its time for a new carb for my 80 sporty and i was looking at a brand hammer new bendix carb which can be had for around $200.
what do you guys think of this carb?

now i have heard about the bendix not being the best carb but i was wandering if ppl were commenting about a wore out bendix instead of a new one.
my bike had a bendix on it (although it originally had a keihin) and one of the probs with it (besides being slap worn out) was the stock choke cable would not reach to hook up on the carb so i would have to find someway to hook it up.

 

The Bendix works well. You have to be sure you turn off the gas, especially in the summer because they have an interesting little quirk. Seems the gas in the floatbowl will expand when the sun heats the carb. It then squirts up the main jet into the carb where it evaporates and cools the carb. So, the gas in the bowl coos and shrinks, the float valve opens and the bowl fills back up. On a hot day, it is possible to pump a Peanut tank dry in about 5 hours this way.
The other thing is, if you ever rebuild a Bendix, be careful that the float is centered when you reassemble it. Otherwise, it may stick open or closed.

The simple design of the Bendix is a great plus and it is normal for one to far outlast the complicated tin and plastic things from the far east. Performancewise, they are not quite the equal of an S&S, but you cant get one of those for any $200 either.

 

thanks oldtimer. that was the kind of info i was looking for. blowed my mind when i found out they were still making bendix carbs. a big plus to me was that they are made in the US and the $200 price tag sounds more inviting than a $400 S&S also.
the S&S is a helluva carb though dont get me wrong. i just cant afford one right now.

 

One other thing I remembered. A few Bendix carbs were made with an adjustable main jet and these work about as well as the one on a Linkert. If the one you get doesn't have one, don't buy the kit to convert it because the kits don't work very well.

 

thanks.
the one i ordered had the adjustable mainjet. still waiting on the carb (bought from ebay sellers store)

 

Universal choke cables are good and can be cut down to the right length. Check the auto parts stores or Lawn & Garden tractor shops. Wants its put on, no one knows who you bought it from.

 

thanks tedali2004.
i picked up one at autozone and it worked like a charm. not much a difference in looks from the new or the old one either.

 

I had a bendix on a 75 sporty. Swore from day one that I was going to replace that hunk of hunk. After 13 years I sold the bike. Same carb rebuilt two times. It will always get a heat soak at a redlight if temps in the 90s. so keep air moving through it when it is hot. Never used the choke, except when adjusting it after reinstalling carb.