carb improvement

[chiz]

Howdy all
  Is there an improvement to the carbs by fitting a washer under the needles if so where can I get said washers or what is the ideal average thickness of such washers.
Chiz

[movenon]

Improvement ? Well that's a question you can only answer. By lifting the needle you will go richer.  Here is a link to a good PDF. Scroll down to the needle adjustment area.   http://www.fjowners.com/index.php?topic=658.0

The short to your question is that .020 (.508mm) inch washer is about the right thickness. That is aprox a half step on an adjustable needle.
Hope it helps.  Randy at RPM probably has some washers but also check your local hardware store.
George

[FJmonkey]

Have you made any changes to to your exhaust or intake (airbox/air filter)? Are you having running problems that make you think the bike is lean? If not then I would not mess with the needle position. However, it is not too much work to experiment. The caps are easy to remove giving you access to the slides that contain the needles. So if you shim up your needles and it runs worse then take the shims out. One of the better improvements you can do is change your pilot jets to #40. You may not need the choke to cold start, or if you do, for a much shorter period. But that requires taking the bowls off.

[chiz]

I just changed to Randy's foam filters last year and the carbs already have 40's in them. Honestly I think it works fine although the plugs look a little on the light side.
Chiz

[FJmonkey]

Chiz, the worst you can do now is shim the needles. If it runs better then you win. If not, you take the shims/washers out. If you have not done so already, make sure your carbs are balanced, it is easy to do and often results in a better running bike. Good luck.

[mr blackstock]

G'day,
If you are needing small washers, old computers have a few in them, rip apart an old box, there should be plenty.

cheers, Gareth