Slight change of carb plans,,,,

[Hitndahedfred]

I really became frustrated with one of the carbs I got from Ebay,, I could just not get it to feed fuel correctly,,,so in order to get riding a tad faster I went and got another manifold. I got this one from Joe also. I was really pleased with the quality and fit of the last one (Tracker) that I just went and ordered a "Left side Street Tracker" model. This is supposed to be a decently developed piece,,, Well when it arrived I was blown away. Not just by the overall immediate looks but the welds are beautiful,,It went right on the bike with little bitching from me.
So I fabbed another throttle cable and got that all installed this evening too.
Next is the fuel tank.Since I am dropping a carb I only now need one petcock. I will ask GGGary if he has a non-diaphragm one laying around. Also I need to fab up a block off plate to take the place of the petcock I am removing. Here are a coupla pics of the part when it was unboxed and of it on the bike with carb and filter on. It is a bit close but I'm pretty sure I can trim a little somewhere to get the fit I want.

 

[Endee]

Looks good Fred! Where were you thinking of trimming? It might be easier to get a UNIpod filter, however I'm not sure of the length. Or maybe a smaller rubber collar to attach the carb to the manifold? Just thinking out loud.

 

[Hitndahedfred]

Looks good Fred! Where were you thinking of trimming? It might be easier to get a UNIpod filter, however I'm not sure of the length. Or maybe a smaller rubber collar to attach the carb to the manifold? Just thinking out loud.

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Thanks bud,,,
Yes,, I was thinking of trimming the rubber first,,, then the tube itself if needed.
I should have it running this weekend sometime,,HOPEFULLY.
That seat is yours if ya want it, shouldn't take too long to get it on your bike either. It would really drastically change the attitude of that bike for sure.
Looking to seeing you again and meeting the missus.

 

[CBJamie]

Hitndahedfred and Endee, I see we are all in the same area. I'm from Hanover. Are either of you going to Gettysburg bike week on the 8th? i will have my leather bobber there for the show. Hope to see you.

 

[Endee]

My mom is getting married in the Poconos that weekend so I won't be able to make it. I'm pretty sure my wife will be going though.

 

[Hitndahedfred]

Hitndahedfred and Endee, I see we are all in the same area. I'm from Hanover. Are either of you going to Gettysburg bike week on the 8th? i will have my leather bobber there for the show. Hope to see you.

=======================================
Hey hey,,,
I am trying to have my ride ready by then.
Would love to catch up with you and compare notes on whatever.
I'm in Mount Holly so you are like 20 miles or so away,,very close.
Get with me if ya want,,nice to have 650 buds so close.

 

[Hitndahedfred]

OK,,
Now I have a carb issue,,
It runs like a raped ape with the choke on,,,but when i pull it off,, it stumbles and dies.
Running a Joes 2 into 1 with a VM34.
I'm thinking air cleaner,, or dirt somewhere.
Any tips from the experts?

 

[grizld1]

No tips possible without a complete jet list, mix screw setting, float level setting, and what happens when you try to adjust the mix screw.

 

[Hitndahedfred]

No tips possible without a complete jet list, mix screw setting, float level setting, and what happens when you try to adjust the mix screw.

===========================
I'm working on that now,,,I have a printout of the parts in the carb from Mikuni.
Here http://www.mikuni.com/pdf/vmmanual.pdf
Guess I need a loupe or magnifying glass to get the numbers from them.(the jets)
How do I get the mix screw setting,,float level setting?
Did not try to adjust the mix screw yet,,,from full in,,,how many turns out for starters?
And the float setting,, how?
I have NEVER had a carb apart,,I have tools to do it though.

 

[Hitndahedfred]

I am REALLY lost,,,,I read and reread the guide,,,and other info I found both here and on other sites.
It just made me more confused.
Is it possible to buy a full set of jets based on my configuration,,location,,riding style or whatever factors are used to make the decision.
I'm so close to just sending both of them out to be done by a professional.

 

[peanut]

I don't have any experience with VMs but my advice would be to break it down into the 4x basic throttle positions and tackle each throttle position seperately to get into the ball park before tackling transitions Others with considerably more experience than me may disagree however.

I would start with the easy bit first and get it running right at idle first. I always find thats the best place to start as its hopeless to try and tune or troubleshoot an engine thats constantly stumbling farting and cutting out at idle and deacceleration. So pilot jet, idle mixture

 

[Endee]

I don't think it's worth it to send it out. I would try adjusting your throttle stop screw first. The one that sets your idle. It might just be that the idle is set too low. I had a similar problem. It's going to be worth it to get a range if jets and pilots, whatever is recommended for your bike. The shipping cost if you have to order twice is more expensive than the parts.
The carbs are really easy to take apart. I've seen pretty good videos on YouTube. I'll do my best to get down soon, but if you take it apart once you'll go "oih that was easy"

 

[grizld1]

I strongly disagree, Peanut. The first step is to strip the carburetor and find out what the hell is in it and whether the float level is set correctly.

Fred, forget about researching the generic jetting that came from the factory. It won't work with the XS650 motor. Float level for the VM34 is 23 mm. +/- 1 mm. as measured from the gasket surface on the carb body to the points on float actuator arms that make contact with the horizontal pins on the floats. Baseline jetting and setup instructions are given in the VM section of the Carb Guide. I can't write it again any plainer than I did there. The text will make a lot more sense to you if you read it with the carburetor opened up in front of you.

 

[peanut]

I strongly disagree, Peanut. The first step is to strip the carburetor and find out what the hell is in it and whether the float level is set correctly.

Fred, forget about researching the generic jetting that came from the factory. It won't work with the XS650 motor. Float level for the VM34 is 23 mm. +/- 1 mm. as measured from the gasket surface on the carb body to the points on float actuator arms that make contact with the horizontal pins on the floats. Baseline jetting and setup instructions are given in the VM section of the Carb Guide. I can't write it again any plainer than I did there. The text will make a lot more sense to you if you read it with the carburetor opened up in front of you.

well i strongly disagree with you ..... so there !

The poster has clearly indicated that he has exhausted both their ability to troubleshoot the issues and their patience and understanding with it if he is thinking of sending the carb to someone else to fix the problem..

You and I both know full well that the carburettor needs to be set up jetted and tuned on the engine that it is intended to be used so sending it away would be a fruitless excercise and besides he would lose the opportunity to learn about solving the issue .

My suggestion would be to request that hitndahedfred posts a video of the engine starting, idling and running when cold and warm so that we can make some informed suggestions where to start helping him. We need a heck of a lot more information before we can form any opinions about the source of the problem/s

 

[grizld1]

There's a pretty narrow range of jetting that works with VM34 carbs on the XS650, and a very wide range of jetting that can turn up in them. If you want to try tuning a carburetor from a video without knowing what's in it, more power to you. I'm done here--leaving the blind to lead the blind.

 

[peanut]

There's a pretty narrow range of jetting that works with VM34 carbs on the XS650, and a very wide range of jetting that can turn up in them. If you want to try tuning a carburetor from a video without knowing what's in it, more power to you. I'm done here--leaving the blind to lead the blind.

.
We agree on one thing ....more information is needed

A video with audio is more helpful than no video and no images when you are trying to help someone across the World on a bike you've never seen with no history and insufficient information.

In my experience those people ,............like yourself,.............that need to resort to directing personal insults towards another forum member simply because the other forum members opinion differs from their own ................often have nothing of use to contribute in my opinion

 

[grizld1]

You wrote it yourself, peanut--you have no experience with VM carburetors. You're ready and willing to tune one from a video, though, with no idea of the starting point. There's no point trying to assist with that kind of interference going on.

Fred, PM if you want help.

 

[Hitndahedfred]

I'm working on this today guys,,,PLEASE don't bicker on this,,, its not worth the trouble.
Everyone here has experience and as I am fairly new to this game I am all ears.

 

[peanut]

You wrote it yourself, peanut--you have no experience with VM carburetors. You're ready and willing to tune one from a video, though, with no idea of the starting point. There's no point trying to assist with that kind of interference going on.

Fred, PM if you want help.

I wasn't aware that it had been established that the problem is just the carburettor alone which is why I suggested a video . A video could potentally highlight other relevant issues but you have already decided what is wrong and determined that you are the only person on this forum that has the experience and knowledge to offer Fred help.

 

[Hitndahedfred]

Carb jetting is as follows

First carb
Jet needle is 9m6 with the clip on the 2nd slot from the point side
Main jet is 175
Needle jet is 159-p6
Air jet is 2.0
Pilot is a 15,,has 8 holes in it.
Slide is 2.0
Mix is at 3 turns out from bottom
Not sure how to check the float height

Second carb
Jet needle 6dh4 set at 4th slot from pointy side
Main jet is 260
Needle jet is 159-q2
Air jet is 20
Pilot jet is 35 with 8 holes
Slide is 2.5
mix is at 3 turns out from bottomed
Not sure how to check the float height

I hope I have them right as I needed a magnifying glass to read them.

This carb will be used on the manifold at the beginning of this thread (hopefully)
If not
Then I will revert back to a dual carb setup as I have all parts for this too.
Except for matching or comparable jetting for each.