Hitchcocks Forum

Hi,does anyone know which is the best carb to use on a 500 bullet with open silencer?Are the original mikarb ok?

If by open silencer you mean a less restrictive one then yes, perfectly fine. Will need to re-jet as in the catalogue. Keep an eye on it to make sure its not running lean.

I'm no expert but I changed mine because of the useless choke switch, I now have an Amal that has a proper choke which makes Bertie much easier to start, especially with his "summer" open exhaust on ( the cigar goes on in the winter, the restriction leaves the mixture a big stronger for winter starting and running )

I have a reverse cone megaphone on my 500 classic. I use 125 main jet, and a different needle jet as per the catalogue. It did not go too well initially, and when I took the mega apart there was nothing left inside, just a few bits of wire which had secured the original matting in place.It was also very noisy, not neighbour friendly at all
so I filled the space between the perforated tube and the outer shell with Acousto-Fil material, it's a bit like fibreglass but it is a woven material, and should stay in place. This set up does make a fabulous sound, the bike can also be ridden very quietly if required, but still has a nice fruity bark when I open her up! I think the carb set up, which is the standard 500 Micarb, is about right.

I think the micarb is a cracking little carb for the money, as is the Mikuni of which its a copy..

Easy to tune and very robust.. There is no choke slide as fitted in the Mk1 Amal but instead it has an enrichment jet for starting...

This is the pain in the arse bit as you can either warm up the motor first and then drive off, or try to alter the position of the lever whilst on the move... Easy except the lever is on the right under your right leg so you have to release the throttle to move lever and it can be at this point that the motor spits and requires a change of the fuel tap onto reserve.. Using your left hand under your left leg..

So PC Plod is watching events unfold, as this demented lunatic wobbles past like an ape sitting on a ants nest...

So yes the choke arrangement with lever next to the throttle is an advantage but thats about it really...

Oh and i prefer the traditional inlet manifold bolting the Amal carb firmly to the head but there are conversions for choke and manifold on the micarb... gwilly.