I am riding a 99 road king flhr carbeuretor bike. I get it started just fine with using choke and warm it up for about 5-8 minutes before going out. It seems that if i stop within 10 miles for gas or coffee it has a hard time starting up on the first try. I have been told they are tempermental and I need to get used to it but was hoping for some advice from an old schooler if possible. Any advice is appreciated, thanks

 

most harleys get up to temps within those 10 miles, so you shouldn't need the 'enricher' ( the stock harley keihin CV carb does not have a conventional choke).
you may find giving the throttle a quick twist may do it, that'll give a shot of gas from the accelerator pump right in the throat.

you may have an intake manifold leak, the easiest way to test is when the bike is idling, spray the area around the intake manifold to the heads ( from the left side) with wd40, carb cleaner, even water--- if the idle changes- you have a leak which is an easy fix and needs to be done. test both hot and cold as the fit may change with expansion

those are great carbs, you can find good tuning info on the bike tech section at nightrider.com--- probably the best carbs ever made aside from harley using them for over 15 years, Triumph and kawasaki used them on some models

welcome to the forums


mike

 

My 96 EG (with a CV carb) was cold natured even in the middle of summer here in Texas. I used the enrichener religiously. My shovel with a CV you only had to use the enrichener when you first started it in the morning and never again for the rest of the day.
But do some of the basics.
Check your plugs, see how they look;
make sure you are getting good fuel flow to the carb;
make sure you air filter is clean;
if you are technically inclined verify you don't have any intake leaks (they are more noticeable when the bike is cold);
I would go ahead and replace the intake seals and might consider rebuilding or checking out the carb thoroughly.

Just my two cents.

I am guessing the bike is turning over fine, just not "catching" and starting quickly.

 

I used to take those Kehins off immediately and replace them with an S&S. I would always tape a dollar to each Kehin before I threw them in the woods behind my house.
I figured if anyone tripped over it, at least they'd get a dollar.

Some people like them, but I never had much luck with them.
The Super E is a great carb.

 

what's the address!

CV's great mostly for it's ability to self adjust for air density whether altitude of temperature--- both of which really come into play in Arizona.

I'll come by and get those CV's it'd be like panning for gold!

mike

 

They're in southern Illinois where I used to live.
Now I'm in the north-central part of the state.

This was about 20 years ago, but I bet they're still there.

 

Something as simple as a fuel misture adjustment will fix that problem. The Nightrider website is an excellent suggestion. It's been a while since I worked on a carburetor but I always had good luck with the HD oem carbs with jetting and adjustment. You will find a setting on Nightrider for that fuel mixture screw and that warm start problem will go away. I want to say that the initial setting is 2 3/4 turns from lightly seated but, you better check. Like I said, it's been a while.

 

Have you ever rebuilt the carb there are not a lot of parts in there but the do wear and change w/age . Also I hear that the ethonal in the fuel is giving problems and not always the mixture claims to be. Good luck let us know what you find.
Russ

 

Learn how the carb works, don't be afraid to go into it to see what you have for jets. As others already said, check out that website, SUDCO (if I remember the right company) used to have a page on carb jetting, but with a quick check I couldn't find it, they mostly deal with Mikuni carbs and they do sell a manual on carb adjustment, the theory is the same just different needle and jet numbers. I'm guessing you haven't had the bike for long? If the bike has been sitting, the fuel could have left a deposit in either jet or needle seat area gumming up the works, a little carb cleaner works wonders. But, I would go in to see what you have for jets and needle, write it down and check in the fuel/carb forum, there may not be as many people using that forum, but you can see what others are also using or have been using by checking out the search function there. Also put a charger on the battery and see if that helps since the battery may be getting old, but doubt that is the problem here since it starts fine when cold.

 

Believe it or not 10 miles might not be enough to get your scoot all the way up to temp and a little choke might still be needed to restart. It depends greatly on the ambient temp you're riding in.
I've never found Keihin's to be temperamental. They run as well as any Mikuni or S&S I've ever used. Dyno Jet still makes jetting kits with an adjustable needle for these carbs. They're easy-cheezy to install and give great results. Your bike may already have one (if you bought the bike used).