How to adjust the jets on motorcycle carburetors 

cheesy drawing, laid back and un-scripted, F bombs, Best How-to Video on RU-vid !!! Bravo Mr Max

Thanks for watching! Im actually a paramedic by day, motorcycles are just my hobby

By far the best explanation I've seen on carburation! At least now I have an understanding of how it all works together. Your video is certainly going to help me get my carb adjusted far better than it is now. Thanks so much for taking the time to share your knowledge with the rest of us. Awesome video!

Absolute legend. The clearest and most concise video anywhere on the net about adjusting carbs. Well done. Thanks!

finally someone that knows what they're talking about

I have always been scared of messing with my carbs, but after the great video! " I no fraid dat" brilliant and thankyou! My carbs are doing what you mentioned as in on a steady throttle it's ok but when I increase the gas it bogs down and as I increase more gas it then clears and takes off, so by your great vid I gather that I have to lift the needles up to richen the mixture, as these problems are in the 1/4 to 3/4 throttle position. I do hope I've got that correct.

I cannot begin to tell you how many times I've come back to reference and re-reference this video. Your channel is a gold mine of information. Thank you so much.

i dont know anything about motorcycles and I have rebuilt an entire carb for my bike on my own thanks to your videos. your the man!

drug dime bags....lol

Excellent video. This guy is a great teacher and I appreciate him taking the time. Thank you.

This video and your other videos have shed the light on so many things that I've been completely oblivious to. Thanks for sharing your knowledge.

This was an amazing clear and precise explanation on the describtion of the function of the carburetor. This was very well explained. Thank you

read lots about rejetting the carbs on a bike and sounded very complicated until i saw this video. after seeing the video i took apart my bike and rejetted the carbs and now it runs great thanks for the video

Hi. I have an old Zephyr 1100 which had been re-jetted many years ago by the previous owner who installed pod filters and a straight through exhaust. I wanted to return the bike to the stock air filter and standard exhaust and your video was invaluable. I now understand the workings of the carburetor, and have installed standard jets, removed the shimming on the jet needle etc. I have also adjusted the float level until they are all in sync, and adjusted the pilot jet. The bike now runs like it has just come off the production line all the way through the throttle range. Thank you for your video which was really easy to understand and incredibly helpful. Oh, I also checked the plugs which are the correct colour whereas they were black and sooty before. So cheers from the UK; I now feel confident to tackle any other carb problem that comes along.

Awesome explanation man.I was so hesitant to open up my carb after it bogging down.Ur video has given me the go ahead to do it.

absolute legend. thanks for all the videos and the advise would never have got so far without you. i swapped my 600 bandit onto oval filters whilst doing a standard service (plugs,filters,oil) then it ran like a bag of bolts ! i thought of alsorts but your information educated me on exactly how the carbs work and exactly how to pin point the problem (in my case i needed to shim the pins up) 1 take and the bike is back running the way she was before. totally made up. cant thank you enough. keep up the good work. the world needs more people like you.

Thanks man! Well done! The tape on the throttle along with the range graph put it all in perspective while working out a few problems.

Thanks for this video! I'm struggling with a rejet on my VTX 1300 and this has given me a ton of tools by which to work thru to hopefully get things running smoothly!

This video has been a god send. I did an engine and carb change on my bike and it wouldnt start. I put the old carb on and got it going, but then decided a few weeks later to try the new carb with the old carbs settings. After neither would work. I'm going to start from the hand books settings, get it starting with a good idle then work from there using what this video has taught me. Cheers!

Want to say thanks.I was able to adjust the float and screw the air/feul in and set back 1 3/4 turn out and now the bike runs great. Great video.

just wanted to take the time to write a "thanks" for the video, it gave me a clear insight on carbs. Thanks again.

Finally I understand how it works so I can tinker with my carbs. been having problems after fitting pod filters and exhaust. so many thanks.

aside from the fact that the camera is NEVER sharp in any of these videos, these are still the best and most instructive videos around on youtube! thanks so much mrmaxstorey, i'm learning a lot from you!

I have these carbs and air cleaners and work on em. Your so right on the money. Really a on the money video with someone that knows what there talking about.. Great information.

Your videos tutorials have been a great help. Thanks for sharing your knowledge, man. I'd be lost otherwise.

bloody brilliant tutorial, gave me a clear understanding of carb tuning, thanks

Brilliant, seemed complicated at first but at the end i now have a good idea of how to tune mine! Cheers

wish there were more people like this kind man,sharing skills.

I wanted to say thanks ! You saved me so much money , The dealerships charge so much damn money . I actually felt like I took a class on carbs thanks again.

Max this is by far the best carb tuition video on the net. thanks so much for taking the time to do it. I've just adjusted the jet needle height on my gsxr srad and it runs 100x better. I'm gonna share this vid with every one that asks about carbs. thanks again man, all the way from across the pond :)

I consult this thing every couple of months for adjustments thanks so much

Explained very well. I could really get a better understanding with your drawings. Thanks for the video. I learned a lot.

Excellent video!! Love your masking tape indicator and the correlation to the manufacturer charts !!!!

I would just like to say thank you..you`ve done a great job.You spent a lot of time filming this,and yet you managed to explain it so simple.One of this days i will try to fix my Zephyr 750 using this instruction.Greetings from Serbia.

thanks for the video... I don't think I would want to mess with my bike with my lack of experience but it is good to have some knowledge about how carburettors work...

Thx Max for demystifying this part of taking care of an old non-original bike. Best carb video on the tube! On my GSX 1100 -83 it sits a 4-1 exhaust and open air box (cover removed). This is standard for these types of motors. Your video instructions is great in all respects except recommended main jet size. Going up just 2 steps is too small for some bikes. My original is 107.5 and a good main jet size is somewhere around 122.5 - 130. Anyway thx again!

Excellent explanation on how e carb works. Thanks!

Outstanding video. Will be referencing this video many times in the near future when I put a new carb on my XR650 and attempt to jet it. Thanks!

That's a brilliant summary. I'll have to review this a couple of times to get the most of all you said.

Thank you for the very nice tutorial. I am working on my 2001 Yamaha V-Star 1100 classic. I have removed the AIS system and the backfiring on deceleration went away. Next I drilled out the first and last baffles on the stock exhaust and the sound is more to my liking. I haven't re-jetted the carbs yet, other than to add one 0.020-inch shim on the needle and open the PMS screw one-half turn. Next I plan to modify the stock air filter/inlet system to some kind of pods that sit under my gas tank.

I love this guy, genius with the markings on the throttle. What an awesome video, thanks!!!

thanks for explaining the adjusting for different ranges

Very good video! You explain everything very well and it's easy to understand. Thanks!

Brilliant felt like I had an education on something I'd wondered about for 30 fkn years. Thank you!

Great video. I think I finally understand carbs now. Way to keep it interesting.

excellent video, very clear thanks. im a complete rookie on this whole area, but videos like this definitely help me get a clearer picture of where I should be looking to start sorting the carbs out on my own bike (cold / idle / low rpm - tbh i could b looking at a few other factors as well as the carbs!) Thanks, great video

One of the best explained technical video I have watched. From knowing almost nothing about carburetors after watching this I am very confident that I'll be able to adjust the fuel mixture on my 2014 XR65L to absolute perfection.

I recently bought a 07 Kawasaki Vulcan 500 from a buddy who had let it sit for several years and it was not running. When I started messing with this bike I had absolutely no idea what I was doing... and truthfully I still dont. However I've done tons of research and have probably watched just about all of your videos. They have inspired much confidence and given me the knowledge needed to get the thing running. When I bought it, the airbox and mufflers had been removed. I installed pod filters. Ive cleaned the carbs and went up two sizes on both pilot and main jets and shimmed the needle up as far as I can without adding extra washers. After syncing the carbs she starts right up and idles just fine indefinitely. Now that I've made it this far, I am stuck. When I shift down in to first and start to ease off the clutch it just dies no matter how much I open the throttle. It wheels are locked after it dies, so I know it's in gear. Could I still have a jetting issue? I fear that there is a bigger problem. Which doesn't scare me really, I just don't know where to look. I understand diagnosing problems like this off just an amateur's ramblings is not ideal, but you seem to know your stuff and I'd appreciate your thoughts. Thanks you.

great explanation of the whole concept of carb tuning. I really liked your video, thank you. This should help me play with my old fireblade project.

awesome video. your very thorough unlike alot of videos out there. i have a suzuki savage which im upgrading. a single cylinder cruiser, i chucked on a pod filter and i couldnt figure out why it was bogging in high revs. now im sorted mate. subbed

Ok, that goes back to the chart in your other carb video. Thanks!

Your explanations are top notch. Thanks man.

great video! certainly helped me have a better idea of whats going on! i've got ZX9R carbs on a car engine, and i've not got the car wired up yet, but once it is, i'll be using this video to get it set up! brilliant work fella! :)

Thanks dude, your explanations are really thorough and I like the scientific approach for deciding which adjustments to do. I have a Yamaha Virago 125 and got told that it just runs fine, and that it is normal having to rev up the (weak) engine a bit more. But the truth is that the engine slows down when accelerating (overtaking!!!) at about 50 mph. But then it could suddenly (spontaneously) accelerate again. But I have a very hard time to reach the maximum 60+ mph. So this points towards a needle / jet adjustment problem if I understood that right....

Great video tutorial. Thank you very much for this. This will help me a lot with my project

This is an excellent primer, thanks for the work man.

Fantastic video, thank you. Am currently working my way round my y2k Enfield bullet having been inspired by Robert Pursig to understand all things mechanical about my ride. Its a great journey and your videos are perfect entertainment.

Awesome video, thank you for sharing your thoughts and explanations!

you helped me with my 70cc baja dirt bike! it was lean i could tell now its a tad rich but howls real nice at full throttle

Wow! Awesome video man! very helpful! you make everything come clear!

thank you very much for the very helpful video. Now I can adjust my carb the way I wanted. I just bought six sigma jet kit and gonna install it very soon. If I have any problem I'll let you know. thanks again!

Max you nailed it. Ive spent time money effort to mechanics but cant solve the problem why come out short when i rev all the way up. Now I know Eurika!

dude this is so well worded..such a good resource mate, cheers

Your videos are super informative. Keep up the great work! ...much respect..

Stumbled on this vid, found your other great vids. Subbed. Great resource. Thanks for posting them!

i needed to see this for my gokart tuning. THANKS! Note to self: between 3:50and- 8:00 is what i need to know.

Fantastic tutorial thank you. I do most of the work on my Bandit 1200 and I've had the carbs off to clean them but that's as far as I dared to delve. I suppose the only thing you need a lot of is time because if you screw it up you have to strip it all down again. Cheers Gaz

Hey, Ive asked you questions before, and these videos have helped me get my bike running again, it was running fantastic for the last week, but yesterday it started acting funny and today extremely bad. Yesterday it would be boggy until I 3/4 throttle and then all 4 cyls would kick back in. plugs 1&2 are decent but plugs 3&4 were wet, with some black. Im pretty sure they are flooded. It still runs even though those two cyls dont really fire (pipes dont get hot on warm up).

Man. That is clever. No, I haven't checked but the engine intake boots are perfect. I will have to check on the carb intake side. Thanks for the response.

THANK YOU SO MUCH! Your video has taught me so much. Very informative!

Thanx Max. Planning to install an open flow exhaust and velocity air stacks on my CX500 project's twin Kahinis and you have explained "tinkering" with carburetors very well indeed. I have had advice about the increase in size of the main jet from .78 to .90, which is a big jump, but I'll let you know how it pans out.

That's what I call a very usefull tutorial. Thanks man.

Great video. Today, I was fouling plugs every 15 minutes on my 1999 Husky WR125. It was ungodly hot and humid and the fouling seemed to happen after high rpm, wide open operation when I slowed down on a trail. I was thinking about replacing the 2 year old fuel/oil mix, cleaning the air filter and lowering the needle .. possibly replacing the main jet. I will check out your other videos. Thanks.

great explanation of carb adjustment thanks

This is a very usefull video, i've been having some trouble with my bike, have clean the carbs and it helped a lil bit, but still not decent enough, after ur explanation in how the needles work, i think finally i know where the problem is. Damm thing was poping alot when i let go of the throtle, and gets a little slugish on the 1/4 band but then recovers and goes normally, guess its time to take them apart again. suzuki bandit 600cc '01 btw

Excellent explanations as I begin to tackle some backfire issues on my newly acquired 1980 CB750K that looks almost identical to the one in your video... right down to the seat. Mine also has a Windjammer fairing. This video was very helpful in disclosing the mystery of "What the hell is inside those carbs anyway?" :) THANKS!

Wow! Very well done and easy to understand.

Thank you for the reply. The plugs and the air filter have been in for a year so I am going to swap them out along with oil and filter this week. It all started when I fixed a big split in one of the carb rubber connectors (boots?) by replacing it. Ever since, it's been a swine to start since but runs 1000 times better at speed. I think the guy that sold it to me adjusted it to idle well with that split to avoid fixing it / didn't see it.

Extremely useful and clear; thanks!

Thank you for the help. I will post another vid later. Yes it is a k and n it also has a noleen slip on. The stock main is 148 i put 155 and it was doing the same thing. Im still running the stock 38 pilot. I sprayed carb cleaner around all of my intake and head and pretty much the whole top end and no bog or rev.

Thanks buddy. Excellent job on the video!

One of the advantages of having an intake on the carb is that it helps to organize the airflow into a nice steady stream which pulls through the carbs and venturi, picks up the gas, and sends it into the engine. If you don't have any intake on there then you will find that you get a lot of vortexes and eddies, which can cause the gas to spit up all over the place, even back out the carbs, its just not an efficient way to deliver gas into your engine

Also I meant to mention I did the throttle/tape trick you showed. Its at a quarter turn to halfway the power completely bogs then picks up again beyond.

Thank you so much for the drawings, and the explanation it is great. Ciao.

Wow, this video was extremely helpful. Thanks!

Low is the slow jet, medium is the needle height, and medium-high is the main jet. You increase the bore by replacing the jets with bigger ones

Dude you are the man. Thanks so much for the break down..

awesome. im so glad youre doing these videos for us

thanks man. I just found your chanel and your videos are helping me quite a bit.

Well the great thing about the airbox is it organizes the airflow, and sends it into the carbs in a nice steady stream. The pod filters can't do this, so the air goes in as a bunch of vortexes and eddys, which swirl and pick up the gas particles chaotically- sometimes rich, sometimes lean. As this video demonstrates it is possible to run your bike with pods, and some guys do manage to get a couple extra HP out of it, but its more difficult and an unreliable powerband

Beautiful explanation love that video

i bought a vice grip tool and managed to unscrew all but 2 screws witch i drilled carefully and it worked. My carbs are still opened , i had rust inside, enough of it but the jets were clean , u can see trough them. I cleaned them with alcohool and its like new. I dont know wich jet is wich but who cares , i cleaned and will put it back together . Thank you for much help, as i was stuck many times during the work.

Awesome! Its success stories like this that makes me want to make more videos

ok i`ll put back the airbox back. thanks for your response. great work

Excellant information! Thank you very much.

Thanks they were pretty dirty the bike hasn't ran since 97. I will take carbs back off off blow them out again there was rust in the pilot jets. But it did run ok before that except 3rd cyl not getting fuel so I rebuilt all the carbs. Thanks for the help I will pop them back off tomorrow.

Thanks... and yeah you replace the jet with a larger one, if that is what you need to do. But it will make the bike run richer, not leaner, the bigger the number, the more gas it lets through, so the richer the mixture. Don't be afraid to replace the jets, usually they just pop right out

Great vid. Helped take alot of mystery of of carbs

Yep, that's what the problem was. I had a leak between the airbox and the carb intake side rubber boot. Thanks for your help. The Ninjette now purrs like a kitten.

Great video, Regards from Brazil