help!!!!!shovelhead carbs???????

[jockynomad]

hi, i live across the pond in scotland , needless to say there aint many shovels near me , ive a 81 flt, with andrews cams, stock pistons and super b carb, for the life of me i cant get her to run sweet. obviously its down to the super b as everything else has been renewed, my jetting is the prob, can anyone help ?? wot are the correct jet sizes?? im runnin drag pipes, cheers ,ian

[prodrag1320]

a 70-72 main and a 29.5-31 int., air idle screw about 1 3/4 turns out should be about right

[SCHMIDTYS]

IMO . The best thing you could do for your shovel is put a CV carb on it . I had a Super B on my '81 and could never dial it in just right . The main problem with the Super B is that it doesn't have an accelerator pump , not a good street carb .
Come to think of it I believe I heard that there is an accelerator pump upgrade available for the Super B , that might be an option for ya .

[cracker]

just curious, what kind of octane level do you have available?... and do you have any alcohol added to your fuel?

[Panhead1959]

40 or 42 CV Carb with a press on adapter for your manifold and it will run better and easy adjust!

The S & S B is a good carb too but I sort of like the accelerator pump too Like the Shorty E S&S has! Maybe the B Carb is a bit to big for your motor too !

CV PERFORMANCE.COM is where you should look and they should be able to get you all the stuff you need to bolt a modified CV Carb with adapter all set up and ready to bolt on your bike! Now the other thing is the pipes your running !

Alot of tuning problems can be fixed with the right pipes, and a little back pressure for a street motor!

Hey I'm from Wisconsin and love to support S&S

but now Im in Colorado and Im switching out my E-Shorty to a CV Carb on my 59 Panhead for the adjustability going from 5000+ ft to 12,000ft in the same day with a turn of a knob as I ride!

But try the set up Kirby gave you above....if it works dont fix it! I used to watch Kirby aka ProDrag1320 race in the midwest and he knows how to "go fast"

[pb68slab]

For a basically stock 74cu.in. Shovel , I like a good ol' 38mm Bendix. The 80cu.in. motors do nicely with the later 40mm Bendix.

I bumped my '68 out to 80" with wheels , rods and jugs from a 1980 and used an S&S Super E and regretted it ever since.

The Super E is a great carb , but seems to work best with Evos or Shovels that have had port work done.

[Kainam]

Originally Posted by cracker

just curious, what kind of octane level do you have available?... and do you have any alcohol added to your fuel?

They don't measure octane the same way as we do in the US. They use RON, where we use (RON + MON)/2.

[ARBY]

I'd agree with prodrag1320 on the jets but the plugs will tell the story.

Here's a couple links that might help.

How you can read spark plugs and select them - by Gordon Jennings.

How to read Racing Spark Plugs

[Badassbrutus]

all good advice here Its the riders choice on carb preferance I perfer the S&S super shorty E I wouldnt run anything else set it and forget it.but alot of guys like a CV.I like butterfly carbs not slides....Good luck.

[Smokin Sam]

I like an E carb as well. I am working on an 80 inch Shovel with a B on it right now. Between the points and the B it is tough to get it to idle right. It seems to have a two step idle. Either 1200 or 600 rpm but NEVER 900. It will idle high for a bit then will settle down to the "too low" stage. I've checked the advance unit out too. What is up with that?