CARBS/CLUTCH

[bikerburke]

Hi ,Ive finaly got to the stage where im getting the CB5OO ready its MOT (photo attached) however im having probs with the carbs i have replaced most parts with a KEYSTER carb set from the USA which had  a 26 needle ,100 main jet,40 slow jet , air screw and spring ,float needle and holder,and and new gaskets also in the kit are some steel ferrels and washers which im not sure where they go.any way i rebuilt the carbs with the new parts set the floats to 22mm and pre sync the carbs with the drill bit method .ive yet to balance the carbs .im having trouble with the carbs over flowing not always the same ones ive stripped and checked them 6 times at least only once have they not leaked i the checked the amount of petrol in each one and had approx 55ml in each float bowel,next question the keyster slow jets are not the same as the ones in the carb(photo attached)so i kept the old ones in.Next query the air screws are mounted on the side of the carb set at one turn out so is it screw in or out to enrich the mixture.Finaly clutch ,when i select any gear from cold it goes in sweet yet when the engine warms up the gears wont go in it feels as if the clutch is not fully disengaging (clutch drag ?).so any help would be much apprciated.thanks mick and happy easter all

[Bryanj]

A lot of the rebuild kits for the 500's are not that good in quality, you are better rebuilding using the old parts cleaned.

Two most common reasons for overflow if needles are good are

(1) Float pivot pins corroded so float sticks

(2) Cracks in the "standpipe" in the float bowl

One other common problen is small flecks ofshite oops rust from the tank lodging in the float needles.

Clutch adjustment can be finicky but is usually OK if you follow the manual carefully and grease the mechanism well, make sure you havent lost the ball bearing in the mechanism and that the pushrod is in one piece----it frequently gets broken by a loose chain

[bikerburke]

It seems your right about the quality of non Honda parts ,Ive stripped the carbs again and replaced the float needle holders with cleaned up original parts today result no drips only the one using the spanners .thanks BRIANJ.What about the air screw is it in or out for richer mixture? as for the clutch i don't no how long the engine was laid up before i had it so i might strip it down and check for the points you mentioned.thanks bikerburke

[Bryanj]

To be honest cant remember, never altered one away from standard and not with my books at the moment

[SteveD CB500K0]

Get a large glass of red wine and read through the collected knowledge and experience in the sohc carb FAQ:

http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=5410.0

[Dave M]

As far as the air screw goes, it depends where it sits on the carb.

If it is positioned on the engine side of the throttle butterfly then the screw controls the idle fuel flow so turning the screw in will make the idle mixture leaner.

If it is on the airbox side of the throttle butterfly then the screw is an air bleed so turning it out will make the mixture leaner.

On my F2 turning the screws out leans the idle mixture.