Gents,

My stroked 45 has been running well for the last year, but she likes to foul out plugs, particularly when in stop and go traffic. Highway she is happy as could be. Did a tune up on a Dyno last year, high speed is turned out 1-1/4 turns (approximately) but the low speed turned all the way in. Well at the Yankee Meet last week I had some serios conversation with some of the guys in the know. We discussed adjusting timing and of course good solid methods for adjusting the needles without a Dyno. This morning I had the time and it was cool enough out to try it all out, this is what happened.

Reset both needles per the book, High 1.5 turns out, Low 3.5 turns out. Bike starts up and is very unhappy. Ride about two miles to get her warmed up popping and snorting then pull over in the shade to try tuning. Long story short, the Low speed needle does not effect idle or how it runs at all!?!??! 3.5 turns out to fully seated, no change in performance or idle. I finally just reseated it, adjusted the High per the book, basically landed about exactly where it was in the first place. Went for a ride and investigated timing, she was happiest at the current setting, so I left that alone. Took a nice ride on the highway, adjusted the high a click or two on the fly, bike runs great.

But......

The Low is completely seated. So I know enough to know something is leaking in the Low speed needle causing plugs to foul in stop and go. I a comfortable that the issue has been investigated and isolated to the Low speed. What do I do now? Can the needle be bad? Cracked? Too short? Can the seat be cracked and if so can it be replaced? What is my next step.

Looking forward to some good advice.

 

Seen this more then once - the low speed needle shaft could be the wrong one - the choke enrichner is too long that it screws into - the needle top the could be the wrong one

all three will keep the needle from seating - M88 carb maybe

the nozzle is a Indian bonneville type no - no one would pick that up and install it instead - aaahhhh yea it happens

if the Venturi is real loose in the bore and the fuel is not all being metered - but it’s usually all around running not just the idle circuit

the side screw at the throttle blade - remove it - it has a slit this is the kick starting sip to the float nozzle bottom holes and its timing matters in how much fuel it gets or does not get

morons have been involved from this point forward - they find out this helps starting if its bigger .012 maybe .015 using a feeler gage hot starting flat side big things this comes into play - morons have jammed something into that slot and made it bigger - seen them .050 and no you really cant fix that one carb was soldered and open back up again BUT when looking into the throttle bore is the other side of the slit — you could just say wow when the morons are done

i will picture up a float bowl up a moron who has access to machine equipment and what he did later - he was inventing and being that stupid well you will see

 

I will remove the needle later and see what it looks like. I have another M88 in the stash, if it has the needle in her I will compare and post pics.

 

Put some Dykem on the needle and see if it seats ?