SuzukiSavage.com - opinions on white spacer and richening carb

Russ

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opinions on white spacer and richening carb
04/30/05 at 09:26:53

Just looking for feed back on the info about removing the white spacer from the carb and richening it up a bit. My 96 runs generally well. I'm not really concerned about the occasional backfire. Will i see a noticeble improvement in my bike by doing this mod? I'm not really interested in re-jetting or anything as I just have stock air intake and muffler. I've seen conflicting posts on the white spacer. some say remove it - some say decrease the size etc............This is the post i'm referring to - TIA

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Getting back to your Savage 650, Coney, here's how we can specifically cure its problem. We need to richen those two areas of the curburetion curve that are factory set on the ridiculous side of leanness. Remove the diaphragm slide from the carburetor and look down inside its bore. Two small screws hold a plate over the slide needle.
Removing the plate, you'll see a small, white plastic spacer with a hole through it sitting on top of the needle. Throw that spacer away and reinstall the plate. A spring under the needle clip will now push the needle up to the plate occupying the space vacated by the white spacer. The distance that the needle has been 'lifted' is the thickness of the discarded spacer - and that's ideal. With the needle raised, more fuel will flow by it, meeting the actual needs of midrange running.
We can also fatten up the low end of your bike's carburetor by turning out the low-speed mixture screw. To gain access to this screw, you'll need to drill out the brass plug pressed in over it and yank it out with a sheet-metal screw attached to a slide hammer. You'll find that plug up high on the right side of the carb about where the mouth enters the carburetor. Usually Suzuki applies a splash of white paint over the brass plug so that it's immediately noticeable. With the engine warmed up and idling, turn the mixture screw out incrementally until you achieve the highest idle. There will be no doubt in your mind that you're making progress because the idle will come up and sound stronger. At this point, turn the idle adjuster knob out and bring the idle back down to a leisurely gait.
Just these two, relatively simple adjustments will not only eliminate the backfire, they will make an amazing improvement in throttle response and driveability.
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bentwheel Serious Thumper 2005 No Login Offline Ride free, citizen Posts: 658 Sarnia, Ontario, Canada Gender:	Re: opinions on white spacer and richening carb Reply #1 - 04/30/05 at 09:34:03 I would not remove the spacer as this COULD lead to excessive richness. Rather, for your first attempt, reduce the thickness of the white spacer to 1/2 and test its response.
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sluggo Serious Thumper ModSquad Offline big singles lead, twins follow the pack Posts: 4744 moses lake washington Gender:	Re: opinions on white spacer and richening carb Reply #2 - 04/30/05 at 09:45:08 with out rejetting, i don't believe it's worth dealing with the white space. big singles backfire it's no big deal. just my opinion 8)
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bentwheel

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Re: opinions on white spacer and richening carb
Reply #3 - 04/30/05 at 10:30:16

sluggo wrote on 12/31/69 at 16:00:04:

with out rejetting, i don't believe it's worth dealing with the white space. big singles backfire it's no big deal.

just my opinion 8)

Well, sure you would not be rejetting but you would be enriching the main jet's capabilities via the higher jet needle position. Why not correct the obvious leanness by fine tuning the needle to help the midrange?

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Re: opinions on white spacer and richening carb
Reply #4 - 04/30/05 at 10:42:34

bentwheel wrote on 12/31/69 at 16:00:04:

Well, sure you would not be rejetting but you would be enriching the main jet's capabilities via the higher jet needle position. Why not correct the obvious leanness by fine tuning the needle to help the midrange?

my point is why just do the job half way. jet costs like 3 bucks. if your going to do a job, do it right, the first time.

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bentwheel Serious Thumper 2005 No Login Offline Ride free, citizen Posts: 658 Sarnia, Ontario, Canada Gender:	Re: opinions on white spacer and richening carb Reply #5 - 04/30/05 at 11:16:27 I hear ya.
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Russ

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Re: opinions on white spacer and richening carb
Reply #6 - 04/30/05 at 12:39:15

Ok, so if i rejet - just the main jet?? the 152.5 referred to in previous posts? I'd probably rejet - but i can 100% for sure say i'm not changing exhaust any time soon. So would rejetting, removing half the stock spacer, and then adjusting the air mixture screw get me noticeable more power? Like i said i don't care too much about back firing. My bike does it a little now but no big deal. As long as the above mods don't make the bike backfire more.

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Russ Guest	oh ya - tach as well Reply #7 - 04/30/05 at 12:40:00 Who's got an opinion on a nice looking not too expensive tach for the Savage?
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Russ Guest	being a pest Reply #8 - 04/30/05 at 12:57:55 What exactly should I be asking the local bike shop for? 152.5 jet for a mikuni carb and the spacer? What is the spacer? I haven't looked at the exisiting one yet. Is there a part number for it?
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bentwheel

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Re: opinions on white spacer and richening carb
Reply #9 - 04/30/05 at 13:18:24

If you are going to make performance enhancements to your carb do them in single steps. First do the 1/2 spacer and turn out the air mixture screw. Test ride the changes and see what you think. The nice thing is it costs nothing. If you want to go a step further, install a one size larger main jet and monitor the richness by reading the spark plug. Do a plug chop. Run the bike at full throttle, then close the throttle quickly pull in the clutch and kill the ignition. This way when you read your plug it will be a main jet reading. Be carefull doing this on the road. At this point you should notice a small improvement in performance. It's up to you if you want to go any further. If you only go up one size in main jet you are usually ok to keep the stock idle jet. It's when you greatly vary between the idle circuit; slow speed circuit and the high speed circuit that enhancements are needed at the idle circuit.

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2006 Suzuki 650 V-Strom
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Ed L.

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Re: opinions on white spacer and richening carb
Reply #10 - 04/30/05 at 18:51:34

Adjusting the low speed mixture screw and shaving the white spacer is well worth the effort. It made a noticable improvement on my '02 when I did it last year. If your planning to rejet the main a 152.5 is probably as large as you can go without changing out the exhaust and air filter. Do all three changes and smile at the difference.

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LANCER

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Re: opinions on white spacer and richening carb
Reply #11 - 04/30/05 at 20:09:46

An engine that backfires, through the carb or the exhaust, is malfunctioning. I have owned 3 single cylinder bikes in my life, a 1956 BSA Goldstar, 1978 Yamaha SR 500, and now a 1996 Suzuki Savage. None of these bikes backfire, and that was and is because the carburetors were/are properly jetted. The Goldstar was set up correctly when I bought it and remained that way...it ran with an Amal Grand Prix carb with a seperate float bowl. The SR 500 did backfire a little initially, but was corrected by rejetting the carb. The Savage backfired a lot when new, but has since been corrected and it no longer backfires either. I ride my bike pretty hard, and I love the sound of the engine/exhaust when running hard and then backing off the throttle...that howling-rumbling-crackling deceleration just does my soul good...and not a single backfire.
Why should a single backfiring be considered normal and not a 2, 3, or 4 cylinder engine? An engine is an engine is an engine...they all work the same way, are tuned the same way.

There is no reason for a Savage to backfire if you take the time to jet the carburetor properly...especially the pilot circuit.

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Reelthing Serious Thumper Alliance Member Offline Fish or ride that is the question Posts: 5397 Houston,Tx Gender:	Re: oh ya - tach as well Reply #12 - 04/30/05 at 20:50:26 russ wrote on 12/31/69 at 16:00:04: Who's got an opinion on a nice looking not too expensive tach for the Savage? http://www.phatperformanceparts.com/merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Produc... couple of us installed this one - has held up so far and looks good
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WD

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Re: opinions on white spacer and richening carb
Reply #13 - 04/30/05 at 23:04:16

Looks like I'm gonna have to crack my carb open soon. Rode it around the parking lot Thursday, and it was popping like crazy. I'm hoping just due to stale gas, but, I doubt it. My pipe is almost fully open, and even with a filthy air cleaner, the exhaust pitch is sounding "tinny", which usually means WAY too lean a mixture. With a long open pipe and a fresh air filter, I'm guessing I'll need to fuly delete the spacer AND upsize both jets. Angry

Neither of which makes me very happy. Angry

If I liked fighting crappy carbs I'd have kept my 1964 T120 Bonne-VILES. Angry

Wonder if an S&S Super E would work on a Savage? Since those are set up for 80" engines, and the Savage is a 40" engine...
-WD

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Russ Guest	Re: Barons tach Reply #14 - 05/01/05 at 08:26:46 On the link for the tach page it says Single fire ignitions require an adapter (available separately). Are they referring to single cylinder engines? If so, what's the other piece required?
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