carbs to use on '81 eleven? mods needed?

[klrconcours]

Happy to join another great bike group! This is great stuff! So, I just bought this 81 eleven special with 3700 miles on the clock. Last owner tried to rebuild stinky carbs and broke them in the process. Q:I know other year carbs will fit, but what mods are needed to make them work? Jet changes etc? I'm shopping for replacements. Thanks. I searched for three hours to find a previous post of this. Probably there, just could find anything. sorry.

[Crazcnuk]

Any year carbs will work. You don't need to 'mod' them at all.

Just make sure you know the year of carbs and always rebuild them as the year they are, not the bike.

80-81 are pretty much identical, minor jetting changes, and the 78-79 are (virtually) identical

Other than that the 80-81 ones are easier to get parts for. Once you have played with them a little, you will learn what mods you can do for other reasons!

[klrconcours]

So if I understand, as long as they are 78-81 carbs and not messed with, they should be "plug and play." and air fuel mix should be okay with factory settings of those carbs of those years for my '81 bike? Thanks again!

[Crazcnuk]

Yes, although make sure you clean them, check to make sure they, in fact DO have all the correct parts, and set them up to original specs.

All carbs, even the ones that came with the bike, have to be final tuned to each motor, by synching, and setting the idle screws.

[DGXSER]

Yep, like Cnuk stated, if your bike has factory air box installed and factory 4-2 exhaust, then factory jetting of the carbs should be plug and play.

Alot of people play with the jetting and change sizes to try and get more performance. They often fail and think the carbs are crap so sell them. So, yes, 78-81 will work when jetted as from the factory for the year of the carbs and not the year of the bike as Cnuk stated.

[klrconcours]

thanks folks. Good stuff! I hope I can get real work done soon, so I can play with this machine soon.

[RODS454]

Carbs

If you want to get rid of that set of carbs, I'll take them off your hands. Of course I'd pay for them.
Thanks, RODS454