550 J carb set up

[barney01]

Two years ago i was having difficulty sorting the carbs on my 550 J they were pinking on steep hills and on wide open throttle. Following some advice found on another forum i tried bigger pilot jets (from 27.5 stock to 30)and dropped the clip a groove to 4 on the jet needle. This solved the problem immediately however the spark plugs colour changed with the richer mixture and i was getting 20 miles less on the tankfull.
This last week i have been performing the annual carb clean so i decided to revert to the stock pilot jets and return the clip to groove 3 stock settings. I have taken the time to balance the carbs carefully, synchronising the throttle slides first. Then setting the tickover screws using a 5mm drill bit shank. Finally i set the airscrews manually starting at 1 1\2 turns out. The result has been amazing!
I think its possible that the pinking was caused by unbalanced carbs working against each other. I also think now that changing to bigger jets improved the problem but was maybe just masking the symptoms.
Been out for 50 mile run today runs like a dream in all areas
Just my opinion but i think it just goes to show that carb balance is soooooo important!

[Alan H]

I reckoned about 38-42 mpg with the K, and I never really hung about with it. Similar to what I got with my original J back in the 70s. Of course it's easy to get a lot less - the Earwig gets a 'lot' less!! - Mainly due to the fact it usually gets spanked all the time I ride it!!

[rderrick121]

[quote="Alan H"] Can I send you guys my carbs for rebuilding/syncing? I imagine the shipping might make this not worth it but I am unfamiliar with how to teardown anything outside of the things accessible in the bowls.

[Alan H]

PM Baz, he refurbs carbs.