Hi everyone! This is my first time writing anything on the forum. I have enjoyed the different writings by everyone and now need some advice myself. I have a 2003 carb model 1500 vulcan classic which I have installed a kuryakyn high five air cleaner kit. I changed the jets and shimmed the needle and have it running pretty good. I also have changed the exhaust to a 2006 vulcan 1600 classic system. I like the looks and sound and got to get rid of that ugly "goat belly". My question is- is there a screw driver anywhere available that makes it possible to adjust the air-fuel mixture screw while the bike is running? I know some of you have been in this situation, how did you do it? Thanks and talk to you all soon!
suegip
suegip said:
You say you have changed the exhaust to a 1600 Classic system. Do you mean the stock system or aftermarket. With the Hi-Five, you need a aftermarket exhaust. Which jets did you use from the kit? Also the 1500 runs better on the stock needle. Check the VROC archives for the correct jetting for the 1500 carbed. www.vroc.org
Oh yeah, the tool. Check here.
http://www.jcwhitney.com/autoparts/...-10101/Pr-p_Product.CATENTRY_ID:2004175/p-2004175/N-111+10211+600014252/c-10111
Thanks for the information. I used the 135 main, 48 pilot, and shimmed my stock needle 1 shim. I turned the air-fuel screw out 3 turns from bottom. The exhaust is a stock 1600 set. I rode the bike about 50 miles and checked the plugs, they look good, so I feel I will keep an eye on them and go from there. I originally used the needle that came with the high five and could not get the bike to run good at all with it. I'm taking the needle back to where I bought the high five and have them check it against one from another kit, as I think it must be not for my bike or it should have worked, at least that is what the guy from kuryakyn said when I called them. thanks again for the imput, Mike(suegip)
Just for comparison, on my Coyote'd 1500 Classic I'm running a 165 main jet, 48 slow jet, stock needle with no shims and 2 turns out on the pilot screw. Bike runs excellent, I get about 40 mpg around town and 45 or so on the highway. I do have aftermarket pipes. You can use the 135 main jet due to the shim under the stock needle and the 48 slow jet is fine but I think 3 turns out on the pilot screw is at least one too many. I wouldn't go any more than 2 turns. As for the needle that came with the kit, I'd forget about it as the stock needle really is the best choice.
Hi folks,
I have a 96 1500 Classic I recently bought used. The bike came with V&H pipes that have baffles and what looks to me like a Thunder intake adapter, with a 6 inch round K&N filter held in place by a big flat round peice of metal with a winged V on it, however it slung pink oil everywhere withthe filter hanging out in the wind so the stock chrome air filter housing I had left over from a previous Vulcan is now in it's place. It works well and cuts out that sucking sound, protects it from the rain and doesn't affect airflow.
The bike runs great. From having owned a 1600 Vulcan that I did the Coyote mod on and Cobra pipes and PC III, I can say that this old Classic compares very well. I think it's probably at least as fast as a stock 1600 FI, perhaps faster. The plugs look good, though perhaps a bit on the rich side. Mileage is 35 mpg, combined city and hiway with a good bit of aggressive throttle.
I am sooo happy
Any guess on what size my jets are? Can I see the numbers without removing them from the carburetor? Thanks.
P.S. I bought this bike at the Victory / Kawasaki dealer in Mesa AZ on Country Club road. If the previous owner ever reads this, thanks for taking such good care of this bike before you passed it along. It's gone to a good home.
I have a 96 1500 Classic I recently bought used. The bike came with V&H pipes that have baffles and what looks to me like a Thunder intake adapter, with a 6 inch round K&N filter held in place by a big flat round peice of metal with a winged V on it, however it slung pink oil everywhere withthe filter hanging out in the wind so the stock chrome air filter housing I had left over from a previous Vulcan is now in it's place. It works well and cuts out that sucking sound, protects it from the rain and doesn't affect airflow.
The bike runs great. From having owned a 1600 Vulcan that I did the Coyote mod on and Cobra pipes and PC III, I can say that this old Classic compares very well. I think it's probably at least as fast as a stock 1600 FI, perhaps faster. The plugs look good, though perhaps a bit on the rich side. Mileage is 35 mpg, combined city and hiway with a good bit of aggressive throttle.
I am sooo happy
Any guess on what size my jets are? Can I see the numbers without removing them from the carburetor? Thanks.
P.S. I bought this bike at the Victory / Kawasaki dealer in Mesa AZ on Country Club road. If the previous owner ever reads this, thanks for taking such good care of this bike before you passed it along. It's gone to a good home.
Wow, old thread. Anyway, you can see the number on one of the jets without removing the carb but not the other as it's recessed and has to be unscrewed to be read. If the shop where you bought it did the work they ought to have the info or could possibly put you in touch with the previous owner. Also find out if they used the stock needle.
Thanks very much for the information. I think I'll try to get in touch with the previous owner since I seriously doubt that I can improve upon the current jetting, but if I can't, I'll get a carb rebuild kit prior to exploring inside the carb.
Maybe the numbers I can see will provide some clue as to what the other jet's size is. Thanks again for the help.
Maybe the numbers I can see will provide some clue as to what the other jet's size is. Thanks again for the help.
Just got off the phone with the dealer who called me to let me know that the previous owner had dropped off the bike's service manual. I asked about the jets and dealer said that they re-jetted the bike because it was "running like crap".
He said they used the stock needle, one shim, 172 main and 45 or 43 pilot. Since the service tech wasn't certain about the size of the pilot jet, I'll still be getting into it to have a look before long. After I burn three or four tanks of gas I'm going to pull the plugs that I installed a few days ago and have a look see. If they look even a little lean, I'll probably change the pilot to the next size up.
Bikes sold in Mesa (phoenix suburb) have to go through emissions when sold. The dealer took mine and I recall waiting about 2 hours for it to get completed. That's likely what prompted them to re-jet, and probably a little on the lean side. So there might be a hair more performance to be had.
He said they used the stock needle, one shim, 172 main and 45 or 43 pilot. Since the service tech wasn't certain about the size of the pilot jet, I'll still be getting into it to have a look before long. After I burn three or four tanks of gas I'm going to pull the plugs that I installed a few days ago and have a look see. If they look even a little lean, I'll probably change the pilot to the next size up.
Bikes sold in Mesa (phoenix suburb) have to go through emissions when sold. The dealer took mine and I recall waiting about 2 hours for it to get completed. That's likely what prompted them to re-jet, and probably a little on the lean side. So there might be a hair more performance to be had.
There's part of the problem. Should be stock needle and NO shims especially with a 172 main jet. The 45 pilot would be okay but not great and I'd recommend 3 turns out on the air bleed screw. I run a stock needle w/no shims, 165 main jet, 48 pilot and 2 turns out on the air bleed screw. My bike averages right at 40 to 42 mpg under most riding conditions.
Thanks for the reply. I'm definitely going to be making some changes to that carb in the near future. I need to study up on carb jets, like what the numbers mean. And I'll be buying a kit with a 165 main and a 48 pilot, and hopefully a size or two in smaller and bigger just to fine tune if needed.
She runs well, but she does guzzle gas. If a bigger number equals a bigger jet, I can see how that would be, especially if shimming means the needle is resting higher than normal above the jet.
She runs well, but she does guzzle gas. If a bigger number equals a bigger jet, I can see how that would be, especially if shimming means the needle is resting higher than normal above the jet.
True on both points and good luck finding a kit with those jet sizes. For individual jets you could try one of the on-line cycle product vendors or maybe just remove the shim from the needle and give that a try. Removing the shim won't cost you anything. The original Coyote instructions for the carb'd 1500's had a 170 main jet as the recommended size. You might also try the local Kawasaki dealer as their mechanics will probably have a few jets in their tool boxes they'd be happy to sell. I got my jets from Rage Performance but last I checked they were out of business. A 160 main jet may also work if you used the shim so you have lots of options.
I could no longer resist, I had to know. I pulled the carb out and opened her up.
The mixture needle was only open 1/2 turn. The pilot jet is a 45. The main jet is a 170 (yea) and the thing had FOUR shims. I suspect the bike was idling off of the main if that's possible. No doubt they leaned the idle out big time to get through the emissions check. I think it's a stock needle, there are grooves in it to put clips and it says PT2 on it.
Gonna put her back together with one shim and open the screw 2.75 turns and cross my fingers. I don't see how guys (or gals) work on that thing in the bike, no way I could.
Wish me luck.
The mixture needle was only open 1/2 turn. The pilot jet is a 45. The main jet is a 170 (yea) and the thing had FOUR shims. I suspect the bike was idling off of the main if that's possible. No doubt they leaned the idle out big time to get through the emissions check. I think it's a stock needle, there are grooves in it to put clips and it says PT2 on it.
Gonna put her back together with one shim and open the screw 2.75 turns and cross my fingers. I don't see how guys (or gals) work on that thing in the bike, no way I could.
Wish me luck.
Hmmmmmm.... mumble mumble....sure wish I knew that doggone needle was stock or not....
After doing a little more reading around I think I'll go with two shims. On Gadgets page he says to try no shims at first but the paragraph just above that one is from an Aussie who runs 2 shim with the 170 jet.
As goofy as my prior setup seemed to be, and as poor as the mileage is with that setup, my primary concerns are driveability and power. The bike did howl with four shims, she still had noticeable pull at 100 mph and I would estimate that she would do 110 or perhaps even 115 with that setup. I sure don't want to lose that, I would accept the current mileage, (about 34-35 mpg) if that were the price I had to pay.
Sooooo, I reckon I'll grab a bite to eat and go put her back together with 2 shims and 3 turns as the recommendations from everyone are 3 or even 3 and a half.
Thanks for the input Classic, I appreciate it.
After doing a little more reading around I think I'll go with two shims. On Gadgets page he says to try no shims at first but the paragraph just above that one is from an Aussie who runs 2 shim with the 170 jet.
As goofy as my prior setup seemed to be, and as poor as the mileage is with that setup, my primary concerns are driveability and power. The bike did howl with four shims, she still had noticeable pull at 100 mph and I would estimate that she would do 110 or perhaps even 115 with that setup. I sure don't want to lose that, I would accept the current mileage, (about 34-35 mpg) if that were the price I had to pay.
Sooooo, I reckon I'll grab a bite to eat and go put her back together with 2 shims and 3 turns as the recommendations from everyone are 3 or even 3 and a half.
Thanks for the input Classic, I appreciate it.
Well she is back together and running even better than before. Also, I am now much more familiar with CVK40 carb than I ever thought I would be. I am a bit embarrassed to admit that I worked about 20 hours on the doggone thing, but I did. I wish I had taken notes.
For those who will struggle with their carbed Vulcan 1500s in the future, here is a summary of what I did and why I did it.
After owning the bike about a week, I took the carb apart to see what size my jets were. There was a 170 main, a stock needle with 4 shims and a 45 pilot. The pilot screw was open 1/2 turn.
I re-assembled the carb with 2 shims and the pilot screw opened to 2 1/2 turns. The bike ran but was very rich now as evidenced by the black smoke, and would not run above idle.
My carb had the coolant lines connected to it that made the the already difficult to access pilot screw even more difficult to access. To adjust it meant removing the tank and and pulling the carb off of the intake manifold. This was time consuming as I tried the mixture screw in different positions. None made any difference.
I then tried the carb without the 2 shims on the needle. Same result, way too rich.
Adjusted float. Zero shims on needle. Idle good now, and no more black smoke. However, any attempt to rev above idle cause the carb to backfire. According to articles I have read this is due to a lean mixture caused by the pilot being too small or adjusted too lean. I turned the screw 4 turns out, but there was no change. Time to call it a day.
Day 2:
Went to the Harley dealer and bought a #48 pilot. I would have got a 50 as well, but alas, they didn't have one. Everything I had read to this point indicated that this bigger pilot jet should help or totally fix my problem.
Double checked float height, set at 15mm. Removed and plugged carb coolant lines...I live in the desert for crying out loud.
Though it still wasn't easy, with the coolant lines gone I could now reach the pilot screw without removing the carb from the intake. I broke a screwdriver in order to make it short enough to fit under the carb.
Installed #48 jet, rechecked float, opened screw 2 turns. Re-installed fuel tank, re connect fuel lines..bla bla....
*&^%&!!!!!! Same thing, no change, idle is good but carb popping loud when throttle is blipped. I opened the mixture screw up 4 turns. No difference.
Now I am wondering, is the pilot circuit clogged? If it is, how is it idling? Is it possible for the bike to idle with a plugged pilot circuit?
I forgot to mention that I also drilled the slide with a 1/8 drill and took a scotch pad to the slide just enough to shine it up.
I was back to square one. I placed 3 shims on the needle, and set the mixture screw to 1 1/2 turns out. VROOOOM! No carb popping, no black smoke. Throttle response was definitely improved. I let her idle for about 10 minutes to check for leaks and went for a test drive.
The low end is dramatically better, it's hard to describe accurately but it feels like I picked up a good bit of torque. I'll need to get on out on the interstate in the daytime to find out if the top end has changed.
This was a big pain but the education and the performance gain was worth the hassle. At this point I wonder if the pilot circuit is clogged or not. I also wonder if I really need a # 50 or even bigger pilot. That would seem out of line compared to other 1500s but who knows? I am also curious about what the mileage will be.
For now, I'll leave her alone. I'll order a rebuild kit and some more jets. Now that I've got some experience with this carb, getting the jets dialed in won't be such a daunting task.
For those who will struggle with their carbed Vulcan 1500s in the future, here is a summary of what I did and why I did it.
After owning the bike about a week, I took the carb apart to see what size my jets were. There was a 170 main, a stock needle with 4 shims and a 45 pilot. The pilot screw was open 1/2 turn.
I re-assembled the carb with 2 shims and the pilot screw opened to 2 1/2 turns. The bike ran but was very rich now as evidenced by the black smoke, and would not run above idle.
My carb had the coolant lines connected to it that made the the already difficult to access pilot screw even more difficult to access. To adjust it meant removing the tank and and pulling the carb off of the intake manifold. This was time consuming as I tried the mixture screw in different positions. None made any difference.
I then tried the carb without the 2 shims on the needle. Same result, way too rich.
Adjusted float. Zero shims on needle. Idle good now, and no more black smoke. However, any attempt to rev above idle cause the carb to backfire. According to articles I have read this is due to a lean mixture caused by the pilot being too small or adjusted too lean. I turned the screw 4 turns out, but there was no change. Time to call it a day.
Day 2:
Went to the Harley dealer and bought a #48 pilot. I would have got a 50 as well, but alas, they didn't have one. Everything I had read to this point indicated that this bigger pilot jet should help or totally fix my problem.
Double checked float height, set at 15mm. Removed and plugged carb coolant lines...I live in the desert for crying out loud.
Though it still wasn't easy, with the coolant lines gone I could now reach the pilot screw without removing the carb from the intake. I broke a screwdriver in order to make it short enough to fit under the carb.
Installed #48 jet, rechecked float, opened screw 2 turns. Re-installed fuel tank, re connect fuel lines..bla bla....
*&^%&!!!!!! Same thing, no change, idle is good but carb popping loud when throttle is blipped. I opened the mixture screw up 4 turns. No difference.
Now I am wondering, is the pilot circuit clogged? If it is, how is it idling? Is it possible for the bike to idle with a plugged pilot circuit?
I forgot to mention that I also drilled the slide with a 1/8 drill and took a scotch pad to the slide just enough to shine it up.
I was back to square one. I placed 3 shims on the needle, and set the mixture screw to 1 1/2 turns out. VROOOOM! No carb popping, no black smoke. Throttle response was definitely improved. I let her idle for about 10 minutes to check for leaks and went for a test drive.
The low end is dramatically better, it's hard to describe accurately but it feels like I picked up a good bit of torque. I'll need to get on out on the interstate in the daytime to find out if the top end has changed.
This was a big pain but the education and the performance gain was worth the hassle. At this point I wonder if the pilot circuit is clogged or not. I also wonder if I really need a # 50 or even bigger pilot. That would seem out of line compared to other 1500s but who knows? I am also curious about what the mileage will be.
For now, I'll leave her alone. I'll order a rebuild kit and some more jets. Now that I've got some experience with this carb, getting the jets dialed in won't be such a daunting task.
Hi folks,
I know this is an old feed but I am hoping to get help. Pretty desperate as I am at my wits end. I have a 03 Vulcan 1500 E6, I bought it with after market pipes (no markings on them so no idea but they look like big shots) as well as a Kuryakyn Hypercharger. The Filter was a K&N Kuryakyn one and I cleaned it up and re-oiled it. Opened the carb and found a 140 Main, 45 Pilot and the Needle e-clip had fallen off leaving the needle loose in the slide but did not fall trough the needle opening. (I think a shim was lodged in one of the 5 grooves and holding it in place). After cleaning the Carb I put it all back together with what the jetting kit recommended -170 main jet, 45 Pilot, the needle set at the 4th groove with two shims and confirmed the slide was drilled to #50.
Here is my question. Before cleaning and changing jets I was getting about 110 miles on a full tank, giving me around 21 MPG. After adusting to the kit specs I got 20 MPG. I dropped the needle to the 3rd groove - this brought it back up to 21 MPG. I changed the Main to a 160 - this got me to 23 MPG and now I am at a 150 Main jet but with the wind we have been having, I have not had a chance to get a comparable reading. Average though I am getting the same mileage. I tried adjusting the Pilot mixtrue but had it turned all the way in and no change. This tells me the Pilot jet needs to be smaller. In the end, the plugs are still showing a little rich, not getting the MPG I would expect and it smells rich, performance is ok unless I shift with low RPM's in which case it bogs and backfires a little but has good pick up with more throttle. Is there any advice anyone can give on why my mileage sucks so bad? thanks!!
I know this is an old feed but I am hoping to get help. Pretty desperate as I am at my wits end. I have a 03 Vulcan 1500 E6, I bought it with after market pipes (no markings on them so no idea but they look like big shots) as well as a Kuryakyn Hypercharger. The Filter was a K&N Kuryakyn one and I cleaned it up and re-oiled it. Opened the carb and found a 140 Main, 45 Pilot and the Needle e-clip had fallen off leaving the needle loose in the slide but did not fall trough the needle opening. (I think a shim was lodged in one of the 5 grooves and holding it in place). After cleaning the Carb I put it all back together with what the jetting kit recommended -170 main jet, 45 Pilot, the needle set at the 4th groove with two shims and confirmed the slide was drilled to #50.
Here is my question. Before cleaning and changing jets I was getting about 110 miles on a full tank, giving me around 21 MPG. After adusting to the kit specs I got 20 MPG. I dropped the needle to the 3rd groove - this brought it back up to 21 MPG. I changed the Main to a 160 - this got me to 23 MPG and now I am at a 150 Main jet but with the wind we have been having, I have not had a chance to get a comparable reading. Average though I am getting the same mileage. I tried adjusting the Pilot mixtrue but had it turned all the way in and no change. This tells me the Pilot jet needs to be smaller. In the end, the plugs are still showing a little rich, not getting the MPG I would expect and it smells rich, performance is ok unless I shift with low RPM's in which case it bogs and backfires a little but has good pick up with more throttle. Is there any advice anyone can give on why my mileage sucks so bad? thanks!!
My carb setup is different but the 45 pilot is probably okay and I'd go about 2 turns out on the pilot screw. Any chance you can go back to the stock needle? The needle that comes with a jet kit has a different taper and if you don't have the stock one, maybe try dropping it another notch as the engine is obviously too running rich. I'm running with the stock needle, no shims with an open intake aka Coyote intake and I get 40 to 42 mpg. That's with a 165 main jet, 48 pilot and two turns out on the pilot screw.
Thanks Classic,
I was thinking about going back to a stock needle as well. I am going to order one. and give it a go. My concern with the 45 pilot is that when I turned the mixture screw in all the way it maintained idle. Is it possible that the needle could cause this? Anywhere i read about it they recommend to change to one pilot jet smaller if the idle does not change with the mixture screw closed off. Appreciate the advice and cannot wait to get the needle in to try it out. Thanks again! I will let you know how I make out!! :-D
I was thinking about going back to a stock needle as well. I am going to order one. and give it a go. My concern with the 45 pilot is that when I turned the mixture screw in all the way it maintained idle. Is it possible that the needle could cause this? Anywhere i read about it they recommend to change to one pilot jet smaller if the idle does not change with the mixture screw closed off. Appreciate the advice and cannot wait to get the needle in to try it out. Thanks again! I will let you know how I make out!! :-D
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