I was outside hunting down the nests of yellowjackets that plague our place just now.  I opened the hoods on the snowcats and found not only a bunch of pissed off bees, but also these carburetors:





They are hooked to a two-cylinder 440cc engine that lost its oil line and then its life in rapid succession one cold day in the mountains.

I believe the term I've seen here is "drinkin' and thinkin'."  I don't drink anymore, though, so I can't blame my questions on that.  They came out of my own twisted little mind without help.

Of course, I knew the carburetors were there all along, but never bothered to think of them in the context of how I could use them to screw up my bike.  I don't even know what size they are, but they are Mikuni carbs.  I'll have to wait until the yellowjackets are all toast before I can gather more information.

The question is:  Since I own them already, and it wouldn't cost me to take them out and play with them, is there a way (or a reason) to hook one to my bike?  What intrigued me is that I think they are controlled directly by the cable, instead of vacuum.  Does this make for a quicker response?

I know bupkiss about carburetors, other than what I have learned here and by studying the one on my bike.  If nothing else, I figured this might inspire some discussion from which I might learn something.

Have at it (or me).  I'm not married to the idea, so you aren't going to hurt my feelers.  I'm just curious.

Yeah, that thought occurred to me as well.  I wondered about making a manifold that would use both the carbs.  It would look, uh, unique.  I'm hoping those who know will chime in, mainly because I think it's probably a bad idea, but I would like to know why.

make most anything generally work - but you need to figureout what size they are - 1 is liable to be big enough - 440cc but what make of machine is it?

I must have disfunctional fingers this morning - just don't see for sure
what came on the - looks to be 34mm-38mm

ReallY? I would never hqave considered a 2 stroke carb as different. Seems to me, air goes in, mixes with fuel, enters the combustion chamber & goes Bang. That the 2 stroke compresses & combusts every time the piston goes up shouldnt affect it, should it? Can you splain this Bill? I am confewzed.

Oh boy, new old toys to play with !  

They are indeed Mikuni VM model carbs.
If this engine is a 440 2-stroke engine then the carbs are likely 34-38mm as already mentioned.
I have the Mikuni/Sudco Carb Manuals that I use in the carb kits if you need one for playing with the carbs.  It shows all parts in exploded diagrams with numbered parts listings to go with them.  It also explains how these carbs work, how to jet and tune, and a bunch more very usable info.  If you want one just send a PM to me and we will get'r done.  They are cheap so no biggie on that account.

The great thing about these carbs is that every part possible is available and they are cheap, compared to stock and/or new carbs.

With the remark about losing its oil line, then its life, I would guess the carbs saw nothing but gas and the oil was injected into the manifold afterwards. Being a 440 two-stroker, the carb has to feed one 220 cc cylinder, twice as often. A too-small carburetor will work just fine on an engine. It may restrict the top speed (remember closing the throttle is very nearly the same as installing a smaller carburetor). But it may just work better at lower speeds (that's why manufacturers install smaller carburetors when they "detune" sportbike engines to make cruisers) because the airflow through it may be faster. Biggest problem I can see is trying to make sure the float bowl is level when the carburetor is installed.

What's the fuel/air ratio for a 440 2 stroke vs a 650 4 stroke?