Hitchcocks Forum

Periodically, the mikcarb on my 2004 350 bullet starts pouring fuel from the overflow. Not all the time, usually if it's been sat for a bit with the fuel off. If I give it a few sharp whacks on the float bowl with a bit of wood, it stops.



I've meticulously set the float height, the float is in good condition but I've even tried another one from a spare carb. I've replaced the needle valve and seat with a brand new one from our hosts and it still does it.



The intermittant fault and the fact that "percussive maintainance" sorts it says sticking needle valve to me. However it's brand new, the carb is meticulously clean (ultrasonic then solvent bath) and was fitted with an inline paper filter. I've inspected it several times and can see no sign of muck or damage.



I was wondering if anyone knows of a viton tipped needle valve that'll fit a mikcarb? I've had good success with these on japanese bikes. Maybe one of the mikuni ones?

id chuck mikcarb and fit one of the new amal monbloc carbs our hosts sell ive doneit on my 2000 350 and can and fitted with a nondrop float no problems

I want to sell it soon and just don't want to sell someone a bike with a self-immolation carb.

It is not the needle that is sticking, but the float. Take a closer look at the float assembly, its pivot and the float bowl itself; the float is touching/binding somewhere...

I had the exact same problem with my 2003 bullet 350.I had stripped and cleaned the micarb and checked float height.Confident that everything was working fine it
flooded again.I cured this problem by making sure the fuel tap was turned off overnight.Being new to the Enfield family I don't know if this is standard practice when the bike is not being used.

My 350 Mikcarb does the same thing and it is very annoying. I have renewed every thing inside the carb but occasionally it will still flood mainly if I do not use the motorcycle for a week. I have a bowl that I put in the frame under the carb every time I start it for the first time in the morning. If it does start to flood I just tap it on the carb bottom with the plastic handle of a screw driver and it will stop. The flooded fuel goes in the bowl before going all over the motorcycle and onto the floor. The strange thing is it will not flood again for the rest of the day. If I use the motorcycle day after day it will not flood. It only floods if I leave the bike for a week or so and not ride it. I have looked at changing the carb to some thing else and perhaps that may be the only real cure for the problem. It is just another maddening problem of something that is manufactured in India. Some get a good carburettor others get something that has some manufacturing flaw that no matter how much time and money you throw at it, it is just never going to be any good. I like the Mikarb because I can use my square air filter box with it. Is there a type of Amal carb that I can use so that I can keep my square air filter box.

I put the fuel tap to off when I leave the motorcycle, so the flooding has something to do with when I turn the fuel tap to on again and the fuel starts to flow into the carb. Nothing changes except the fuel tap is turned on.

There are plenty of times when the Indian made bikes come in for well deserved criticism...


But dont blame the Mikcarb if you are having difficulty remedying flooding issues. Over 95% of all carb 'problems' (No matter what make of carb) that I encounter are owner induced. Frequently the result of buckled/distorted/dented float assemblies, the fitting of inferior air-filters, closely followed by consequential distortion the result of grossly over tightened jets/screws/nuts.


Flooding issues? Amal are far worse...

Well, I'll have another look at it but I can see nowhere the float could be binding but what's one more check?



Oh, and to answer my own question. Measured up the old one. It's a direct match for Mikuni VM26/VM26 002-191 (2.8).

I do blame the pissing Mikarb. I have owned many other motorcycles over the years, some with 4 carbs in a row, and this is the only one that I could not fix by just putting a new carb kit in it. Look at how many others are having the "very same problem" with this carb and how can fitting an "inferior air filter" make the slightest difference to wether the carb floods or not. I had a 1978 Triumph Bonneville 750 with 2 Amal Concentric carbs for some years and had no flooding issues with that.