Forum

[Bullet Whisperer]

I think the Mikcarbs are fine on both standard 350 and 500 Indian Bullets and I have no criticisms of them in that respect, but, if I have done tuning work which warrants a larger carburettor, then an Amal of some sort in a suitable size would be my own preference - better the devil you know and all that.
Also, if a machine runs badly with its clapped out 60 year old Amal, it stands to reason it will start and run much better with a new Mikuni with suitable settings, but then the same should go for a new Amal with suitable settings too. It is not a matter of Amal carbs being 'rubbish', but an old knackered one is not likely to be much good and a new one of any make should be an improvement over it!

[Duke of Wybourne.]

I've run my Enfields on Mikarb, Mikuni, Delorto and Amal. Spend a bit of time setting them up, and all are good. For best results with the Amal a bit of modification to the slide profile helped a lot, and out of the three, once set up properly, the Amal was the best all round, mpg, starting etc. Playing around with the jets (trial and error) on the standard Mikarb gives good results. I always found with this carb, if set up properly, keeping your hand off the throttle gave the best results starting, both hot and cold. I've also read about owners complaining about flat spots with Concentrics, again this can be eliminated with a bit of careful trial and error. The only issue I have encountered with concentrics is premature wear to the body/slide. One thing I've noticed is that the carb does require to be individually set up to match the bike. What works perfectly well on one bike doesn't necessarily work the same on another "identical" model.

[Wheaters]

I think the Mikcarbs are fine on both standard 350 and 500 Indian Bullets and I have no criticisms of them in that respect, but, if I have done tuning work which warrants a larger carburettor, then an Amal of some sort in a suitable size would be my own preference - better the devil you know and all that.
Also, if a machine runs badly with its clapped out 60 year old Amal, it stands to reason it will start and run much better with a new Mikuni with suitable settings, but then the same should go for a new Amal with suitable settings too. It is not a matter of Amal carbs being 'rubbish', but an old knackered one is not likely to be much good and a new one of any make should be an improvement over it!

Precisely!

[Wheaters]

I've run my Enfields on Mikarb, Mikuni, Delorto and Amal. Spend a bit of time setting them up, and all are good. For best results with the Amal a bit of modification to the slide profile helped a lot, and out of the three, once set up properly, the Amal was the best all round, mpg, starting etc. Playing around with the jets (trial and error) on the standard Mikarb gives good results. I always found with this carb, if set up properly, keeping your hand off the throttle gave the best results starting, both hot and cold. I've also read about owners complaining about flat spots with Concentrics, again this can be eliminated with a bit of careful trial and error. The only issue I have encountered with concentrics is premature wear to the body/slide. One thing I've noticed is that the carb does require to be individually set up to match the bike. What works perfectly well on one bike doesn't necessarily work the same on another "identical" model.

If there’s a flat spot, obviously it’s because the carb hasn’t been fully set up to suit the engine. There’s a whole lot of information on how to tune a carb, for good reason. I’d never expect a carb of any make or type to work at its best straight out of the box; maybe some do?

[Presto]

Now we seem to getting some common (or mechanical) good sense coming into this discussion about carbs.

By all means 'live and let live' - but it makes sense - of every sort - to stop condemning an entire make of perfectly serviceable carburettors - I mean AMALs.

[Duke of Wybourne.]

This is worth a read for anyone learning the basics;
https://www.cycleworld.com/story/bikes/ ... rburetors/

I remember reading a lengthy ill informed rant on another forum about how Bullets would never run properly on a concentric, yet when I offered an all day ride of my then bike, complete with concentric, the "guru" declined, and didn't say much more. Possibly a Monobloc is preferable, but I was perfectly happy with a concentric and wouldn't hesitate to use another.

One other thing worth mentioning is that prior to setting up carburetors I always carry out a compression/leak back test.

[Rippinggas]

The concentrics weren't introduced in 1967 because they were a great carb, it was because they cost the manufacturers 20 pence a piece or something like that.
Now that was a completely different carb than what Burlen offers today, the Premier with hard anodized slide, adjustable stay-up float and removable pilot jet is equal to its copy, the mikuni VM. The body casting is much thicker than the originals too, and in a better alloy.
It's also quite expensive.
I also run a pair of 30mm Wassell Evolution on a triumph 500, apart from troubles inherent in tuning oversized carbs they work superbly. No appreciable difference in material quality or tolerances from premiers, for half the price. I'm very happy with them.

[Adrian]

There's a 1" Amal GP carb on "that auction site" at the moment (yes, Amal did make then that small), wouldn't that be fun?

A.