I want to get a new carb for my 71 XLCH. Any recommendations? I would like to spend no more then about $400 on the new carb. Also When kicking the bike over after about 5 or 6 kicks it likes to slip off and try and destroy my knee. does the kick start need to be rebuilt or is this a common problem with the sportys?

 

Carb: the best choice considering performance, cost, and ease of setup is a used Harley Davidson CV carb from 1990 to 2003. The 1989 first year CV has no accelerator pump so it is to be avoided.

The carb should cost less than $100 on eBay. You will need an adapter also available on eBay, probably about $30. You may need a different air cleaner assembly - or do some fabricating.

 

for cost effectiveness and reliablity combined the CV liek mick says is the best option, if you want something a little more performance intentended the S&S super E is another option, both have lots of aftermarket support and tweak ability, depends on what ya want and what yer budget is i suppose

as for the kicker my 69 acts the same, you have to keep a constant presure on the arm when kicking or it will slip, in my case it proebebly needs to be replaced but i'll get to that when it either stops working or when i pull the clutch and trans out in augest which ever comes first

 

I am probably the only one who is going to tell you this, but I'm used to that.
If you want the best running carb possible, buy yourself a Mikuni VM38 round slide carb. This is a 38mm sized carb which is the perfect size venturi for a Sportster. Cost is somewhere between $200 to $250 new. Maybe less or find one on Ebay.
You can buy the carb new as a kit which includes the air cleaner and this is what I recommend doing. It is reasonably priced too.

Be sure that it has the 90° elbow on the throttle cable. This is a must to use on a Sportster, as the elbow allows the throttle cable to lay under the gas tank.
Here's mine.......



With a VM38 Mikuni I will guarantee that your machine will start with a simple one kick........every time. I bought one in 1973 and still have it today. In all that time I have not put so much as a gasket in it, nor have I ever had a single problem with it. When my 1971 CH was new it would not start easily with the Tillotson that came on the bike. The Mikuni solved that problem.
pg

 

i had to braise the vent hole closed on the fuel tank because the vent broke off from the inside. does this carb need that vent like the tilloston did?

 

It was not the Tillotson that needed the vent......it is the gas tank itself.
The Mikuni (and any other carb) needs to have the gas tank vented so fuel can flow freely by gravity to the carburator float bowl.

On a 1971 machine the gas tank cap was an air tight affair. The tank had the stand pipe vent tube to vent the tank. This vent tube always broke loose at the top where a small bracket was welded to the tank to hold the upper end. Mine broke too.
Later models began to have vented gas caps. This did away with the vent tube.

So, if you now have your vent welded shut and are using a 1971 gas cap (non vented cap) you are sure to be having problems getting fuel to your carb because there is no vent.
Solution: Either open up the vent tube or get a vented gas cap. I repeat....the vent is not a function of the carb, the vent is a function of the gas tank. And the bike will not run unless there is a tank vent.
pg

 

The first year CV is 1988, not 89.
It is true it did not have a pump.
It is also true it has a smaller throat.

 

The CV is a remarkable carby....... for HD
It is without doubt one of the best improvements they have ever made.
That you can buy them in good used condition so easily and cheaply only adds to their appeal.
It is, however, true that a 40 mm carby is certainly at the upper end of the scale sizewise (for a 1000 ironhead), if you are hoping to optimise power output in the lower rev range.
HOWEVER....... given that the stock ports could easily be challenged for flow VELOCITY by any aperture crudely created with a used holesaw or similar, I do not think you will be too badly done by.
The simple and immense(and cheap) improvements that can be made to a stock cv are extremely beneficial.
SADLY....... nearly all info I have ever seen posted is idiotic, and will not lead to a top class unit.
Perhaps an outdated, hideous looking, dirt bike carby carby would be the best bet after all.

 

I guess i worded my question wrong. the vent line on the tank connected to the tillotson carb. The tank has a vented cap and I have no problem with fuel flow. I didn't understand why the vent was connected to the carb.

 

The Tillotson (or Model HD) carb was a design that used a fuel chamber, but did not have a float bowl. It also had an accelerator pump. On top of the carb there is a nozzle that is a screened vent. This has a hose that is connected to the fuel tank vent stand pipe.
The Tillotson is the only carb with this design, and in my opinion, it was a poor one!
When my Sportster was brand new it either started on the first kick, or it did not start at all. I still remember that morning in 1973 when I was headed down to the Harley shop to consider buying a Mikuni. I tried to crank it at 8:30am and it would not pop.
Finally, 4 hours later I was able to get the damn thing started. When I arrived at the shop, 'consideration' was not on my mind. I just said.....'That Mikuni......I'll take it!' From that point on the Sportster started with one or two kicks and ran as smooth as an old BSA twin.
The only 'complaint' I would have about a Mikuni is that it makes the Sportster too easy to start and it smooths out the engine idling almost to the point that you think the bike is not a Harley.

Sorry to get off subject. Forget the Tillotson and the tank vent business. If you have a vented cap you are good to go and it sounds like you are not having problems with fuel flow. Good luck with your new carb choice. I would recommend the VM38 to anyone.
pg