Carb overhaul kits

[Tigernut]

I need to strip, clean & rebuild the carbs on my 2001 SV (won't run above tickover). I want to have everything I need to hand before I strip the carbs. I've spoken to Robinsons Foundry and they tell me Suzuki don;t do kits - you have to order each part individually, but there are aftermarket kits. I've found loads of aftermarket kits on Ebay. They must be Chinese. They are cheap (under £20). I am wondering whether people on here can give a fair opinion on them? I probably won't use half the parts as I intend to replace all O rings etc, but keep the original float needles, jets, screws etc if they look ok.

[R1ffR4ff]

Note: The screws on the carbs like most Japanese bikes are not,"Phillips/Cross-point" screws but JIS( Japanese Industry Standard) so invest in a decent long neck JIS screw driver or kit.


I used a kit like this last year off eBay on my 99 and no problems with it,

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/274532053...Cclp%3A2334524


Once all done Carb Balancing,


https://cx500.000webhostapp.com/SV650Carb_Balance.html

and this picture is worth downloading,




I also renewed all my fuel lines and fitted an inline fuel filter for added safety from debris in the system,

[Tigernut]

This is just the kind of advice I was hoping for - thanks very much R1ffR4ff, I'll try to save the links & diagram for reference. I reckon I could use the carb balancing kit to good effect on my old Triumph too. There's a reason why the single carb 750s always seem so much smoother than the twin carb models! I've placed an order for the carb O rings kit (the link you gave was one of the two I'd 'watched' on Ebay)

Thanks again, John

[R1ffR4ff]

Originally Posted by Tigernut

This is just the kind of advice I was hoping for - thanks very much R1ffR4ff, I'll try to save the links & diagram for reference. I reckon I could use the carb balancing kit to good effect on my old Triumph too. There's a reason why the single carb 750s always seem so much smoother than the twin carb models! I've placed an order for the carb O rings kit (the link you gave was one of the two I'd 'watched' on Ebay)

Thanks again, John

No problem. Any probs just post back. The Carbtune 2 was one of the best tool investments I've ever made and a joy to use

I used it a couple of weeks ago as I could feel my carbs were off a tad since the Carb service I did around 4,000 miles ago and I like my Motorcycles vibration free and smooth

[Bibio]

if you have not had the carbs apart before then take advice about the screwdriver and get a good quality JIS. my personal preference is Vessel Impactor #2 THIS ONE

yes they are expensive for a screwdriver but trust me they are the dogs dangliezz.

[R1ffR4ff]

Biblio's brand of JIS are good and I have an equal quality long-neck one,

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[Tigernut]

This is an excellent forum. The level of helpfulness and good advice is very high, without the point-scoring or snidey 'you should already know the answer' style of comments I've seen on some other bike forums I've joined in the past, so thanks again to everyone for your responses.

I have a lot of carb related questions, so maybe I'll start another thread especially for them. Just to give an idea, they can be summarised as:-

What is the 'snorkel' I've seen mentioned? I want to know whether my air filter has got it or not.

How far dismantled do the carbs need to be for ultrasonic cleaning? Tops off, float bowls off, and that's it if they'll fit as a unit into the tank?

What's the point in the heaters on the float bowls? I won;t use the bike in the winter, so can I not bother re-connecting them?

Have these bikes got a 'brain'? One of the reasons I wanted a carb model is that I imagined they didn't, but it looks as if they must have one of some sort. Do they give trouble?

Winterization - what's the best way to ensure that the carbs don;t get gummed up again over winter? I don't like starting engines without using them until they're properly hot. I can put the battery on an Optimate, and I can run the engine on an empty tank to use the petrol (I don;t want the hassle of taking the carbs off again just to drain them). Is there any additive (I see Sea Foam mentioned a lot) which will keep petrol good?

I can put these as individual questions, or a collection of questions on a new thread if either would be better than adding them onto this one...

[Tigernut]

I've just taken the tops off the carbs. The diaphragms looks buggered to me, but I'm not sure - never dealt with carbs like these before. If I could post photos I could show what I mean but I can;t figure out how! I can click on the 7th icon above the text box but it asks me to insert the URL, whatever that is. Is there an easy way of adding photos?

[Biker Biggles]

A few pointers on some of your questions-----
The snorkel is a part of the airbox which some people remove in order to increase airflow. Waste of time bothering IMO especially for a road bike.
The carb heaters were put on UK bikes to prevent carb iceing but dont appear to work. My European import didnt have them and a fuel additive is a better bet if rerquired.
Winterization-Again there is a fuel stabilizer available but probably not required unless you are leaving it unused for a really long time. I agree not to just start/run the engine for its own sake as you just cause cold start wear for no gain. More important to keep the tyres raised and the bike dry IMO.

[Tigernut]

Thanks Biggles. But what does this snorkel look like? I don't know if mine has had it removed or whether what I'm looking at is it! All I see is the air filter box which has a black plastic tube going down the middle into the air filter. Nothing that looks like what I'd call a snorkel. Wish I knew how to post photos, I could show you what I mean.