Hey everybody, what's up? This is my first post. I have a '98 xl1200c that won't idle without choke out. I had it stored out at my dad's place in San Antonio, TX for about 6 months and I forgot to put stabil in it to prevent gum up. I put some carb cleaner in the gas and ran the p*ss out of it from San Antonio to my place in Houston but she still wouldn't idle without a little choke. I started playing around with the carb and ended up in the garage with the carb in as many pieces as a carb can be in. This is not a good idea because I've never messed with a carb before. I have a general idea of what it does, and I payed attention to how it came apart, so putting it back together shouldn't be an issue (that I can forsee). I read this article: http://www.harley-performance.com/ha...arburetor.html and I searched for some older posts about carb tuning (after having already torn the carb apart) so I think can handle tuning it once I put it back together. I am posting this just to see if anybody can tell me anything specific to look for while I've got it apart. I have sprayed brake cleaner through every little hole and tunnel, took a few needle screws out & cleaned them, sprayed myself in the eyes, and checked the seals (they look good). I didn't check the idle set screw or the spark plug before dismantling the carb, and now I'm thinking that one of those was probably the the problem.

What is that needle screw on the back of the carb for? Not the fuel mixture screw that you adjust from the bottom, but the one that would only be accessible by sticking a long screw driver through from the other (left) side of the bike? From looking at the design of the carb and trying to speculate on what it might do, I think it controls flow through that little pump deal that shoots the stream of gas into the carb when you gun the throttle (at least I think that little thing is a pump and I think it is responsible for the little stream of gas). Will I need to adjust this? I didn't pay attention to how many turns it was originally, so should I assume all they way in and then back off 2 turns just like the mixture screw?

If I still have the problem after reassembly, is drilling a hole in the butterfly valve a viable option? I saw a guy do that once on a car that had the same problem.

Oh yeah, and what the hell kind of finer-than-fine thread screws hold that bowl on? Is there such a thing as super-super-fine? or fine-as-silk? or fine-as-frog's-hair? Some wingnut stripped out all but one of them and I had to cut the heads off with a dremel. I can't find screws to replace them (in my stash, I haven't gone to the store yet). Are they some kind of special order item from Harley?

 

they're probably metric screws as the keihen carb is a japanese carburetor. but go to the dealer, they'll either have the proper screws or will order them for you. very little cost to do it the right way. and no don't drill a hole in the butterfly valve. might be best to bite the bullet and take the carb to an independant shop who knows the keihen carbs. sounds like you got a boxfull of parts now.

 

Oh wow, didn't realize there would be Japanese parts on an American bike. Yeah I ended up going to the harley dealership to get the screws along with some other things and they were $3.50 apiece. I've never paid that much for a screw before (that one trip to mexico included). I got the carb put back together no problems, runs alot better now. I figured out what the other needle screw on the back is for: it's the "p*ss all your gas out onto the ground" valve. I wound up having to play with the idle set screw. All is well. thanks for the reply.