Ok Gary
To check the condition of your slides to bore fit (with the air filter assembly removed, engine off) twist and hold the throttle cables about ¼ turn and with your finger in the Amal check for large excessive movement. Less than .010” is new…I think Bruce Chessell measured a new Amal at 0.007”. So if they are loose you will see this slop. This slop causes the airflow to not meter the fuel to air signal correctly. It will also cause the needle and needle jet to wear which causes more of the above. This has been covered in previous threads. Do a search and pick your way through them.
Plan of action.
1. Rebuild $. 2. Buy New Amals$$. 3. Buy different Carburetor$$$.
1. Rebuild:
Rebuilding is the cheapest route about $75 greenbacks for each carb… plus shipping… turn around time about 2 weeks. You will need also a rebuild kit like this
http://www.amalcarb.co.uk/ProductDetail.aspx?Id=2637 add that to your cost plus shipping. Bruce Chessel up here in Canada re-sleeves Amals and he can also get you your spares. You can also find US options for re-sleeving. While you are waiting use a sheet of sand paper/sheet of glass, or fine valve grinding compound and flatten your float bowl as well as your flange surfaces on your carburetors and your carburetor to head spacers 06-2711. There is a you-tube video on this somewhere if you do a search.
When everything comes back, re-assemble using this as a guide…
http://www.jba.bc.ca/Bushmans%20Carb%20Tuning.html
Do not over tighten the float bowl to body screws and especially the flange to head spacer nuts. Too many (Silverback gorilla) owners… have over tightened and warped the slide to body tolerance and cause the slides to stick again. I would also do the modification of the new blanking screw to access the idle circuit pilot jet. You can use your old pilot screw and cut off the tip just before the threads. If you bought the rebuild kit you will get a new one. Read modification for blanking screw from above link.
2. New Amals:
Order LH and RH concentric mark 1 to match your bike year. I would custom order these slides
http://www.amalcarb.co.uk/ProductDetail ... e&Id=37408
Instead of the standard zink slides or you will be facing the same music again with slide/body wear down the road…. similar zinc material that causes galling is why we have numerous companies re-sleeving Amals. You should order new float bowl filters if yours are ripped. I would check the filter also at the petcocks and make sure these are not torn or ripped. Ethanol fuel is not friendly to Commando fiberglass tanks and will dissolve the inside of the tank, which eventually goes through the carbs. This is the only line of defense for large bits of particulate floating up to your idle pilot circuit and clogging it.
3. Buy different Carbs eg. Mikuni/PKW
There are options here but you loose the ability to use the standard air filter assembly. Single Mikuni mods require new manifold, new fuel line, and loss of power at full throttle settings but better fuel economy, but biggest investment to do the same thing for a 40 year old bike.
Quote:
“The only only thing you need to permanently fix an Anal carb is a large and heavy hammer - a few quick strokes and it will never need maintenance again.”
I have more than a hammer and a Chisel in my Toolbox. This is reseved for the ones that remove the sump filter because they are too cheep to by the correct tool. :roll:
Quote:
”Coming from someone who has gratefully switched to flatslide carbs and will never go back.”
Coming from someone who re-sleeved 3 sets of amals who will stay put with the design. And I don’t sell carburetors. Plus I can tickle my bike before I put the boots to her.
:mrgreen:
