Best carbs you can buy?

Liftedzuki

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I have a 80 xs650, has a PMA, pamco e advance, 4 cell antigravity (kick only), stock engine for now (after mobbing it awhile, it'll get built to a big bore engine).

What is the best carbs you can buy for performance.

No budget, not a highway bike (aka don't care about "reliability" or "longevity").

I will post pics of the bike shortly as it's been awhile.
 
I bought these:
MIKUNI TM34-B120 CARBURETOR KIT for YAMAHA XS650 ( 3L1 & 447 )
http://www.mikuni-topham.de/ENGLISHSITE/ENGLISH/Frame_English.html

Admittedly, I have not used them yet, so if they are worth the $$$, I do not know.
At least they should keep synchronization better than VMs or separate TMs, or DellOrtos for that matter.

I do know that Sudco has Keihin FCR kits for Norton Commando, but not for the XS, last time I checked.
Based on my own experience with a FCR 39 kit on my Ducati Monster 680, I would have bought Keihin FCR for the XS as well, if someone offered a pre-jetted kit. Excellent response, steady idle, very good low rpm/low load operation.

I see on the forum that a lot of members are getting excellent results with the Keihin CV carbs from Kawasaki GPZ500/ EX500 models. This will be "best bang for the buck" I'm sure. Just search the forum for threads on that subject.
 
Arctic, you're fast! Your material wasn't up yet as I wrote, so take any duplication as a meeting of minds!

Lift, the TM34-B120 4-stroke flat slide pumpers aren't available in the USA; like many other neat things, Mikuni America doesn't see fit to bring them in. But you can get a pair kitted for the XS650 from Topham Mikuni in Germany:http://www.mikuni-topham.de. You'll be into four figures. They're the same design group as the RS carbs and come with custom brackets, throttle shafts, and choke rods already done, and with the accelerator pump reservoirs linked to run off a single pump. They're done right; bell crank outboard on the left, AP actuator outboard on the right.

A less costly solution, as CDNTX says, would be to find a used bank of Mikuni RS34's (means Radial Smoothbore, not Round Slide, they're 4 stroke flat slide pumpers, only sold in banks of four). You'd need to make a custom throttle shaft and brackets or have them made for you. To avoid interference with the frame, mount the bell crank outboard on the left and the accelerator pump actuator outboard on the right (one pump drives the whole bank of four in the RS carbies).

But you asked about the price-is-no-object best, and IMHO that would be a pair of Keihin FCR 4-stroke flat slide pumpers. Keihin spares no expense: throttle shafts are supported on needle bearings, the slides run on nylon rollers, and mixture control is precise. Again, you're into 4 figures; Sudco can build you a custom set if you want it, and you're guaranteed to have the only one in town!

Re. Dellorto, it's an old round slide design, and as far as I can make out there's very little you can do about timing the AP for turn on and turn off. IMO the Dells are overpriced. No jetting data pool that I know of.

A little searching here and at XS650 Garage USA will turn up a lot of jetting guidance for Mikuni flat slide pumpers. A word to the wise: the difference between 34 and 36 mm. Mikuni carbs is going to be fractions of a HP in favor of the 34 down low, and fractions of a HP in favor of the 36 up high. If the carbs are decently tuned, you'll never know the difference on the street. I use a pair of TM36/68 flat slide pumpers. Like all TM 4 stroke pumpers they were set up as separate carbs for singles. Had to disable one AP, link AP reservoirs, link the throttle shafts, drill and tap the unmachined bottom bracket bosses and fit a bracket, open the choke rod holes a tad for a BS34 rod, and modify the tops of the choke plungers by removing the knobs and grooving them for modified BS34 actuator forks. Jetting was a breeze--component effects are way better isolated than in the old stuff.
 
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Thanks for the great info, I will have to scratch my head some more as I want to go big bore. If I spend 1k on carbs, definitely want to be able to use them.
 
Moved from wa to nc so been sitting in here. Lol

Just bought an anti gravity 4c and a tarozzi brace (needs powder coated)
 

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If you are looking for performance then these must be near the top of the list.

http://www.power-barn.com/kawasaki-ex500-keihin-cr-special-racing-carburetor-kit/

GPZ /ER 500 carbs do couple right up to XS 650 manifolds/heads so these would be spaced correctly. Don't know about any other fitment issues (thinking about the back downtube in particular) and jetting would need adjusting.

I think Limey bikes have fitted these to an XS 650.
 
Those Keihin CRs look nice, and are a more "period correct" alternative than the flatslide TM/RS/FCR alternatives. Although I still believe FCR would be the optimum from a tuning/ performance perspective.
 
"I will have to scratch my head some more as I want to go big bore. If I spend 1k on carbs, definitely want to be able to use them."

Right! At the bottom line it's a question of bang for the buck, and the most bang for the buck is displacement. Next biggest power yield for the dollar is a performance cam and port work.

Re. performance carbs, here's the bottom line. The difference between a pair of big buck Keihin FCR's and a cheap, simple pair of round slide VM34's is not going to be earthshaking. The old VM's will deliver all the power that a full race XS twin motor can safely produce. Before you read the yapping that's going to follow that last sentence, order a copy of Craig Weeks' performance modifications manual from 650performance.com and look at the dyno charts.

A word to the wise: you've started out well with the fork brace and lightening up. If you want to go faster, chassis mods will do more for you than motor mods will, unless you're only interested in straight line riding.
 
Totally agree with Grizld1, but there's only so much you can wring out of an Xs650 motor before it goes "BANG! cough cough cough..." Like around 65ish HP.
It looks like you've done a lot to lighten the original setup. Maybe a Radian swing arm, 'Featherbed' frame, or full blown rigid to shave off any more weight.
It looks like a ripper now. IMHO you're looking at diminishing returns...
 
It might see an aluminum swing arm and rear disk before it sees the road.

Being a 1980 I was under the assumption my carbs are junk?

I just want new, clean carbs (Not 36 year old, well used).

If I'm buying new quality carbs, I don't want to spend 450, if I can spend 650 and get a better set.
 
it will be driven to work (10 miles each way) and around town, maybe a rare 180 mile trip to the beach each way.

11048267_1129149737112282_475151854920330472_n.jpg


LMK if my facebook pic works please.
 
The best advice I can offer is to define some goals and check some facts. There's no viable aluminum swingarm out there that's lighter than the stock unit on your bike, and that 2-1 exhaust is going to be in the asphalt long before you stress the stock swingarm anyway. The VM34 is a solid, reliable carburetor, the data pool on it is deep, and it would take a lot more than $650/pr. to buy anything significantly better.
 
Its more of a barhop bike just want it light and hopefully gain some performance/reliability.

It won't be cornered that hard due to being 2" off the ground.

I'd rather big bore than spend 1300 on carbs, I'd spend close to 1k if a set of carbs were going to really makes it run good .
 
What makes you think the stock carbs are junk? Stock carbs aren't bad if properly cleaned and set up right. I had bs34's prior I rebuilt and rejetted for pods. They were actually really good runners. I made the move to vm34's out of curiousity, but had no complaints with the stock carbs.

Many other more knowledgeable carb guys on here than me, but as has been said your not gonna see this massive difference between $400 and $800 carbs. Based on what you said you for your riding style, I'd consider getting ahold of Gary at Hoos racing. For just over $400 you'll get a pair or carbs jetted to your engine, pipes and climate. As well as aluminum manifolds, air filters, throttle cable and extra jets for fine tuning. I understand wanting to get the most out of your ride, but the vm34's should be more than enough for you.
 
I haven't run expensive after market carbs. On my 75 both as a 650 and a 750. I have run a set of 76-77 BS38 carbs, a set of 82 BS34 carbs. Both were very close, the 82 BS34's ran a bit smoother. I now run a set of the EX500 carbs. The only mounting issue you will find is the link plate on top of the carbs need to be ground out a bit to clear the down tube.
These carbs run the best so far. Very good idle, smooth acceleration, very smooth transitions, strong top end.
Don't cost much, easy to tune, work great, what more can a person ask for.
Leo
 
Well put. I haven't found my bs34 really lacking either. For the most part for a street bike carbs are only good as you have them set up anyways. If you don't put in good tuning time and spend the money on jets and slides/needle jets you'll be at square one still anyways.
 
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