79 xs650 carb floats.

[Paul Shaw]

I have a 79 xs 650 special and found that both floats have pinholes in them.They are the original brass floats,but I was wondering if I could use the plastic floats for the 80s model.Also when I had it running it would not run off choke.It has dual petcocks and vacuum lines and it had not dawned on me until now that those lines actually had a place to hook to..So would this be causing the majority of my problems.Also if anyone can tell me how to set the floats.I think it is 22 or 27 mm but I am not sure if the needle spring should be compressed or not.any pictures would help.

 

[grizld1]

And exactly why would you use BS34 float level settings on a BS38 carburetor? Go to the Tech section, find the link to the Carb Guide, and read. Floats do not interchange. Buy the OEM part (still available from Yamaha) or you'll probably wish you had.

 

[Paul Shaw]

Ok.I was just wondering about floats interchanging because I have heard that brass floats are notorious for developing pin holes.I am gonna order floats from mikes xs.

 

[grizld1]

There's a history of problems with those--pivots are often badly made. If you shop around you can find new originals for a decent buck. For part numbers see the parts manual at www.biker.net

 

[grepper]

You can also repair them solder. Lightly rough the surface with fine grit sandpaper around the hole, flux and carefully heat with a solder gun and dab with solder. You should reset your floats level when your done using a site tube, since now they may be heavier. If your cheap like me it might be worth a shot.

On the other-hand, if you want to avoid all the headaches of bad floats, buy new OEM floats like grizld says.

I struggled with mine, tried replacing them from MikesXS, finally paying $30 each at the local Yamaha dealer did the trick.
And Read those Carb Guides!

 

[Stigda]

Some years ago i had the same with my -77 Honda. (This was 50, as in 650 but 600 less!)
Soldering worked fine at least for the years i owned it.
I'd make sure all the gas is out before soldering.... good luck!

 

[Paul Shaw]

I thought about solder but there was gas left in the carbs by the last owner back in 92 and they developed a huge amount of pinholes.Will mikes replace defective products?I would rather buy cheap floats and save the money for something else because I still have a bit to do.I did everything to bring the bike back from the dead but still have more work to do such as the floats and carb syncing by exhaust.If anyone knows how to do this just as a rough estimate let me know.

 

[gggGary]

IMHO fixing floats is often not successful, with a magnifying glass you can sometimes see a series of fracture lines around the diameter of the float, no curing those. Haven't tried Mikes floats yet so can't comment. I think Sudco sells Mikuni floats. The BS 34 floats (1980 were brass, 81 up are foam) are a different size and will not fit the BS38s

 

[Paul Shaw]

Ok.I am gonna try mikes floats because I can get 2 floats and a drain plug for 30 dollars where ebay wants 30 a float and between 5 and 10 for a drain plug.the floats are definatly unrepairable.Way too many holes.

 

[5twins]

You would be better off wiping your ass with the 30. You'd get 30 wipes, lol. You can save a few dollars by buying Suzuki floats. The old Water Buffalo used BS40 carbs, pretty much identical to our BS38s. Floats are $5 to $10 cheaper from Suzuki for some reason.

 

[Paul Shaw]

So I can use BS40 floats for the 79 xs650 carbs.Ok so mikes parts are not great I take it.Any mods I have to make to the 40 floats for them to fit.The carb has original brass floats.

 

[5twins]

I can't say for 100% sure that the Suzuki floats will work but given the price difference, I think it's worth investigating. I would locate a local Suzuki shop that had them in stock and physically compare one to my Yamaha float.

http://www.wgcarbs.com/forum/index.php?topic=187.0;wap2

 

[Paul Shaw]

I found that the floats for a tx650 are the same as the xs650 floats and are about 10 dollars cheaper so I am gonna get those