Bonneville America Forums Forums Technical Forums Performance Mods Carburation Nirvana-FINALLY!!!!

Well, I think I have achieved (finally) carburation nirvana. I pulled the shims from my TBS needles, and tweaked the pilot screws back to 3 from 3.25 turns, and it runs SWEET. Pulls STRONG and SMOOTH all the way from 0 to 110 (in 4th gear), no hiccups to be seen! I took it for a spin tonight (after babysitting a friends 4 year old plus my kids all day (WHEW!!!!), and blasted it down the interstate at max velocity for 8 miles and back, and it was most excellent! Here is the setup:
Bub slash cuts
no main snorkel or inner snorkels in Airbox, Uni Filter
130 main jets
stock pilot jets (42)
TBS Needles, no shims
Pilot screws: 3 turns out (I still get some decel popping, but is more of a continuous crackle, which I kind of like)
and, 18 tooth sprocket. At 80mph, the engine seems very relaxed, content, and almost no noticeable off the line lag.
This is the setup I have been looking for, awesome sound on wide open throttle, smooth, linear, strong acceleration, everything seems just right. I'll check my plugs tomorrow, they were rich with 3.25 turns and a shim under the needle, so should be closer to ideal now....

Super Cool! Maybe you could get that machine on a dyno and get some numbers for what seems to be the perfect setup.

Soren

Congrats, Greg...
That's about the same set-up I have, except I'm running T-Bike pipes. I need to tweak just a little more - I need just a touch more fuel at the lower end.

My favorite part of this experience is riding at 55-70 mph. The bike just "growls" at that speed with the TBike pipes. Not HD loud, just a beautiful throaty tone....!

Quote:

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(after babysitting a friends 4 year old plus my kids all day (WHEW!!!!),

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No wonder you were doin' 110mph away from there...heehee

Sounds great! I've got almost the same setup; BUB Dresser Dogs, hole in the airbox/filter, TBS needles w/o shims, 130 mains, 45 pilots (almost no popping) and it screams!!! I must say though, that I sometimes search for the 6:th gear even with the 18t front sprocket.

piper, I still find the need once in a while to search for 6th gear but not nearly like before. When I took it to top end last night, I tried hard acceleration in 4th and 5th gears, and kept it in 4th because it definitely pulls better and the engine isn't strained at all at 110 in 4th. Now that is the way it should be! Ready to pack it up and ferry it over to Germany now for some riding down the Autobahn and down into the Swiss Alps.... Now, anyone got about $8000 they feel like just giving away so I can do it...

I've pretty much got the same setup. SS long cannons with 132.5's. I moved my A/F screws from 3.5 to 3.25 because it seemed a bit rich. That brought back a little popping on decel but I kind of like the extra noise. What kind of MPG are you getting? My best is 41 which seems on the low side.

Hi Al,
Looks like we're in the same neighborhood on setups, but I still haven't gotten aftermarket pipes yet. I am still blowing on my 99 cent Speedy long pipes (drilled out of course). I have 132 mains, stock pilots, all snorkels out and a hole in bottom of filter/box. At 4 turns out, I have no popping at all on decel, but from full roll on to decel, I get one loud backfire out of each pipe about 3 seconds apart (that tells me they're out of synch - but I synch them regularly). As I turn my screws in the bang weakens but when I get to 3.25 turns - the popcorn popper starts again. At 4 turns out, there is some soot on plugs, but clears up at 3.25.
MILEAGE: Usually 130 miles until reserve (41mpg), but I drive like you probably do (WAO). Last Sunday my wife and I went on an CMA ride after church. 152 miles on 3.07 gallons - that's 49.5 mpg riding two up. Of course it was a nice leisurely ride with 70 others on two lane black tops at 45-65 mph.
Ride Safe,
Dennis

I'm right in that same area as well...

- Specialty Spares (modified to be really f*ing loud)
- Modified air box (all snorkels gone, Uni, cut out bottom and inside wall)
- 132 main jets, 45 pilots
- TBS Needles - no shims
- Carb slide vacuum ports drilled out to 7/64"
- Air mixture scews 3.5 turns out
- Grin from one side of my face to the other

I don't get popping like I used to, more of a burbling or something. It sounds great! It pulls fantastic in any gear at any RPM. I am *very* happy with the way mine runs.

Al, I'll have to get back to you after I finish this first tank of gas. The first first tank was busy running it up and down the powerband looking for any problems, flat spots, acceleration, not really normal day to day riding. I did check my plugs yesterday, and they are now a dull grey/tan look, so I think I can live with that.

OK Al, here we go with the MPG info. I ran through 2 tanks of gas in a mix of conditions. On the first tank, it was 99 miles of around town and some back highway stuff, then the remainder of that tank running up I-85 at 75mph (never below 70, and several times at indicated 80-85), and the second tank was almost exclusively interstate riding. On the first tank, it was a mix between cool and damp, to hot and muggy (90 degrees and 76% humidity) and the second tank half hot and muggy and half cooler 70-80 and muggy at night. On both tanks, I hit 154 miles before going to reserve, giving me an average of 44mpg, which is how it was when I bought the bike, so I'm happy.

Bayern, Where did you get your needles and how much were they? We are running very similar setups and are in the same area sounds like it 's worth a try. Thanks for the info.

sctba, I ordered them from Ridge Motorsports in Batesburg, I try not to do business with Grady Miller or whatever their name is now if I can help it.

Thanks Bayern for the info, I have had little luck with Greedy I mean Grady Millers I don't even bother going anymore.I think it is called Performance Cycles now.

Hey Sctba, I was just over at Greedys, listening to them get reamed by an angry customer, and listening to them bad mouth her after the fact. She has a recall for a Honda ATV, and wanted them to pick it up from her house, naturally they wouldn't. So she gave them an earful about making money off of them on the sale, so they da#n well better and so on. So afterward the guy says, "we didn't make sell her that, that was Grady Miller!!!" (duh, it's the same dealership with lousy service under a new name) Boy I wish Batesburg was closer!!!!

Gotta love quality service! The guys in Batesburg seem very friendly helpful. It'd be a 250 mile round trip down there for me, might make that run in the fall. As you know that part of the state is miserably hot and humid this time of year. That's why I run the NC mountains a bunch. Ride safe.

Hey it's not always miserably hot and humid here, why sometimes it drops down to 90° and 80% humidity!!!