to a problem with the air/fuel mix screw on #4 carb. but everything seems good with them.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the tip. I'll follow-up.

Chumpy

[Anonymous]

Chumpy, there is a guy here that sells just the o-rings for our carbs, then all you might need is the bowl gaskets. He charges about $12.00 for the o-rings and the bowl gaskets can be had for about $3.00 apiece so for the cost of one carb rebuild kit you can rebuild all four carbs. The guy with the o-rings is Robert Barr and you can check out his web page at http://home.att.net/~robert.barr/
I just installed them in my carbs, don't have them back on the bike yet due to a problem with the air/fuel mix screw on #4 carb. but everything seems good with them.

Didn't get the screw out yet?
Did you get the one I sent?