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Ive been virtually hanging around a FXR forum on the dreaded Facebook (I really hate myself for that) and Ive been seeing a lot about lectron carbs. I watched a couple videos on them and they seem interesting.
Anyone use one? If so, what did you think? Im not paying eight bills for one new, but I may keep my eyes open for a used one.
Yeah, I had a Lectron on my shovelhead a few years (OK, decades) ago. It was a very good carb. It looks like it can't do anything but hang on, but really worked well. No accelerator pump, but didn't seem to need one. They were like a bill, bill and a half back then. 8 today? There's inflation for you. Like any carb, it had to be jetted for the bike.
The New Lectron is absolutely No Relation to the old one...
That said the old one was a Decent Square slide carb.. with Not enough circuits (adjustments) much like an S&S B
I Find the QwikSilver II a Much better carb...(developed after the Lectron Patent expired) and Most Nimrods Hate them... To the Good for me... I think they are what prompted the Mikuni Square slide, after the Patent ran out on the Edelbrock... Probably one of my Favorite Carbs..
The original S.E. Butterfly carb (rebranded Andrews FlowMaster) is better than the Ka-Sneeze. But the CV is so Very Hard to beat... I don't replace the CV...
about 3 years ago I found a new old stock, 1st generation Lectron still new in the box from 1975,
I fitted it & was blown away with the ease of fitting, starting & the overall performance increase without any need to tune,
so last year I bought one of the new improved 3rd generation Lectrons,
I fitted it and again was blown away with how much better than the already good original it was,
it fired up first time, it has a real choke not an 'enrichment device' (carb flooder!!),
absolutly no tuning was needed other than a very minor adjustment of the idle screw as I like low idle speeds.
they not ony wake a motor up, they are also economical & you get a better MPG return,
throttle responce is fast & smooth & closed recovery is as fast & without popping or banging,
each to their own but I am sold on them & they are well worth the money in my book, but yes, they are pricy,
this is a quick film of the first time it got fired up,
I was about to lower the idle when my buddy riding remembered to retard the Magneto, when he did the idle was perfect,
since then I have done a bit of work elsewhere on the bike & added a Throwback Cycles air scoop for it & they work real well together.
I dont like S&S carbs, old boat anchors in my book, love SU's, Mikunis & the Harley CV carb is great on most Harleys,
but if ya want the best, ya gotta think of stumping up the green folding & get ya a Lectron, & soon there will be their new Billetron, machined from solid Aluminium version that looks the mutz nutz & promises even better performance gains
See where that throttle cable bends 90 degrees at the top? When I had that Lectron on my 79 FLH, we were riding around Boulder, CO, in heavy traffic on a 4 lane street after visiting a friend at the SoF office and the Celestial Seasonings Tea place practically next door. The cable frayed right at that 90 and a piece of the cable dropped down inside the carb and locked the slide 1/3rd open. In heavy traffic. I pulled in the clutch and the motor revved to "ZOMG THE VALVES," let out the clutch and "CHUG CHUG CHUG." Hit the kill switch and coasted up and over some rail road tracks to a little store lined street. Took out my spare throttle cable, which of course did not fit. The lead ball was too big. Pink handle finger nail file and the concrete got it to the right size. People would walk by and offer to help. "No thanks, we got it." Took the carb apart (really simple, thankfully) and removed the cable piece wedged in there and got it working again. Continued on our journey to Sturgis.
byall accounts the cable is on 'the wrong way round', but you need the 90 degree there or you get interferance with the tank, & I'm running a small Superglide peanut tank,
gotta be bad with fatbobs,
thinking about it, thats about the only downside I can see about them,
but they do tuck in real tight giving you good knee & leg room...
The New Lectron is absolutely No Relation to the old one...
That said the old one was a Decent Square slide carb.. with Not enough circuits (adjustments) much like an S&S B
I Find the QwikSilver II a Much better carb...(developed after the Lectron Patent expired) and Most Nimrods Hate them... To the Good for me... I think they are what prompted the Mikuni Square slide, after the Patent ran out on the Edelbrock... Probably one of my Favorite Carbs..
The original S.E. Butterfly carb (rebranded Andrews FlowMaster) is better than the Ka-Sneeze. But the CV is so Very Hard to beat... I don't replace the CV...
I hear some say they upgraded from a CV carb to a.... I have to respond that is not an upgrade.
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Anyone use a lectron?
