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CB500/550 / Re: Float height 500 k1
« Last post by Robert W on Today at 01:33:13 PM »1. Float height is the manual is 22mm. But this is just a guide. The tang on the floats when new are tangential to the pivot pin. However after mangling them several times, you may notice that they are no longer tangent. So feel free to adjust the float height to 23 or 24 mm. That little offset is magnified by the ratios of tang to pivot and float height to pivot. As long as your covering the jets it should be fine. Measurement of the amount of fuel in the bowl is a pain and not easily done unless you use a drain screw modified with a clear tube to view the fuel height.
2. If your having trouble with the overflows barfing out fuel, one thing for sure is the needle valve springs over time become unequally compressed and less resistant giving you all kinds of different measurements. I suggest buying new needle valve sets. You will notice the difference immediately when you set the carbs on the bench. The floats will touch the needle valves and not compress the springs at all. Also these stock Keihin carbs use a lot of o-rings which over time will not seal. Especially the o-ring on the needle valve seat. If this one is bad, your carbs will eventually overflow. These needle valves are brass on brass. Some are rubber on brass. So there is no substitute for a good spring in the needle valve.
2. If your having trouble with the overflows barfing out fuel, one thing for sure is the needle valve springs over time become unequally compressed and less resistant giving you all kinds of different measurements. I suggest buying new needle valve sets. You will notice the difference immediately when you set the carbs on the bench. The floats will touch the needle valves and not compress the springs at all. Also these stock Keihin carbs use a lot of o-rings which over time will not seal. Especially the o-ring on the needle valve seat. If this one is bad, your carbs will eventually overflow. These needle valves are brass on brass. Some are rubber on brass. So there is no substitute for a good spring in the needle valve.