For a stock motor you can easily do a .295 intermediate and a 68 main. Might even help in winter starts as well. It's a lot easier to flood an engine when ambient temps are below 40*. On my well built evo motor I'm only running a .295/72.

 

Man, thanks for the info. The plugs I pulled out were clearly the issue. I always keep a spare set of clean plugs on board. If the plugs keep fouling I'll go down another step and see how it goes.

 

My bike has never liked starting in cold weather, either. Not with the modded Keihin CV, and not with the Mikuni I use now. Above 60F-no trouble at all. Below 60 is like pulling teeth. The bike will start, and run until the "priming" shot of fuel burns off, then it will stall. Give another couple shots of the accelerator pump, start it, same thing. After three or four times, it will give in and keep running. Apparently, the "enrichner" doesn't richen the mixture quite enough when cold.


Mine has done this for 22 years now, through three different carburetors and three different motors.

 

Uncle G, How many squirts does it take for that first start?

 

Back to the original question, I've had a VOES switch fail twice on me. On my Sportster, it was making intermittent contact, and it was like the throttle was going back and forth by itself. The bike was kicking and sputtering, and virtually unrideable.


When the VOES went in my Softail, the ignition stuck on the advance curve (which is NOT supposed to be the failure mode, but that's what happened). The bike ran fine, but would ping like a bastard on acceleration. The rubber diaphragm in the switch was completely rotted out from age and heat. This would have also caused a minor vacuum leak.


I don't know how long the VOES switch has been in your bike, but they don't last forever. Mine failed at 19 years.

 

If I ever figure that out (and I've been trying for 20 years), I'll be sure to tell you.


Above 60, I don't prime it all, just pull the enrichener **** full out. Below 60, I usually give it 2-3 shots of the accelerator pump plus full enrichener. The bike starts right up, but stalls just as soon as the priming charge burns off in 3-5 seconds.


Not that this is any use to you. From what you say, it sounds like you're running an S&S carb, and I know absolutely nothing about them.

 

As far as I know this VOEs is 26 years old. I think I'll just replace it.

 

You can test the VOES by simply starting the bike and after it run without enricher pulled out simply unplug the VOES, engine should increase in RPMs. If not the VOES is not working.

 

I went ahead and ordered a new VOEs switch. That one is way old. I call it insurance.

 

A 68 main will stave on the top end even with a stock motor.
An little known thing about S&S carbs is that there was a design change in '04 which drastically changed the jets needed to get it to run right.
Pre '04 doesn't have a changeable breather jet and post '04 does.


There was another design change in '12 but I know nothing about what that did or how to see if that's what you have.