[ranger800]

after finally getting my enfield running, i decided to ride it to the dmv to get plates, and my front tire blew at about 45 mph
i almost ate shit, but somehow got it pulled over

anyway, my bike is not running as well as it should
it pops a lot in lower rpms, and it doesn't rev smoothly, at all
hell, it even pops and hesitates in higher rpms

i don't really know much about tuning, but i'm learning

my bike is a 99 indian enfield bullet 350
it has pretty much open exhaust, a k&n air filter, and i have the main jet on 115. i don't remember what the pilot is, but i know it is one notch higher than stock.  oh yeah, i have the stock "pacco?" carb. i think it is mikuni/micarb or whatever, but it says pacco on it.
i'm pretty sure the 115 is the right main jet, because the bike was tracking on the 112.5 and was too rich on the 117
anyway, is this a common problem?
any help would be greatly appreciated

oh yeah. i am at sea level (portland oregon)

[UncleErnie]

Portland- what a wonderful town.  When I first went there, people were so friendly I got paranoid about what they might be up to.  Beautiful layout, old buildings, the water- just love it.   (waxing nostalgic- sorry...)

I'd be curious as to how the bike / tank was stored while it was being worked on.  I'm wondering about any schmutz or water in the tank and / or float bowl.  Also, one hopes you have a fresh in-line gas filter?

[ace.cafe]

The "Pacco" carburetor is a different carburetor than the Mikarb, from what I could find on a web search.
I've never seen a Pacco marking on a Mikarb.
Pacco is a carb that has been used on CZ motorcycles and on some scooters and stuff.
It might be a replacement carb, and in that case none of our jetting or tuning info would be appropriate.

It might help if we saw a picture of the carb.

[Thumper]

Well you've got your hands full. There's no magic cure.

First get manuals if you don't have any. I always recommend both the RE factories and Pete Snidal's.

Then read the carb FAQ on this forum so you understand (basically) the different carb circuits and how they affect different throttle ranges.

Then you can determine if your problem is really the carb, or the ignition, or both or something else. And, if it is in the carb if it's idle jet, main jet, slide cutaway, needle position, or some combination.

Something like this needs to be broken down into manageable pieces.

Matt

[aleman]

Ranger 80,

Isolating different problems and their causes, as Matt said, is great advice.  Otherwise it can seem overwhelming. 

A few comments about your popping problem.  I have had the most problems with particulate fouling in carburators on either a bike with a brand new tank - or, a bike that has been sitting for an extended period of time(longer than a few months).  A contaminated pilot jet for example, would cause it to run rough unless you have the enrichener on, or you are over half open with the throttle.

Also, moisture is  a common culprit in a bike that has been sitting(you mentioned you are in Portland.  I know the climate.  I grew up between there and Astoria - but quite a ways  distant now). 

You might need to start with some fresh fuel.

Then, there should be a way to drain the float bowl.  Any water shows up as droplets.  Easy things you can do first before you get in deeper.  You might want to clean your carb also(again, not hard to do).

I have had to do all these things at various times.  Anyway, good luck.

[Ice]

 One lesson I learned the hard way. "Establish the foundation before trouble shooting".

 I don't know how many times I started chasing my own tail around cars trucks and motorcycles only to find it was some thing basic.

 Battery fully charged, connections clean and tight ? Points clean and gaped right ? Fuel  and kill switch turned on ? ( don't laugh. If it hasn't happened to you, it will. ) Fittings flanges and hoses on and snug? Timing correct ? Gasket leaks ? Has the plug been whetted with fuel ?
 It is a crap shoot if plugs will clean up or even work after being whetted with today's reformulated/oxygenated fuels.

 As an aside, my best friend had the toughest time getting his Suzuki GS 1000E to idle properly. Then one day at a stop light intersection he switched his head light off to flash some one,,,,The idle went normal while the head lamp was off, back to lousy with the head lamp on. He did this six or seven times with the same result. He replaced the ignition wiring with the next gauge heavier and the idle has been perfect ever since.
 Also the points show not the slightest sign of wear after 20,000 kilometers.

[ranger800]

hey guys, thanks for all the great replies, that's why i love this forum
it's so active.

@UncleErnie: yeah portland is crazy. the people are genuinely nice... it's.. weird.

As far as everything else, I think that it is probably the pilot jet....
I just cleaned the tank with eloctrolysis (it's shiny inside) and the fuel is fresh. i also cleaned and set the points recently.  i soaked the carb in carb cleaner for four days, but... i might as well get that pilot jet scrubbed out...

@ace.cafe: you know, i always assumed the pacco was the stock carb, but it makes a lot more sense that one of the two previous owners slapped it on there...

this bike really has a sordid past, but i'm doing my best to give it a lot of love
i think i'm going to read that carb faq on here, now

[Kevin Mahoney]

Ranger,
I am glad you are determined to bring that bike back to life. For what it is worth, there are not that many 350's in the US so you have something fairly unique. The 350 engine is also a very good engine. The boys here are right (usually) and it will be the simple things to look for first. I just cleaned some carbs from a 65 Yamada 250 and learned a  couple of things. I gave them a very long soak in carb cleaner and then used spray carb cleaner. Fortunatley I decided that I have better "prove" each passage. Scooter Bob and I worked on this for a long time and it was amazing how much "tar" came our of the passages. Cleaner did not do it, we had to get some extremely small jet drills etc. This bike had been sitting for about 5 years. The lesson here is that the gas we get these days is an embarrasment to the name gasoline. At our shop we keep our test bikes filled with AV gas which will stay good for a long time. The point is, blow through each passage and make sure they are all clear.

I went into the shop today and looked at the new 350 carbs we have on the shelf here. All of them including older stock and newer stock were marked Micarb all over them and none had anything resembling PICO. Maybe a picture..

[1Blackwolf1]

  If memory serves me correctly that carb is Italian, seems one of my partners had one on an old 250 Ducati something.  so I think it may just be a bit small for a 350.  Kind of hard to find parts for here.  Will.

[1Blackwolf1]

  Okay I just did a little research, check this site out.  It's in India I guess but you can find out what you have since there are pictures of their parts.  Suppose then you could check with CMW or local shops for repairarts.  Seems it was a stock option on 350 Bullets.  http://www.paccoindia.com.  Will.

[ranger800]

yeah, it's a freakin tiny carb. ill take a pic and post it tomorrow

[UncleErnie]

I've used guitars string wire and even the wire inside bread twist-ties to help gunk out of jets and stuff.  I used a really bi9g lighted magnifying glass on an arm so I can see better.  The wire has to be smaller than the hole, and done quite gently.

[Ice]

I've used guitars string wire and even the wire inside bread twist-ties to help gunk out of jets and stuff.  I used a really bi9g lighted magnifying glass on an arm so I can see better.  The wire has to be smaller than the hole, and done quite gently.

  Yup,
Fine wire, fishing line, compressed air, a week long soaking in B-12 ChemTool ( and a bit of luck)

[1Blackwolf1]

  Yup,
Fine wire, fishing line, compressed air, a week long soaking in B-12 ChemTool ( and a bit of luck)

  B-12 chemtool is good stuff.  I have even soaked corroded cables in it and got them freed up.  I have used it for years.  A couple ounces in the fuel tank keep everything working well.  Will.

[stevel]

Had a look at the carb on the Pacco website provided by Blackwolf and it looks identical to the Mikcarb VM24.
Looks like a bit of badge engineering, and jets etc should be interchangeable - as they are with the Mikuni