25 Questions to Ask Your Carburetor Rebuilder Which rebuild kits do you use? "Kits" are problematic. Whether Keyster, K&L, whomever, they usually contain many parts you do not need, and more importantly, leave out many that you do need. Plus, the quality of the parts is way below the standard of the original, no matter what their sellers claim. On Honda DOHC fours and the CBX, for example, significant performance problems have been traced to the use of Keyster carb kits. For most jobs, I assemble my own rebuild parts. For the CBX and Gold Wing, I use the seal kits put together by reknowned vintage expert Randall Washington of Chapel Hill, NC. I also use many OEM and top quality pieces, for example high quality float valves and factory fuel line, even OEM screws. I use well over 125 new parts in a CBX rebuild, for example. Isn't fuel line, uh, fuel line? Nope. The original factory fuel line is very high grade stuff. It is two-layer, the outer layer being hypalon, the same stuff spark plug wires are made of, and the inner part neoprene. Thick wall, dual layer, ozone resistant, non-chunking (bits don't fall off into the fuel supply like they do with conventional automotive line), and non-kinking. The best available and retailing for $10 a foot. That's what I use, the best OEM line. Who does the work on these carbs, you or an employee? I personally do each job. Like my website name, each job is an isolated, special, project. Each is different, unique, a work of love and art. :-) Are the o-rings in your kits the superior viton synthetic rubber, or some other material? I use only the more expensive and harder-to-get viton material seals in my carburetor projects. This is one area where the "kits" folks make their money, by using inferior buna rubber o-rings. Where do you source the float valves from? With rare exception, I use factory Keihin float needles in all the Keihin carbs I do. Not aftermarket. The aftermarket ones are very poor quality, heavy, zinc material chome plated. The stock valves are not chromed but plain aluminum. Where do your idle mixture screw o-rings come from? There are very few sources for properly sized late model Keihin idle mixture o-rings. Just three in fact. The other guys use o-rings that are too big and tend to fold over when installing. Mine are specially spec'd in collaboration with Randall Washington. This may seem like a small point, but this part is responsible for maintaining a smooth idle, and I have seen a lot of improperly installed idle mixture o-rings. Do you take the carburetors completely apart, including active circuits such as air cut valves? I take all the rebuild jobs I do completely apart, save the throttle shafts/butterflies, which is neither necessary nor is it usually a good idea, although on some jobs I even disassemble these. I am probably the only one who removes the air cut valve from the casting on CBXs and GL1200s, for example, because it requires a special tool that I made myself. Everything is inspected, nothing is left to chance. Do you rebuild the petcock (Honda 79~81 CBX, DOHC Fours, Gold Wing) as part of your carburetor rebuild service? I do. Though a small part, not a small matter. If the carbs are mucked up, so is the petcock, and for that matter, the tank too. Diassembling and cleaning the petcock and replacing its seal is a very good idea, not only for this reason, but also because in most cases its 30+ year old rubber seal has long before reached the end of its useful life. The petcock isn't easy to work with. Its zinc/aluminum material is much poorer quality than the aluminum used in the carburetor castings. This makes it more delicate. Are you factory certified by the distributor of these carburetors? I have been certified by American Honda Motor Company since 1983, and continue to maintain my certification (most recent factory Honda classes 2003). Did you work on these carburetors when they were new? I made my living by servicing these carburetors and the bikes they ran on, during the 70s and 80s. I was there, which a lot of other carburetor rebuilders cannot say. What other credentials do you have? As noted above, factory certification, and also, over 35 years in this field, including many years as a technician. Moreover, for what it's worth, for years I taught a week and a half long carburetor theory course to classes of up to 50 students each at Motorcycle Mechanics Institute, the premier U.S. based technician training school. Do use the ultrasonic cleaning method? Yes. But ultrasonic is not a silver bullet. If they are honest, users of the sonic method will admit it is not very well suited to carburetor work. It does however have its uses. For one thing, using an ultrasonic system means less impact on the environment in terms of the disposal of hazardous, caustic chemicals. I use an expensive, industrial grade ultrasonic machine to get the outside of the carb castings the right clean sheen, and to clean all the non-metallic and smaller metallic mechanical parts, which it really does well. But the ultrasonic method can't be relied on to do internal cleaning of the carburetor castings themselves. The traditional caustic agents are still necessary to do those all-important passages. I use a number of different cleaning solutions, in different stages, for cleaning the internal passages, and a final substance is run through the carburetor circuits to test them and prevent internal corrosion during shipment of the carbs back to the customer. Do you use a special workbench just for carb work, separate from engine work, machining, and other kinds of work? Indeed I do. My carburetor bench is just for carburetors. It houses over 40 special tools used just on carburetors (including for example the factory float level gauge), many of which I have made myself, and over 100 bins of new replacement parts (most of them OEM). The bench gets covered with a fresh sheet of medical exam paper (just like at the doctor's office) before I assemble each set of carbs I do. The conditions your carbs are assembled in is practically a "clean room" environment. Do you have access to EDM? I do. If your rebuilder doesn't know what EDM is, find another. It is a very important tool when it comes to carburetors. Do you have access to micro-welding? Yes I do. Another important, carburetor-specific technology. I know of only one other rebulder who has access to this service. Do you have a supply of critical repair parts? I have over 80 complete carburetors in stock, plus an enviable supply of quality NOS replacement parts. Do you offer metal parts replating? Yes. I frequently re zinc plate the steel brackets on carburetors, on request, and I do it myself in-house, giving me the maximum control over quality and turn-around time. Do you have the special tools required to properly disassemble carburetors without damage? There are areas on these carbs that require special tools to service, tools that are not available for sale. I have them, and few others are likely to have anything similar, as I made them myself to do the work properly. The air cut valve tool mentioned above, for example, and tools that service other similarly non-removable parts. Do you fix the troublesome CBX carburetor choke issue that makes CBXs hard starting? I do. In all likelihood I was the first to do so, having developed the fix on my own bike back in the 1980s. Do you modify the accelerator pump on the CBX and Honda DOHC carbs to make sure it works correctly? I do. The standard specifications for this part are inadequate, and this presents many a problem for the users of these motorcycles. Do you run completed carburetors on a test engine? No. While that may sound like a good thing, all a person can do is adjust the carburetors to that particular engine. So there is no real advantage. No set of carbs can come to you pre-adjusted, but I do as much as I can on the bench. The throttles are mechanically bench synchronized, which leaves them only to be checked on your running bike, a task you should be doing every 6,000 miles anyway. Most of my customers tell me they haven't needed to synch the carbs once bolted on and the engine running. I also adjust the idle mixture screws to 2 1/2 turns out on the early 80s Honda carbs, which has proven to fit most conditions. If you are able, you may wish to adjust them using your ear or preferably an exhaust gas analyzer (3%). But short of that, 2 1/2 turns is 99% of the way there. A quarter turn either way is all you'll need, if that. Do you offer unlimited after-the-job support? I maintain continuous email and web support for all my customers, including online updates as the project progresses, questions answered if they come up afterward, and a 100% satisfaction guarantee. Included with the returned carbs is an invoice of all the work done and parts rebuilt, replaced and serviced, as well as notations of what I found on the carbs as I went through them. For example maybe there are signs of previous work. I can tell that, and I make sure the customer knows, especially if he has only recently got the bike. Also included is a tips sheet on how to make the reinstallation of the carbs the best it can be, for example suggestions for making sure the rest of the engine is up to snuff as well. Finally, I offer tips on future vehicle storage. Do you spend time talking with folks about their carburetors? There are other carburetor services who do not like to talk to people. I do. I make a point of providing as much information as I can. The way I look at it, it's the people quotient. When it comes time to spend the money, who are people going to go to, the guy who can't be bothered, or the one who takes the time to make sure his customers are well informed and equipped? Do you offer instruction in how to clean and rebuild carburetors should the customer decide to do it himself? Yes. My other line is how-to books, of which I have many, with more coming all the time. Who are some of the folks you have done carb work for? I haven't got permission to list all the names like that, but I can refer you to my website guestbook, wherein many folks have offered commnent on their dealings with and their confidence in me.