Hitchcocks Forum

I am planning to swop the 30 year old Mikcarb on my 1990 350 for an Amal Concentric. Does anyone have ideas about this? The engine has always been reluctant starting from cold, and I am finally tired of all the kick starting wearing me out putting on a sweat, aching my right leg even before I get out for a ride. It has never liked the choke lever on, completely refusing to even pop once. I have recently overhauled the entire ignition related system including new rotor spindle bushes etc etc. Very good spark, timing spot on, good compression. No reason not to fire up easily. The carb is the only other related part, that having been cleaned and serviced to within a millimetre of its existence. Time for a change? Any help out there please?

I’ve posted any number of times about the problems I had with my 350’s OE Mikcarb and how pleased I am with the replacement Wassell concentric. The Mikcarb had a manufacturing defect causing a restriction to fuel flow.

Rather than me repeat any of it, you might like to use the advanced search facility. Entering the word “Wassell” seems to find my posts.

There's not a lot wrong with Mikcarbs in my experience and there is the advantage that you can pick them up cheap from people swapping to Amals

I think everyone extols the virtues of all carbs.

My 2002 350 has an Amal Monobloc fitted by the PO.
I am generally very happy with it unless I haven’t used the bike for a few days. Then........... I have to leave my gear off whilst I kick the buggery out of it.

I have picked up, very cheaply, from here an Amal Mk1 concentric. It’s a 930 to which I’ve just fitted a number 2 slide. Once it stops raining, I will fit to Gupta and test.

Quite a lot there to consider lads, thanks. Having a concentric on the shelf I will have to give it a go. I will report back my findings in due course......watch this space.

If it’s any help, my concentric is a 26mm and it came with a 160 main jet. I found the engine ran a bit weak at the top end so I fitted a 170, which improved it.

The cylinder head has basic gas flowing and the inlet was opened out to match the increase to 26mm.

With regard to starting, as long as I tickle the carb enough to ship a dribble of fuel (tickler held down constantly for about five seconds) and ease it over compression twice with the decompressor pulled and ignition off, the bike will fire and run first or second kick.

You can re-brass mikcarbs using mikuni componants.

I wouldn't buy either though, If I was going to blow my wad on a new carb for my 350, I'd fit a genuine Mikuni VM26. I haven't fitted one myself but having had both mikcarb, re-brassed mikcarb and amal on mine, that's what I'd do.

Our hosts do not sell one but I'm entirely confident were you to google for "VM26 carb kit enfield" you would not have trouble finding one specifically for your bike.

Of course what I'm actually going to continue trying to do is get a VM28 mikcarb I have lying about working on my 350 when I'm feeling particularly bored. I had it running perfectly up to half throttle and it started and idled like a honda.

How many times have we been down this road!?

The fact is that if a carb is set-up correctly it won't make a scrap of difference what name is stamped on the side - the bike will run equally well.

The art is that some are easier to set up than others. EXPERIENCE tells me that the Mikcarb is easy to set up; the Concentric is also generally easy; the Mikuni can often be difficult to get running well on a Bullet; while the 'Wassell' is hit and miss - that's because quality control is very suspect - you may get a decent one or you may get something else!!!

Bottom line? For a Bullet? Mikcarb or Concentric. I've said it before. I'll say it again. And no amount of 'persuasion' is going to convince me that a 'Wassell' is better than the carb they have shoddily copied!

I think you should fit a Wahl Phillips fuel injector.

Let us know how it got on.

Bottom line? For a Bullet? Mikcarb or Concentric. I've said it before. I'll say it again. And no amount of 'persuasion' is going to convince me that a 'Wassell' is better than the carb they have shoddily copied!

I don’t think anyone has ever claimed that a a Wassell concentric is better than an AMAL version. But they are compatible and notably less expensive. The one I fitted to my 350 didn’t need much to get it tuned in. I did later fit a main jet that was one size bigger than the one it came with, but I would never expect any carb to work perfectly out of the box and my engine isn’t standard anyway.

Having compared and used many different types of carbs over many years, including mainstream ones such as AMAL, Weber, Stromberg, SU, Keihin, Mikuni and more obscure ones such as ISO and JIKOV, I haven’t found anything particularly shoddy about the Wassell carb, in fact I found the quality to be surprisingly good. Shoddy to me means finding something like poor factory quality control leaving a curled “hook” of metal hidden at the end of a badly cut thread on the inlet to the float chamber, causing a partial fuel flow restriction......As per the Mikcarb VM24 that was factory fitted to my 350 and made me give up with it after months of chasing the fault.

If anyone wants to swap a Wassell concentric for it, I’d be happy to do so.