Super B Carb Magic?

amfshovel said:

I can't get my super b carb to run right.

It's cold today, maybe 40's out.

What ritual should I follow to get this thing to start consistently.

I just choked it and it started after a few tries, idled for a minute, then quit.

Now it won't start weather choked or not.

A guy I know says "pull it off and throw it in the Mississippi, it's junk".

I'm of the opinion that it worked 40 years ago it oughta work now. I want to figure this thing out.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks a billion in advance.

Click to expand...

I've only had minimal problems with my B on my ironhead Sporty in 25 years. Take the bowl off and make sure everything is good and clean. If it has varnished up a little bit, it will cause the needle to stick in the orifice rendering the bowl float inop. The easiest way to check and see if it's the float/needle, after it quits running, take the plug out of the bottom, and if no fuel, your question has been answered. If not, your mixture setting is probably all wrong and should be set back to factory specs for the carb.What you want to do is warm the engine up, idle 6-800 rpm and turn the idle mixture screw in leaning it until the engines starts to die. Don't turn it too hard in the seat as it will damage shit. Turn it back out richening it until it starts to die. A position about halfway between these points or a setting of about 1/4 to 1/2 a turn out from the lean side of the range is correct. From the fully closed position this is about 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 turns. That is straight from the S&S B carb sheet.

Brand new Crane Hi4 is my attempt to straighten out the ignition. It ran fine two weeks back.

I've been working on switching the front forks back to stock length and rewired battery connections due to different size posts.

The bowl leaked go juice when I loosened.

Spark should be good.

Why on Earth would I go out cold and get it to start on choke, it quits and won't start since.

Mixture screw was out just a hair under 1 1/2 turns to start, have tried 1 1/4, have not tried 1 3/4 yet but why not?

I agree there is nothing to them, and that tuning "should" be simple.

The butterfly "looks" good to me. Before I took it apart and cleaned it I could see a gap, after I cleaned it though I saw no light coming through.


Him telling me my Super B is crap just makes me want to make it run perfect all the more.


Do I need to rejet? I could understand rejetting to make it run perfect, but since it ran two weeks back it seems like there ought to be a way to get it going now.

Thanks for the advice everyone.

Kickstarts, I was reading the manual just before I read this post.

This was my favorite part.....

Cold Starts
1. Open fuel petcock.

mwahahahaha

I'll be working through the entire procedure as soon as I get home tonight.

I was reading this convo earlier http://xlforum.net/vbportal/forums/archive/index.php/t-1197582.html and there are plenty there that agree.

I'll be sticking with the B.

Thanks again.