Change of Carb incoming, keep stock or move to aftermarket?

[Magnum44]

Hi all,

The screw for the fuel mixture of my carb is stuck because the previous owner used screw glue on it (WTF...). I don't think there is a way of removing it without breaking the carb/screw so I'm thinking of getting a new carb.

After a lot of reading and considering Mikuni or S&S (Super E) carbs I finally came to the conclusion of continuing with the stock carb. What's your opinion of the stock carb?

I've been looking for a second hand stock carb but I can find nothing... Is this carb so good that no one wants to move to an aftermarket one?

BTW I have a 03 FLHR with S&S 510G gear drive cams, kerker exhaust and KN air filter.

Does anyone knows which is the OEM reference for the stock carb and approximate price?
Any other recommendation?

Thanks folks.

[Throttle_Jockey]

I'm an S&S fan so I would say the Super E. The stock carb is a very good carb and can be tuned to work with some good combos. In my opinion it you can find a cheap stock one that would be the best route, but if you have to buy new I would go with the S&S

[ultra103]

Have you tried draining and drying the carb, then heating the screw gently to melt the thread locker? Just a suggestion, it may work. If not, you are no further behind than you are now.

[Magnum44]

I haven't try that yet... I'll probably do it although as I'm an addict to my HD, I didn't want to do it with no plan B decided, just in case I break the carb and cannot ride for a month or two.
Harleys should come in pairs for these occasions.

[JayFL459]

S&S and Mikuni are both good Carbs, kind of lead towards the S&S though ..

[RogerDodger]

OP:
Magnum44 is onto something here, pay close attention.
You can heat the carb with a hair dryer/ heat gun or even a pan of HOT water (once you've emptied it). The heat will loosen the Loctite. Be sure to clean the old Loctite out of the threads before you re-assemble the carb.
Also, that CV carb is hard to beat on anything less than a high power build. Stay with it, you'll be glad you did.

[harley2006]

Originally Posted by RogerDodger

OP:
Magnum44 is onto something here, pay close attention.
You can heat the carb with a hair dryer/ heat gun or even a pan of HOT water (once you've emptied it). The heat will loosen the Loctite. Be sure to clean the old Loctite out of the threads before you re-assemble the carb.
Also, that CV carb is hard to beat on anything less than a high power build. Stay with it, you'll be glad you did.

The CV carb can be excellent up to about 100ci. If your going for bigger cubes and horsepower, I would go with an S&S. There are a lot of aftermarket parts for the CV out there that will make them perform like the more expensive one's.

I have a jet kit and the Boyensen Twin shot on my 2006 TC88 and couldn't be happier with the performance.

[Mohead1]

100 ci ?? Woods and others make CVs rated in the 55 cfm range....that should run some big numbers on big motors.....

[Dan89FLSTC]

We use locktite and several other super glue type adhesives in a lot of places on jet engines (it is not used to lock the fasteners but to hold parts in place during assembly).

Once the engine runs, removal is no problem because the adhesive is evaporated, but often we must remove these parts before the engine has been run.

Boiling water will not get the part loose, the part must be heated to 325 degrees to crystalise the locktite.

Strip the carb, and heat the area of the screw with a propane torch, or use a real heat gun.

Or you could put the carb body in the oven once you get it nice and clean, but don`t complain if the `ol lady uses your milling machine or drill press as a mixer...

[Flyer]

Out of the box

CV 40mm good up to a mild 95. Butterfly is in middle of throat, eats up some room, so the 40mm is more 38mm. Gets good fuel mileage, needle is vacuum dependent, so it deals with altitudes to 7k ft well. Throttle response is mediocre compared to a slide.

Mik 42 good up to a high comp\high lift 95. Throttle slide is completely out of the throat bore at full throttle so unobstructed air flow is a plus. Needle is throttle dependent, great throttle response, less forgiving on gas mileage, altitudes over 6-7k ft and re-jetting is needed.

S&S Super E, good for all types of 95 builds. Butterfly type, no needle, has a reputation of being finicky on part throttle, good high flow on WOT. Fair gas mileage, and needs rejetting at high elevations. A good carb but my least favorite of the 3, only my opinion.

All three are easy to tune, once you understand the principles.

[Magnum44]

Thank you all for the replies. I'll do what you suggest, remove the carb and heat it to try to remove the bolt.

[tweaked1973]

One way to try to free the carb up almost mo matter what the previous owner used is to use some laquer thinner. Laquer thinner is almost evil in a can when it comes to chemicals. If you were to strip the carb, float and all and them sit it down in a pan with about 3/4 of an inch of laquer thinner it should eat the glue and either totally dissolve it or make it gooey. Just make sure to not use a plastic pan, because after a few minutes you will not have a pan.
The benefits are that it will not hurt the aluminum and it is cheap.

[Geezer-Glide]

If you're going to replace, I'd go with the Mik 42. Bolts up right out of the box with little or no tuning needed. Crisp throttle and good gas mileage. I've used S&S (super G) and it's a good carb, but my gas mileage SUCKED! But man did my bike run!!

[Merc63]

My bike ran better with a Mikuni. Its a more advanced carb. S&S is 50 year old design.

S&S is still a good carb, but the Mik is a bit more advanced and ran better in my experience..

I have a 45mm Mik if you want to give it a try. Cheap.