Author Topic: Clear Carb Float Bowls, practical use  (Read 1699 times)

canuck750

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Clear Carb Float Bowls, practical use
« on: June 03, 2018, 08:17:24 PM »
I bought a pair of clear float bowls for the Dellorto 36mm carbs as used on the Le Mans for tuning purposes. I have now fitted them to my stubborn Laverda 750 SF1, the fueling is not right and once I put the clear bowls on I could see one carb was not filling consistently. To say the Laverda is a bit of a paint shaker is an understatement, one of the fuel valve bodies had started to turn itself out restricting the operation of the float. The clear bowls let me watch the fuel filling and float operation as the bike is running, quite a good tool. I won't run the bike with the clear bowls but for diagnosis they are pretty useful if they only save me one trip down the rabbit hole!

« Last Edit: June 04, 2018, 12:41:43 PM by canuck750 »

Online Antietam Classic Cycle

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Re: Clear Carb Float Bowls, practical use
« Reply #1 on: June 03, 2018, 08:38:09 PM »
 :thumb:
Charlie

Offline fotoguzzi

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Re: Clear Carb Float Bowls, practical use
« Reply #2 on: June 03, 2018, 08:39:18 PM »
those are cool!
MINNEAPOLIS, MN

Online John A

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Re: Clear Carb Float Bowls, practical use
« Reply #3 on: June 03, 2018, 08:43:56 PM »
Your right to only have them on for tuning, today's fuels will make them go opache and look ugly. You can still see the level but it's harder and they look like crap. Good tool though :thumb:
John
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Re: Clear Carb Float Bowls, practical use
« Reply #3 on: June 03, 2018, 08:43:56 PM »

Offline ccoli

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Re: Clear Carb Float Bowls, practical use
« Reply #4 on: June 04, 2018, 12:08:48 AM »
Glad you found a good use for them. They had been hanging around my garage for too long. Should have used them on my SPIII last year when the needle valve came apart.
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Offline Groover

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Re: Clear Carb Float Bowls, practical use
« Reply #5 on: June 04, 2018, 08:19:25 AM »
Fun to watch those I'm sure! Malossi is one of my favorite aftermarket performance brands, they do a lot in the 2-stroke world and a lot of their designs are very innovative and they seem to use interesting materials a lot. Their 2-stroke Vespa top end kits were always a work of art in the porting design, fit, and finish. They were the first as far as I know (at least in that world) to coat their pistons in Molybdenum/Molybdaen, which made them that color (dark gray) 

Another story.. Back in the day, farmers (or anyone with land) in Italy would be allowed a certain amount of Benzina Agricola, (agriculture gasoline) at a fraction of the price of normal gasoline prices (it's probably still that way, I'm talking 70's and 80's here). The caveat was that it was illegal to use for anything but farming equipment, and to identify it, the gasoline was dyed dark red. Not that I ever used that type of gasoline that my dad had in a big barrel in his the garage because of our land, ahem, but I can say, although very cool, I would've never used those clear bowls back then :grin:

Done story telling for the day. Thanks for posting those, they brought back many memories for some reason  :thumb:
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Offline Toecutter

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Re: Clear Carb Float Bowls, practical use
« Reply #6 on: June 04, 2018, 08:52:44 AM »
Hmmm... now you've got me thinking about a length of fuel line outside of each bowl on my carbs. Fitting at top of bowl, fitting at bottom, length of clear line between.... like a 70s chopper "fuel gauge"...
Old enough to say I've done it, young enough to do it again.

Offline nc43bsa

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Re: Clear Carb Float Bowls, practical use
« Reply #7 on: June 04, 2018, 03:30:11 PM »
Hmmm... now you've got me thinking about a length of fuel line outside of each bowl on my carbs. Fitting at top of bowl, fitting at bottom, length of clear line between.... like a 70s chopper "fuel gauge"...

You can put a fitting in the nut that holds the bowl onto the carb and leave the other end of the clear line open, as long as it is above the top of the bowl.
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Re: Clear Carb Float Bowls, practical use
« Reply #8 on: June 04, 2018, 03:33:25 PM »
You can put a fitting in the nut that holds the bowl onto the carb and leave the other end of the clear line open, as long as it is above the top of the bowl.

Aircraft carbs have a drain fitting. I use that for a hose barb and some clear tubing. Makes seeing the float adjustment a walk in the park.
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Offline nc43bsa

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Re: Clear Carb Float Bowls, practical use
« Reply #9 on: June 04, 2018, 03:44:00 PM »
Aircraft carbs have a drain fitting. I use that for a hose barb and some clear tubing. Makes seeing the float adjustment a walk in the park.

So do most Mikunis and Keihins that I have worked on.

I think I have a modified float bowl drain for Amal concentrics somewhere in my toolbox;  unfortunately, a lot of the Amals I work on don't have a float bowl drain.
« Last Edit: June 04, 2018, 03:46:43 PM by nc43bsa »
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