Tuning carbs after rebuild

[Peanutbutter Nma]

These "old school" web forums are absolutely worth their weight in gold. Speaking as one of the younger(?) guys here at 36 years old, the older guys that have been around these bikes since they were new are an invaluable resource, sad to say many are of the age that they are passing on now.

I hear ya brother. I got this bike as a 30th present from my girlfriend last year, sold my previous bike when I got out of the navy but she saw me drooling over this one on marketplace and made it happen. I didn't quite know what I was getting into(neither did she lol), and the bike was pretty poorly maintained so I've had my work cut out for me. Its been a blast, but it would have been much harder if not for all the curated stuff bouncing around this site. The "Maintenance" section?? *chefs kiss*

On the parts subject, I'm more likely to machine my own than pay $15 for a dinky piece of brass. The cheapo stuff is just to try it before I spool up the lathe, I'll be sure to spread word of my failure far and wide should it be the case. My only real fear is about the floats not working quite right at power because of the weight being off or something. I can't picture how much fuel is flowing through these at power, but the float having a different momentum seems consequential to me. Nothing to do but try, I'm in it for the love of the game and my wallet lol those floats are hella expensive and I can't make them. It'll be a lesson either way.

[Larrym]

Hello everyone. I come from Germany and have built in this Repair Kit and cannot share the opinion that the scrap is. My XS 1100 with sidecar runs with this kit without any problems. Greetings Horst

Yay fOaR you! \(^_^)/

Imma not bein' facetious or dishonest about that. FOAR REALZ! (･‿･)

I myself bought/installed non OEM/non Mikuni partz too!-



I ran into the problem(s) of the float needle/seat pairs NOT actually sealing thus letting the fuel overflow WAY above the float bowls. My bike ran so poorly I considered it unusable and in an effort to troubleshoot the issue did tests of the primary/secondary ignition, ruled out vacuum leaks by "smoke testing", used a borescope camera with a light to check for mechanical problems in the cylinder/valves/timing, and the list went on and on. BUT all systems checked/tested out as OK. I swapped out the carbs with a Test Bank I keep around for such occasions and the bike ran like the superbike I had come to know fOaR over 15 years. (◕‿◕)

I determined the float needle/seats were the problem through bench tests on the Original carbs. Fixed it with buying/installing/adjusting NEW needles/seats (K&L...), removed the Test Bank of carbs, and reinstalled the original carb bank. Without the faulty needles/seats the bike "Ran". But I had left in the jets which came in the pretty orange boxes shown above. ( •_•)

NOT the Superbike Experience I had enjoyed fOaR years. (≖ ︿ ≖ )

Best way to describe it is to say that in my youth I owned and drove a 1969 RS Camaro with a 350 engine and 255 horsepower. 3 years of driving that wunderful car till life got in the way and I had to sell it. ٩(´•⌢•｀ )۶

Fast forward 15 years and 1000 miles away later to find me at a friends house helping her replace a water pipe in her kitchen. After getting the broken pipe out her brother shows up in a noice blue 1969 Camaro blocking my car from getting outta the driveway. To get to the hardware store the brother offered to drive so off we went. -===≡≡≡┌( oʖo)┘

On the way to the hardware store I was comfusled. (゜-゜)

I had owned and driven a 69 Camaro so's I thought I knew wut the ride would be like. But it WASN'T. The Camaro did all the things one would expect it too. Stop. Steer. Accelerate. Decelerate. But it felt like it was all in a sorta "slow-motion". Not nearly the acceleration I remembered in my youth. I chalked all this up to me misremembering wut it was like to own/drive the Camaro I had from years befOaR. "Rose Colored Glasses" I guessed. (⊙_☉)

That is untill we stopped at a gas station on the way back. The brother fueled up and then lifted the hood to check the oil. Frome the passenger seat I peered between the cowl and the lifted rear edge of the hood...... (●__● )

The engine wuz an INLINE 6(SIX) CYLINDER and NOT even a V8. ( ╯°□° )

The ride back made a LOT mOaR sense. (º～º)

Just sayin' that yup, my bike ran wit thos jets frum the perty Orange boxes. But it was NOT a "Super Bike" and didn't perform like one. ( •́ ⍨ •̀)

At 60 miles on the trip odometer I couldn't TAKE it anymore, yoinked the carbs, pulled the chinee jets, MIKUNI installed, bank re-installed on the bike. ( ^_^)／

I don't doubt you when you say, "My XS 1100 with sidecar runs with this kit without any problems." ＼(￣O￣)

But I bought/own an XS1100 and expect it to run like one. NOT an XS850. ヾ(＾-＾)ノ

[DiverRay]

All floats will vary, so don't worry about it. You set the floats because they DO vary, if the same, they would all be set at "X" mm and your done.You can repair a leaking brass float, just solder the hole. I've used a soldering gun and had no problems after the repair.
Just remember, these are NOT electronics with a tight tolerance and no adjustment. Carbs are designed to be adjusted so they can work at different altitudes with different fuel grades, on different engines.

[DEEBS11]

I have also sealed brass floats with solder. Heat the brass with a heat gun gently to dry up the fuel that seeped inside first to get close to the original weight. Clean with a Scotch-Brite pad before soldering. Try to use minimal solder. I have repaired many Tecumseh floats like this as well.

[Hecky 48]

[Hecky 48]

[Hecky 48]

Hello guys, if I want to use the original mikuni parts, I have to record a small loan here in Germany. With us here, some XS1100 drivers drive with these kits without any problems. Greetings Horst

[Larrym]

Questions:

I have no idea what the main idle adjustment was set to. Does anyone have a ballpark for the normal gaps under the butterflys?



Thanks in advance yall, I'm so stoked to get this beauty on the road. If I'm confident she's running well I'm gonna try to bring her to Williamsport in the summer, I'm not too far away!

FoaR the "nurmal" gaps under the butterflies as in doing a bench synch "so you can start the bike in order to do the proper vacuum sync and other carb adjustments" ??? (O_o)

The method I used in the past and will continue to use is....

Drum roll........... ( ๑‾̀◡‾́)σ"

Easy Bench Sync Method-

https://xs11.club/forum/repairs/carb...thod#post36964

Fingers crossed for you in yur efforts "to get this beauty on the road." (^_^)

So far, my XS1100 is the only ways I can deal wit things whens I gets the ZOOMIES. (*′☉.̫☉)

[Rasputin]

Truth is other than buggered up jets or size change I have never had to replace the brass parts. Matter of fact a lot of the time the gaskets can be re-used. I have been a XS1100 owner since 1979 and at one time had 11 of the beasts in my garage. They are basically a non wear item.

[DEEBS11]

Truth is other than buggered up jets or size change I have never had to replace the brass parts. Matter of fact a lot of the time the gaskets can be re-used. I have been a XS1100 owner since 1979 and at one time had 11 of the beasts in my garage. They are basically a non wear item.

Yes. That is why filling a 47 year old carburetor with cheap Chinese brass & rubber is an absolute crime against humanity.

[LAB3]

Yes. That is why filling a 47 year old carburetor with cheap Chinese brass & rubber is an absolute crime against humanity.

People that do that should be held accountable at an international tribunal in The Hague!

[Peanutbutter Nma]

I have also sealed brass floats with solder. Heat the brass with a heat gun gently to dry up the fuel that seeped inside first to get close to the original weight. Clean with a Scotch-Brite pad before soldering. Try to use minimal solder. I have repaired many Tecumseh floats like this as well.

See, that was on my list of options too, thanks for confirming that for me! I think eventually I'll repair the float and machine my own screws just for kicks. And I'll machine it based on the dimensions of the chinese knock-off just to spite yall lmao see ya at Nuremburg 2 Carburetor Boogaloo

[Peanutbutter Nma]

FoaR the "nurmal" gaps under the butterflies as in doing a bench synch "so you can start the bike in order to do the proper vacuum sync and other carb adjustments" ??? (O_o)

The method I used in the past and will continue to use is....

Drum roll........... ( ๑‾̀◡‾́)σ"

Easy Bench Sync Method-

https://xs11.club/forum/repairs/carb...thod#post36964

Hey, thanks for catching that question! That was the last piece, I'll be doing floats and syncing tonight

[Larrym]

Yes. That is why filling a 47 year old carburetor with cheap Chinese brass & rubber is an absolute crime against humanity.

[cajun31]

Hey, thanks for catching that question! That was the last piece, I'll be doing floats and syncing tonight

Just remember when adjusting those carbs on the bench to follow the bread tie method as far as the sequence for adjusting goes. I like Larry adjust them to the middle of that hole but use the bread tie method which is a bit different from the final synch adjustment outlined in the manual. You will fight the adjustments from carb to carb otherwise.