Carb adjustments

[XS650D]

I have purchased aftermarket carb kits and the numbers are the same but the results are definitely
different.I have found this on every jet ie: mains, pilots ,fuel screws ect.Not by a lot but theres definitely
a diff, could be leaner or richer, cant just change a jet and expect things to run the same without some
tweaking to the settings. I find that on the xs carb tuning is THE MOST IMPORTANT part of this bike running
from just ok to amazing. I dont believe that after market carbs are needed as some do. Its taken me a while
to get my carbs tuned correctly but my bike runs smooth now thru the rpms with no surges ,hesitations or flat spots
regardless of what throttle setting or gear im in. Amazing really.BUT its only taken me 6 years to get it this way!! Lol

 

[ExSquid]

A crank firing ignition like the original electronic one is actually better than a cam fired one. The timing will eventually change on the cam fired type as the cam chain stretches.

You seem to do things and buy things before asking about them. Had you asked, we would have steered you away from the MikesXS ignition. It's a blatant rip-off and imitation of the original Pamco ignition, which by the way, Mike's used to sell. I guess they were able to get it made up cheaper in China (although they didn't lower their asking price, lol). Carb kits usually aren't much good either. They contain all aftermarket stuff, not original Mikuni parts. Sometimes the quality is lacking and many times the included jets are the wrong size. An important o-ring in your carb set is the one on the mix screw and it's usually not included in the kits.

You are absolutely correct on the do and buy things. I have noticed that the stuff from Mike's is of lower quality than it used to be. I will send the cam fired kit back. And their carb kits are really basic. After working in the hydraulic business, I measured up the o-rings and got some from my old boss.

 

[grizld1]

Yep, quality of parts from Mike's XS started to decline when Mike Lalonde made the change from taking phone orders from a paper catalogue to taking only online orders from an online catalogue. Then Lalonde discovered that he could fatten his bottom line if he stopped selling OE quality Japanese parts from his old employer, K&L Distributing, and contracted the Chinese to make some things that looked like motorcycle parts, including some items that were simply pirated. When problems became known he'd simply find a way to blame the buyer and keep selling the defective stock. There have been two changes of ownership. Both sets of new owners have promised improvement, but the core business model remains: even if an item is known to be bad, they'll keep selling it as long as people keep buying.

 

[Jim]

I will send the cam fired kit back.

Stick a plug in one of your leads (and ground it of course) and spin the motor over. If you get a spark, it's a good possibility your TCI system is OK.

 

[5twins]

We've managed to figure out the sizes for pretty much all the carb o-rings, and also many others used on the bike. We've also discovered many better quality and cheaper substitute parts. Here's an on-going thread that lists lots of this stuff .....

http://www.xs650.com/threads/the-gr...ut-bolt-sizes-used-on-the-xs650-thread.51957/

 

[ExSquid]

So, I received the new carb kits from Dennis Kirk. What a difference. The basic kit from Mike's is so much of lesser quality. The K&L kits seem to be a thousand times better. The two major parts I noticed are the 3mm o-rings for the adjustment screws and the inlet needle valve HAS the clip for the float. Damn corporate greed!