A friend has asked me to help him tune his 1985 full dresser, equipped with a S&S 380 E model carb. I down loaded tuning tips, but am not familiar with this carb and could use a little help.
The motor sounds stock save for the carb and mufflers. My question is, do these carbs come jetted rich enough for gas with 10 percent ethanol? What jets come stock? Any help on roughly where this carb starts out at (on average, of course) would be a help, as well as initial settings for the accelerator , idle and enrichment will help greatly. We have fresh gas in it and a new air cleaner element. After messing with it a little yesterday, I am guessing the accelerator screw must be adjusted with the air cleaner installed to atomize the spray, correct? Fully warm, it will rev cleanly in neutral once past the need for a pump shot .
On the oil leak, I am betting there is a common fix for the puddle of oil that puked out on start up?

 

They ("bottom breathers") all puke oil if you let them sit long enough. The common fix is to put a oil catch pan under the bike if it hasn't been started in a while. This goes back to knucklheads, so "it's part of the experience."

For the carb, there are lots of threads here on suggestions. I take it you are just putting this carb on the bike. In my experience, they come jetted way too rich for anything approaching stock. You're going to need some jets to swap out. Turn the accelerator enrichment off (back the screw out) and then tune it by reading the plugs after it is warmed up. To get it to that point, though, in general, popping out the carb is too lean and lack of power is too fat.

Anyway, you need to get the tuning instructions off the S&S website. Follow the instructions in there.

 

0If that's the latest E shorty the jet sizes would be intermediate .0280 , main .066. For a stock motor. Gently bottom out the idle mixture screw and back out 1 1\2 turns. Gently bottom out The accelerator pump adjustment screw and leave it there. Start motor and warm up the engine. Adjust the idle mixture screw till optimal smoothness and rpms at idle are reached. Then turn the idle screw to set idle between 900-1000 rpm. I personal prefer 850 rpm. Once that is set them move on tho the accelerator pump adjustment screw and back out on full turn as a starting point and pop the throttle. If more adjustments are needed only do 1/4 turns at a time and try. It should eventually smooth out..... On the idle mixture, if you have to turn it out more than 2 1/2 turns them you'll need to increase the intermediate jet to a .0295 and start the process all over again. Optimally a stock 80"er should be 1 1/2 turns on both settings with proper ignition timing set.

Here the best document i have on the E carb..

Having problem loading link. Just Google S&S E carb and you'll find the links to E & G pdf.

 

Thanks, DRHess
The fact that they come rich from the factory for stock bikes is exactly the info I was looking for. The rest of the tuneup ought to be relatively straight forward, after we check the size of the jets and get a road test done. The size of the oil leak under the bike after sitting is about eight inches around. Is that what is normally seen if the check valve isn't working well?

 

Usually it will leave a puddle if it hasn't been run in a couple months +. It should reseat itself after a nice warm up cool down ride. It shouldn't leave a big puddle every time.

 

Along with the good advice you've already received heres a couple videos that should help.

 

Oh and my bike is a bottom breather and was rarely ridden by the PO. The first few times I rode it would puke oil but stopped after that. I ride it enough now that I get nothing more than a couple drops now and then.

 

Thanks guys, MUCH appreciated!