Choke for Amal

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mike996

mike996

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OK guys (and any gals that may be out there), I want a CHOKE for an Amal.

NOT an enrichner, a choke, as in a plate that blocks/partially blocks the air intake at the intake side of the carb.

Why? Well, with the electric start (Alton in my case) I have found that I still need to tickle the carbs to start from cold. Using the enrichners does't change the starting characteristics, they just assist in running while cold. If I remove the air box and cover the carb intake with my hand, THEN the engine will pull sufficient full from the bowl to start the bike with no trouble. So...is there such a thing as a choke mod for a concentric? I checked the site for the new Amals and they are essentially identical to the originals - enricher, no choke.

Any ideas

Please do not suggest some other type of carb; that won't be happening. ;)
 
Amal concentric chokes only require an original type throttle slide that takes the choke slide inside it and the bowl cap that allows 2 cables to pass then the cable and cute bar lever and choke pot metal piece. IIRC choke piece has its own little spring too. Might try a lower slide cut our number to get more suck when its closed. Most of us remove them of course so me and many others likely have the parts in a bin for just sending.
 
I do not know about your fabrication skills , but , being in Mexico , you should have no problem finding discarded Solex 34 PICT-3 carbs from 1600 Beetles . they have the right size butterfly valve . These could be installed in a 34 mm bellmouth ..
 
mike996 said:
OK guys (and any gals that may be out there), I want a CHOKE for an Amal.

NOT an enrichner, a choke, as in a plate that blocks/partially blocks the air intake at the intake side of the carb.

Why? Well, with the electric start (Alton in my case) I have found that I still need to tickle the carbs to start from cold. Using the enrichners does't change the starting characteristics, they just assist in running while cold. If I remove the air box and cover the carb intake with my hand, THEN the engine will pull sufficient full from the bowl to start the bike with no trouble. So...is there such a thing as a choke mod for a concentric? I checked the site for the new Amals and they are essentially identical to the originals - enricher, no choke.

Any ideas

Please do not suggest some other type of carb; that won't be happening. ;)
Click to expand...

So the choke on an Amal is actually a… choke, it restricts (chokes) the air into the carb. An enricher is the tickler.

Now that we have that out of the way, set the chokes, tickle the carbs and start the bike. Problem solved.
 
"So the choke on an Amal is actually a… choke, it restricts (chokes) the air into the carb. An enricher is the tickler.

Now that we have that out of the way, set the chokes, tickle the carbs and start the bike. Problem solved."

Apparently I was unclear in my original post:

My point is that I would like to quit using the ticklers for starting with the e-start. A blade type choke will allow that. I have never found the Air Slides (Amal's term for what I call an enricher and what you call a choke ) to be helpful in starting the bike from cold - either by kick or by electricity. I removed them back in the day from my '71 and I did the same on my current one when I bought it though I did reinstall them last year to see if they could act as a choke/obviate the need for ticklers with the e-start. They could not so I re-removed them.
 
swooshdave said:
mike996 said:
OK guys (and any gals that may be out there), I want a CHOKE for an Amal.

NOT an enrichner, a choke, as in a plate that blocks/partially blocks the air intake at the intake side of the carb.

Why? Well, with the electric start (Alton in my case) I have found that I still need to tickle the carbs to start from cold. Using the enrichners does't change the starting characteristics, they just assist in running while cold. If I remove the air box and cover the carb intake with my hand, THEN the engine will pull sufficient full from the bowl to start the bike with no trouble. So...is there such a thing as a choke mod for a concentric? I checked the site for the new Amals and they are essentially identical to the originals - enricher, no choke.

Any ideas

Please do not suggest some other type of carb; that won't be happening. ;)
Click to expand...

So the choke on an Amal is actually a… choke, it restricts (chokes) the air into the carb. An enricher is the tickler.

Now that we have that out of the way, set the chokes, tickle the carbs and start the bike. Problem solved.
Click to expand...

+1 on Swoosh's statement, the Amal choke, guillotine type, doesn't seal as tightly as SOME butterfly choke plates, but then they have a bleed hole in them.
The enrichener found on Mikuni and a few others, is a second behind ticklers or primers as far as delivering fuel to a cold engine.
A BETTER sealing choke would help, but the chances of doing it to an Amal concentric are nil.
 
concours said:
..A BETTER sealing choke would help, but the chances of doing it to an Amal concentric are nil.
Click to expand...

how much do you want to bet on that statement ?
 
ludwig said:
concours said:
..A BETTER sealing choke would help, but the chances of doing it to an Amal concentric are nil.
Click to expand...

how much do you want to bet on that statement ?
Click to expand...

But really the question is why when hitting the ticklers for a few second when the bike is cold is all it takes.
 
ludwig said:
concours said:
..A BETTER sealing choke would help, but the chances of doing it to an Amal concentric are nil.
Click to expand...

how much do you want to bet on that statement ?
Click to expand...

Nothing. I hang my head in shame. Certainly a clever machinist must have sunk 20 hours into improving a$50 lump of pot metal.
Please, enlighten.
 
I'd simply prefer not dribbling gas if I don't have to and with E-start, you don't have to IF you can provide enough "seal" at the intake side of the carb.

I could certainly make a choke out out of a piece of thin brass but I was wondering if this has already been done by somebody who could suggest the best way to do it. Obviously I have a cable that can be used for the purpose since the Amal air slides have never served any useful purpose that I have been able to discover, beginning back in the '70s with my first Commando. :)
 
If I recall from back in the day, dribbling/leaking gasoline from the Amals right on top of the Mk3 starter motor would tend to rinse the lubricant from the starter motor bearings resulting in early failure.
 
concours said:
.. Certainly a clever machinist must have sunk 20 hours into improving a$50 lump of pot metal..
Click to expand...

This forum if full of people who have sunk massive amounts of time and money in hopelessly outdated lumps of metal .
I hear someone is even making a complete crankshaft from scratch for one of these obsolete contraptions . Go figure ..
 
"If I recall from back in the day, dribbling/leaking gasoline from the Amals right on top of the Mk3 starter motor would tend to rinse the lubricant from the starter motor bearings resulting in early failure."

I was not aware of that, never having owned a Mk3 but I would think the same thing re the Alton starter - why drip gas on it if you don't have to?

Heck, maybe there's a simple mod to allow the oem air slides to seal better. Maybe I'll take close look at them…easy since they are not in the carbs but hard since I left San Miguel (where the bike lives) this morning and won't be back there for several weeks. :(
 
ludwig said:
concours said:
.. Certainly a clever machinist must have sunk 20 hours into improving a$50 lump of pot metal..
Click to expand...

This forum if full of people who have sunk massive amounts of time and money in hopelessly outdated lumps of metal .
I hear someone is even making a complete crankshaft from scratch for one of these obsolete contraptions . Go figure ..
Click to expand...

Again, please, share.... I'd love to see the butterfly choke added to the Amal. Love to learn. :mrgreen:
 
mike996 said:
I'd simply prefer not dribbling gas if I don't have to and with E-start, you don't have to IF you can provide enough "seal" at the intake side of the carb.

I could certainly make a choke out out of a piece of thin brass but I was wondering if this has already been done by somebody who could suggest the best way to do it. Obviously I have a cable that can be used for the purpose since the Amal air slides have never served any useful purpose that I have been able to discover, beginning back in the '70s with my first Commando. :)
Click to expand...

The tickler rinse is easily solved.. a primer installed in the crossover tube. Plunger easily hidden under the air filter housing, or a tab below the main switch.

https://www.denniskirk.com/llp-mfg/butt ... d/1861.sku

https://www.denniskirk.com/water-sports ... d/1864.sku
 
I also have concerns about fuel dripping onto my Alton electric starter so I had the standard choke refitted to the Amal carbs and I only tickle very little, one maybe two times, with the choke on and the bike starts first time every time. I then turn the choke off immediately the bike is running.

Frank
 
Ludwig graciously shared the images of his custom massaged carbs, and gave permission to share them.

Choke for Amal


Choke for Amal


Choke for Amal
 
lawman said:
I also have concerns about fuel dripping onto my Alton electric starter so I had the standard choke refitted to the Amal carbs and I only tickle very little, one maybe two times, with the choke on and the bike starts first time every time. I then turn the choke off immediately the bike is running.

Frank
Click to expand...

When you turn on your main petcock…if your hearing is still good, you can just hear the gurgle of fuel reach the top of the float bowl just before it squirts out the hole. That is when you snap your finger away from the tickler.
Takes a little practice.
Cheers,
Thomas
CNN
 
The Amal has both the 'semi' choke slides as well as an enricher circuit. When float pushed down by ticker and gas level rises it fills a tiny chamber before gas over flows on mag points, starter or ground and fingers. This little slug of fuel usaully all it take to get first fire but if very cold may not respond to throttle w/o stall so dropping chokes allows some easier warm up. Often too loud ambient for old men ears to hear the top off gurgle so I may press and release till wet shows w/o a drip or have counted to see how long for each carb to just get a weep 3-5 seconds so didn't have to bow head, but usually just hold till drips off then step on and rev right up to cam break in rpm till warm to respond to off idle throttle - then ride off keepping rpm in cam break in range best I can.


Choke for Amal


Peel gets a primer to squirt a dash in manifold d/t no choke nor float bowl.
 
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