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Linkert v S&S

46K views 229 replies 54 participants last post by  Cotten 
#1 ·
a '56 pan i'm looking to buy comes with either a m74b linkert OR an S&S e carby. cant have both. apparently it starts and runs better with the S&S but my question is which one should I go for and why?
 
#4 · (Edited)
I like Linkerts. They are simple to tune. Ive ridden with guys who run S&S carbs on there pans, they have problems with starting, idling, and hesitation leaving lights because of enricher problems, and other things i cant even mention that ive just filed under over carburation. Linkerts just work. They aren't the best performance carburetor though unless you do some tinkering with them. The only problem i have is the occasional carb catching fire if its flooded, or the choke slamming shut unexpectedly because the detents are worn. But its easy to start and it does what its supposed to do .
 
#11 ·
If Linkerts were so great, they'd still be making them..
You think they ain't, Englishman?

Back to Downunder_Pan's question,
Please consider that the Linkert will always appreciate in value.
A used S&S will never be worth retail again.

And when collecting the machine, be certain to grab everything appropriate for the Linkert, as everything from the manifold to the throttle is different, and getting more expensive every day.

And Larry T!
One kick is one kick, whether it is a Linkert or a piece o' flying saucer.
If your Linkert doesn't start in one kick, fix it.

.....Cotten
 
#8 ·
S&S for running and starting, Linkert for originality.

I'd probably go with the Linkert. You can pick up an S&S anywhere if you decide that's the way you want to go.
Larry T
 
#13 ·
Englishman said:
anyone who has running problems with their Super E simply has not set it up properly.
Anyone who has running problems with their Linkert simply has not set it up properly.

Both statements are true.

Englishman said:
If Linkerts were so great, they'd still be making them.
If Linkerts were cheaper to make on a factory production line, they'd still be making them.

By your theorem, panheads and pre-unit Triumphs also suck? Vincents? Indians?

Jason
 
#23 ·
By your theorem, panheads and pre-unit Triumphs also suck? Vincents? Indians?

Jason
Well, they were superseded by faster, more modern machines.

Obviously I like vintage bikes, but I see no big problem using updated components like electronic ignition or better carburetors.

I see no reason to cling to Lake injectors or points ignition, simply because the bikes originally ran ok with them. Unless you are some kind of purist doing restorations that is.
 
#14 ·
Linkerts are great. S/S is a great carb also. But I tend to feel the S/S carb is too much for most pan motors. Its a performance carb its like putinging a 850 double pumper holly on a dead stock 289 ford or 283 chevy. If you got STD heads 84 inch stroker by all means run a S/S but if you got a stock 61 incher I would run a linkert or if you want a modern carb that won't over fuel a cv is great. I run one on my chopper. Linkerts where good carbs. With the invention of better intake seals and floats there even better. But you can buy 2 or 3 cv for the price of one of the other 2 that's my 2 cents
 
#16 ·
Cotten,
Hum, looks to me like they are both ways of putting gas into the cylinders. Can you flood a bike with an acc. pump? Yes you can. Can you flood a bike with a Linkert or Super B? Yep.

If you don't need extra gas to start a bike, why does the Linkert lift the idle jet when you choke it?

I've ridden bikes both ways. No acc. pump for 10 or 15 years (Linkert/Super B) before I ever saw an E. And I've ridden bikes with Bendix/ Keihin/CV/ Super E's) since. No problems with washed down cylinders/dilluted oil with either.

Anyway, I hope we're just "bench racing" here. No ruffled feathers on my end.
Larry T
 
#17 ·
....If you don't need extra gas to start a bike, why does the Linkert lift the idle jet when you choke it?...
Larry!

When choked, everything gets sucked in, not just gas.

Air as well as fuel is drawn into the idle bleed gallery, from the metering orifice in the little spring collar. Fuel and air mix and are sucked all the way to the idle bleeds as an emulsion.

Raw fuel doesn't burn very well, and at $4 a gallon, you shouldn't have to waste any to start the machine.

That's why S&S carbs have emulsion tube enricheners.

....Cotten
PS: I admit that nearly all cases of oil dilution are the results of faulty petcocks.
But doesn't most wear occur at start up?
 
#25 ·
Then you could have 1 new or 2 used fuel wasting pieces of shit. Get the Linkert and fix it, if it isn't right now, you will be happier you have a Linkert in the long run. Get a S&S when you want a hot rod to drag or street race, if you plan to ride it a lot there are a lot of carbs that are way better than a S&S. Linkert being one.
 
#27 ·
Linkert. So simple even I can set one up. Use one of Cotten's floats, the originals will swell up like a dead cow with today's gas and the brass ones are too heavy and will eventually develop a leak somewhere. Check the shaft bushings for slop, rebush if needed. Verify that you have the correct needles. Original parts can be found at any AMCA swap meet.
I have two Super B's and a Super E collecting dust on a shelf but I prefer the Linkerts.
 
#34 ·
I respect all the Post Responses here but this is my Believe, Nothing Looks as Mean and Nasty than an S&S Side Bowl Carb whether the Early or GBL, GAL with a 1 inch Spacer Hanging off the side of an Ironhead Sportster..
It was Leo Payne that worked with George Smith to develope the S&S from an altered Linkert..
I installed a GBL on my 69 CH only to try it as a test pig, that was 3 years ago, the bike ran so well that the Carb stays put.. added note: get a Pingel Petcock 90 degree outlet...
 
#39 ·
Not really, like a lot of guys I've beat my head against the wall with everything from Super Es to stock Keihins and making all these mods to them to improve their running; all the while I've heard Linkerts derisively called "brass bombs". I've found that the Super B is my ideal carb ultimately.

Like ignitions, oil, etc. everyone has their favorites and will defend them to their deaths...or at least until the thread gets locked.
 
#41 ·
Put a CV on it and go!!


actually, my knucklhead with the Linkert on it was so frikken reliable that I could make bar bets on it! Extremely consistent, 2 kick starts. warm, cold, day or night...did not matter.

b'sides....get a Linkert and polish that sucker up!!! :p
 
#42 ·
Lets face it, most of the gazillion S&S carbs out there have been bought because of some very savvy marketing by S&S. Race winning performance right out of the box? Yeah, give me some of that! The reality is that most conversions to S&S carbs from stock carbs is a waste of time and money with very little or no increase in performance solely as the result of the carburetor. I'm not trashing S&S, they're a fine American company with good products. But. . . I can tune a Triumph to run great with a Amal, a Twin Cam to run great with a Keihin, and a Pan to start and run great with a Linkert. I've got a perfectly functioning Linkert on my Pan. It's damn near 60 years old, simple to rebuild and tune, and I like it.

Regards,
Geo.
 
#47 ·
Englishman said:
Obviously I like vintage bikes, but I see no big problem using updated components like electronic ignition or better carburetors.
I update components on my old bikes too where it will make them more reliable, perform better or more easily serviceable. Ignition and charging systems, primarily.

I just happen to believe the the Linkert is a high quality instrument worth keeping on the bike for reasons other than "it's original". Good materials and construction. Holds adjustments and setup almost forever. Easy starting. Easy tuning. Good mileage.

I think their bad reputation comes from the fact that most have been ham-fisted at some point in their lives by now -OR- people have mixed them up with incompatible internal parts thinking they were interchangeable when they weren't.

The float can be a little tricky to setup correctly, but it isn't brain surgery. A little care and testing is all that's needed. At least this has been my experience with them.

Englishman said:
I see no reason to cling to Lake injectors or points ignition, simply because the bikes originally ran ok with them. Unless you are some kind of purist doing restorations that is.
I agree.

Jason
 
#48 ·
...The float can be a little tricky to setup correctly, but it isn't brain surgery....
Jason!

My shop charges twenty minutes flat-rate to set up a fully pre-prepped bowl.

Sometimes we make our time.
Sometimes we don't.

Modern technological advances have nearly eliminated the need for care and attention, much less eye-hand coordination skills, when servicing non-antique designs.

....Cotten
 
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