Rattler Carb Tuning
Posted: Sat Apr 25, 2009 9:32 pm
I took a closer look at the carb & airbox today, & here is what I found:
The pilot (low speed) screw was surprisingly easy to access with the correct screwdriver, given all the hoopla I've read about the necessity of seat-removal &/or access hole drilling ...
Mine was actually set too rich (motor is bone-stock) at approx. 1.5 turns out. It is now about 2.25 - 2.5 (I don't recall specifically) out, & runs better.
The airbox had a 10mm thick foam pre-filter covering the paper element. It was just in there by friction fit. I removed it. A quick test after those 2 changes revealed 63MPH indicated (in strong crosswinds, on slight downgrade) bfore I backed off. Not too shabby.
I don't think that drilling out the divots in the outer airbox cover is the way to go. The airbox has a rubber snorkle at the inlet that makes a 90 degree bend into the airbox. It looks overly restrictive. I would like to remove it, however I'm not sure that the Keihin jets that I have on hand will fit this carb. I understand that the stock jet is an 85, is that correct?
Anyone know the actual Keihin series number for the correct jets for these carbs? I preume that removing the airbox & pulling the carb from the manifold (without removing the cables) will make the jet change a bit easier. And there appears to be plenty of room to do it without removing the seat or plastic.
I have plenty of experience tuning Keihin CVK carbs, but none with this thing. The slide is apparently a direct connect to the throttle. Anyone know if the needle has an adjustable clip, or if there is sufficent space to shim it?
The pilot (low speed) screw was surprisingly easy to access with the correct screwdriver, given all the hoopla I've read about the necessity of seat-removal &/or access hole drilling ...

The airbox had a 10mm thick foam pre-filter covering the paper element. It was just in there by friction fit. I removed it. A quick test after those 2 changes revealed 63MPH indicated (in strong crosswinds, on slight downgrade) bfore I backed off. Not too shabby.
I don't think that drilling out the divots in the outer airbox cover is the way to go. The airbox has a rubber snorkle at the inlet that makes a 90 degree bend into the airbox. It looks overly restrictive. I would like to remove it, however I'm not sure that the Keihin jets that I have on hand will fit this carb. I understand that the stock jet is an 85, is that correct?
Anyone know the actual Keihin series number for the correct jets for these carbs? I preume that removing the airbox & pulling the carb from the manifold (without removing the cables) will make the jet change a bit easier. And there appears to be plenty of room to do it without removing the seat or plastic.
I have plenty of experience tuning Keihin CVK carbs, but none with this thing. The slide is apparently a direct connect to the throttle. Anyone know if the needle has an adjustable clip, or if there is sufficent space to shim it?