Hitchcocks Forum

2009 500 bullet - amal carb.

starts ok, but will not run cleanly - top gear 50mph tops - hesitates and stutters -- occasional cough .. .
has been suggested that carb needs cleaning - having never done that before in 44years of having bikes I would like some (idiot fashion ) advice on how to do it..
I have quarantined her to shed 1 during this worrying time and she is not allowed any visitors

Piece of piss with an amal but check for cracks in the inlet manifold and make sure the battery is charged before diving in there. The probalems you describe COULD be caused by a problem with the carb but they would be problems with two different parts of the carb.

There is a good sheet on setting up and servicing amals on this website: https://accessories.hitchcocksmotorcycl ... 4&_xt=.pdf

Personal tips are to clean the outside properly first. Work on a sheet of paper at a table so you can lay it out neatly, carbs servicing is a clean job. Be careful to use the correct screwdriver to undo the screws, they are easily stripped. Before removing the idle or pilot screws, count how many turns it takes to turn them fully in and write that down so you can put it back how it was. Expect to need to replace the float bowl gasket and be pleasantly surprised if you don't. Don't poke things through jets to clear them, soak in solvent and blow through.

I have successfully used gas lighter refills to blast out blocked internal jets before if you don't have compressed air. Come with a handy variety of nozzles. Be aware it's flammable, nasty to inhale and freezes the componant enough to burn your fingers so wear gloves.

Depending on the year o fthe carb, amals can suffer from severe wear on both the throttle slide and the carb body (evidenced by scoring on both). No good way to fix this other than replacement or a professinal re-condition. If the slide is black in colour, it is hardened and shouldn't suffer from this issue.

Does the bike run properly again after stopping.
Because I had a Honda that did that, run normally got up 50 ish then coughed, sputtered and died, pulled into side of road left a minute or two started up ok only to do it again at 50 ish. Very infuriating and a mystery. Until and my old man, asked what was the outside temperature, was chilly so likely to be Carb icing. Is that a possibility ?

I always dismantle stuff like carbs on a deep tray so the little fiddly bits can't run away and hide in the corner of the shed.

I'd also check the ends of the HT lead and give it a new plug before stripping the carb.

Might also be worth a quick check of the fuel flow TO the carb, i.e. pipe and tap flowing freely and petrol tank cap air vent hole not blocked. If you undo the carb fuel banjo fitting for this you can check the filter at the same time. Any extra fuel filter fitted in line?

A.

Could be water in the fuel
Drain carbs bowl into glass jar to check
A little water could cause the symptoms you describe

Take care all Dai

Amals are really easy to check for water. Simply undo the round knurled screw in the bottom of the float bowl and look inside it for water droplets. Any even tiny amounts of water will collect there. You can do this with a 50p with the carb still on the bike.

taking into account that this is the first time I,ve had an amal carb on a bike …..and nobody ever mentioned that you PULL
the carb OFF....
so to cut a long story short.. the sooty plug was caused by forgetting the above - it did last 800 mile before trouble started - --It demonstrated the durability of the bullet engine.
after cleaning the carb ,checking wiring , fuel flow ...its now well -yes I know.

Well it was worth doing it
You learned something !
When you said pull carb off I thought ah you have a concentric, then realized you meant pull choke off

It's always a good day when you learn something
Take care Dai