Carb Tuners

[Ricko19]

I thinking about maybe lashing out and buying a carb tuner sometime in the near future. I know there are lots of threads about carb syncing (I've read them) but I'm looking for a recommendation on which one to get. People here seem to have a number of different ones.

I only have the one bike so not sure if it will be worth the outlay but not having much luck trying to borrow one locally, and not that keen to fork out for a dealer to do it each time.

The main ones I see available are:

Morgan Carbtune

Motion Pro

A couple of cheap ones with round gauges

Davida

There's also another round gauge one on Ebay in the States in a black moulded case that looks a little better quality

so, are they all much of a muchness, are some just crap, are some easier to use than others? I don't need a top notch one - I'm just a newbie who might use it only occasionally

[doctorgonzo]

I have the morgan carbtune. It works great.

[rideOn]

where do you get that brand. i've seen some on z1 and their people say they work fine.

[doctorgonzo]

where do you get that brand. i've seen some on z1 and their people say they work fine.

I actually ordered mine from Morgan. I had to pay in "pounds".

[Charlie G]

I bought a MorganCarbtune Pro last summer. It was recomended by many folks here. I ordered direct from Morgan. Fast delivery, no problems. http://www.carbtune.com/carbhist.html (check the "YOUR BIKE" link at their site for GS info)
I'm the only problem I had using it. I can't seem to read the manual for my bike, very well. Good luck.

cg

[spyug]

On the advice of just about everyone on this board and the others i frequent, the Morgan unit gets top praise. As an early Christmas present to self I ordered one a week or so ago. Still waiting for delivery.

I have the home made liquid one which is good for 2 cylinder engines and they can be adapted to 4 cylinders but it is a bit fiddly.

I'll let you know how it works when it turns up.

cheers,
Spyug

[twr1776]

Today 09:59 AM doctorgonzo I have the morgan carbtune. It works great.

The carbtune is the only way to go IMHO. No fluid, stable readings, easy to work with, the only downside to it is the adapters which are fine for the outer two carbs but installing the two inners on a hot engine is a bit of a PITA to do without burning your fingers. Z1 has these adapters which are much more "finger friendly".

http://www.z1enterprises.com/detail.aspx?ID=3263

[Steve]

... I'm looking for a recommendation on which one to get. People here seem to have a number of different ones.

I only have the one bike so not sure if it will be worth the outlay but not having much luck trying to borrow one locally, and not that keen to fork out for a dealer to do it each time.

The main ones I see available are:

Morgan Carbtune

Motion Pro

A couple of cheap ones with round gauges

Davida

There's also another round gauge one on Ebay in the States in a black moulded case that looks a little better quality

so, are they all much of a muchness, are some just crap, are some easier to use than others? I don't need a top notch one - I'm just a newbie who might use it only occasionally

You will have to do your own currency conversions, but here are some of my opinions:

Morgan Carbtune. I have never used one, but hear they are easy and good. At current conversion rates, the cost is $96.43 (US). Available directly from Morgan, carbtune.com. No liquid to spill, but you do have to calibrate it to make sure all four indicators are the same when connected to a single source.

Motion Pro. Available from Z1 (and others) for about $85. I have used one of these (actually, they used to make two models, I have used both). Easy enough to use, but you do have to be careful to not spill the fluid. I just looked at the Z1 site (do a search on Z for "carb tool") and saw that they now have replacement fluid. No calibration needed because it's fluid-based. The better model (for $85) uses a blue fluid, not sure what it is. The cheaper model (not sure if it's still available) used mercury. Although mercury is the standard by which all others are measured, it's highly toxic and GREAT care must be taken to not spill any. Unfortunately, the lid to the mercury reservoir was not very secure, it even made me nervous.

Ones with round gauges. Available from several places, prices range from about $50 to $80. These also have to be calibrated to make sure they all read the same when connected to a single source. They also need some way to dampen the vacuum pulses to minimize the needle bounce while in use. While not much harder to actually use, they are a bit harder to read. You have to scan farther from the first gauge to the last, and you have to watch the bouncing needles and determine whether they are parallel or not.

Davida? Never heard of it.

Round gauge on eBay? Haven't seen that one, either.

Others have used a TwinMax. It is an electronic pressure differential meter, and only connects to two cylinders at a time. That is difficult when tuning a four-cylinder bike.

Still others have made their own. A noble effort, but cumbersome. Some have noted that the gauge had to be 10 or 12 feet high to keep the fluid from being sucked into the engine. My ceiling is only 8 feet high.

In my garage I have a set of mercury sticks (similar to the ones from Z1, but from another manufacturer) that has SIX columns. Got that back in 1979 for my KZ1300, still have it. It will be a long time before I give it up, but I have considered a Morgan Carbtune for ease of portability when I go to help someone else. If you don't plan on being mobile with your repair services, you might consdier the gauge from Z1, but for only a $12 difference, I would probably suggest the Morgan.

.

[doctorgonzo]

The carbtune is the only way to go IMHO. No fluid, stable readings, easy to work with, the only downside to it is the adapters which are fine for the outer two carbs but installing the two inners on a hot engine is a bit of a PITA to do without burning your fingers. Z1 has these adapters which are much more "finger friendly".

http://www.z1enterprises.com/detail.aspx?ID=3263

Yeah I dropped one of the crappy plastic ones that come with it the first time I used it and never found it. I ordered the brass ones from Z1 the next day.

[rideOn]

i've been looking at various reviews for the morgan and apparently it is good medicine. a little over a buck delivered with a case. i like the idea of a christmas present to me.

[Mysuzyq]

Morgan Carbtune. I have never used one, but hear they are easy and good. At current conversion rates, the cost is $96.43 (US). No liquid to spill, but you do have to calibrate it to make sure all four indicators are the same when connected to a single source..

Steve, Morgan's Carbtune does not require calibration, according to the instructions that come with it. Having said that, there are a few users on the net who have reported that their tools had to be calibrated to work properly, but not sure how they did that, as the gauges aren't designed to be user calibrated.
Tony.

[rideOn]

Steve, Morgan's Carbtune does not require calibration, according to the instructions that come with it. Tony.

agreed. i just read the link to the carbtune and it says it doesn't really matter where on the scale the readings fall, just that all are within something like 2 units of one another. btw, i like the carb tool on the site. looks like some easy pickins to adjust while keeping the digits from the heat

[doctorgonzo]

That's what they mean by "calibration". My instructiins say hook each of the 4 tubes one at a time to the same carb, and they should read close to each other. If one ball reads twice as high on the same carb you've got a problem.

[Mysuzyq]

That's what they mean by "calibration". My instructiins say hook each of the 4 tubes one at a time to the same carb, and they should read close to each other. If one ball reads twice as high on the same carb you've got a problem.

That would be a test....calibration would be achieved via some means of adjustment to ensure that the errant ball/rod could be brought to the same level as the others. Dial-type sync tools have means to do this, prior to using the tool. Morgan says the tool is pre-set at the factory...I'm guessing they use 4 steel rods as close to each other in terms of O.D. and weight as possible, to generate approximately the same amount of 'drag' within the columns.
Tony.

[Steve]

Steve, Morgan's Carbtune does not require calibration, according to the instructions that come with it. Having said that, there are a few users on the net who have reported that their tools had to be calibrated to work properly, but not sure how they did that, as the gauges aren't designed to be user calibrated.
Tony.

OK, I was just going off memory, as I have never had the pleasure of using one (yet). I just thought I remembered seeing someone post that it was recommended to use a manifold (might have even been included with the gauge?) that allowed you to connect all four input tubes to one source. A fish aquarium air manifold would be a good substitute, if one did not come with the gauge.

Any time you are relying on a mechanical assembly, accuracy is highly dependant on the tolerances involved. I know that the steel rods are pulled up by the vacuum, but there has to be some clearance between the rods and the tubes, so there will be some airflow bypassing the rods. Depending on the production tolerances, there might be differences from one set to another. With my mindset, I would check for differences, even if they aren't adjustable.

Just one more reason I will keep my mercury sticks.
NO adjustment needed, ever,
just don't tip them over.

.