Carb rebuilt kit sources

[Anonymous]

My '83 GS1100E has been sitting for over 2 years. Even before that, it was hard to start, needed to run at 1500+ rpm for 5+minutes before I could ride off, seemed to run rich, and the left carb would weep gas. Now that I want to get it running again, I'm thinking carb rebuild. (Duh, ya think?!)

Did a search and found a ton of good info on rebuilding the carbs, getting O-rings from Robert (though I haven't a clue as to what o-rings these are), installing a Pingel petcock, etc, etc.

However, "find 'em on eBay" and http://www.motorcyclecarbs.com are the only sources listed for carb rebuild kits. Nothing currently listed on eBay, and MotorcycleCarbs wants $26 each.

Anyone know some cheaper sources for carb rebuild kits?

Thanks for listening.

Pete

[bwringer]

Cycle recycle II in Indy. They're great people to deal with.

Scroll down to the bottom for your kit:

http://www.crc2onlinecatalog.com/carb_kits.htm

$21.95 each!

Be warned that these aftermarket carb kits are often a little sloppy -- I much prefer to re-use the OEM parts wherever possible. If you have to replace the jets, you have to pay attention to the numbers on the jets to make sure the new jets are numbered the same.

I've also found that the springs inside the float needles are very soft in some aftermarket kits, making it impossible to set float height accurately. Caveat emptor.

However, they're the only parts available in some cases, unless you want to spend several hundred dollars and figure out which OEM parts to order.

[SqDancerLynn1]

Check this site Even with the carb kits you sometimes need the O ring kit from Robert MAKE sure to compare the new parts to the old ones

https://www.siriusconinc.com

[bwringer]

Just this morning, I compared the aftermarket needle and seat sets from an aftermarket K&L kit with the original parts from my GS850 carbs.

Everything seems OK and fairly identical until you get to the little spring-loaded nubbin sticking out of the needle. On the aftermarket part, it sticks out 1 to 1.5 mm less than on the OEM, plus the spring is much weaker.

Using the aftermarket needle, the float sits much lower (1.5mm at the needle translates to 3-4 mm where you measure the level) plus the float compresses the spring some unknown amount so it sits even lower.

On the OEM part, the nubbin on the needle sits a bit higher, and the stronger spring does not begin to compress under the weight of the float when you have the carbs upside down to you check float level.

The aftermarket needle seats also lack the filter screen that the OEM seats have.

Notwithstanding the above, my bike ran fine for the three years I had the aftermarket needles and seats in place. Being younger and more foolish at the time, I did not check the float levels before reassembly -- I just stuck the new parts in and slapped it back together. YMMV.

I think the fuel level was running high though, because I had a small amount of fuel seepage all the time -- the outsides of the float bowls eventually became stained with evaporated gasoline, and the bike always smelled like gasoline.

It's worth noting that you can buy just the float bowl gaskets from CRCII, and these work fine. And as long as they're not completely plugged, you can soak, clean and re-use the stock jets and needles. With an O-ring kit from Robert, you're most of the way to having everything you need. Oh, and make sure the pilot screw isn't scored.

[Mr. Jiggles]

Got mine last year at Dennis Kirk for my 1100e for $22 each if I remember correctly.

[Anonymous]

Who is Robert? How can I contact him?

[bwringer]

Heeeeeeeeeeres Robert!

http://cycleorings.com

Great guy. Great o-rings. Buy lots of them.

[Anonymous]

THanks, I will probably be ordering a set soon. I am going to take the carbs apart first and check the condition of all the parts.

I'd hate to spend good money on parts I don't need.

Thanks, Allen

[Anonymous]

...which is exactly what I was going to ask. It sounds like one should disassemble, clean, and examine the parts before ordering anything. The downside is that you're down longer.

Second question: It also sounds like the OEM parts are a) preferable, and b) still available (which surprised me). True or false?

Pete

[Anonymous]

Bringing back an old topic...

Has anyone been able to find a good replacement for the needle seat and valves?

I installed the ones from the K&L kit, but the spring seem so soft. Can I still accurately perform a float height adjustment with these on??

TIA!

[Anonymous]

-bump-

Anyone?

[bwringer]

Order the OEM needles and seats from Bikebandit.com or ronayers.com.

The aftermarket needles and seats from K&L or Keyster (that come in the rebuild kits) are all crap, but I don't know if there are other aftermarket brands out there.

[Rock]

http://www.Sudco.com has probably any part still available from Mikuni. Also http://www.z1enterprises.com/default.aspx has a good selection.