I'm going to say, and I might be off base, that most carbs are rebuilt for a couple of reasons: either they sat too long, sucked bad gas, or ran without an air cleaner too long. I would venture to guess that most carbs on custom bikes don't wear out. I would bet a serious number of carbs are rebuilt because they were sold used, and the new owner wants to be certain it's in good shape before installing it in a new duty station. We're going to cover the rebuild process with several recommendations and tips, so hopefully you'll be able to operate your S&S Super E, G, or Shorty to its fullest extent, enjoying reliable operation for years to come.

Generally carb problems develop from crap in the gas: so always run a fuel filter. Crap in the air; so run and clean your air filter from time to time, as well as crap in the float bowl, from storing the bike too long between start-ups.

In this case Brad rebuilt his '61 Panhead and decided to install a used S&S carb, so natch he wanted to inspect it. This process accomplished two strong beneficial elements: maintenance and knowledge. We made the carb new for a long durable high performance life, and now we both know the ins and outs of an S&S carb.

So where do we start? Remove the carb, clean the air cleaner, inspect the fuel filter and replace if necessary. Spray the air cleaner element with an approved element spray based on if you have a foam filter or a paper one. Make sure the intake manifold fits well against the ports and the O-rings are not cracked or damaged, also check the straps to ensure they are cool and secure. Be sure the carb is mounted properly and not held with the manifold clamps or resting against a pushrod tube. That was the case with a professionally built custom bike we worked on recently.

I just glanced at the S&S installation guide, which I will refer to often, and here are a couple of super-basic recommendations: You're messing with gas, be careful. If you can, handle the operation out in the open. Don't burn your garage down. Plus, today's petrol is nasty shit. It will burn your hands. Wait until the bike is cool and disconnect the battery. One spark and your wife will never speak to you again. Make sure you shut off the petcock before you work on your carb. Anytime you're bike is not running, shut off the petcock.

The S&S guide pointed out "Start the installation when you're fresh." I like that one. They don't want you burning your bike and pad to the ground 'cause you ripped off your $500 carb while toking on a bong. It's a good point. You're carb is one of a couple of delicate watch mechanisms running your motorcycle. It's delicate and precise. Take your time with each element, including removing the rubber fuel line from the carb. Often after that little bastard clamp has been snugged against the brass fitting for a couple of years, it's stuck. Remove the clamp completely. Take a very small sewing machine screwdriver or a pointer and work it under the dried lip of the gas line. Spray some WD40 under the lip and attempt to rotate the screwdriver around the brass nipple base. Let it set for a couple of minutes and it might slip comfortably off.

I've seen them so unyielding it would take a come- along to set it free, damage the carb and burn the your mother's house down in the process. Sometimes it's best to cut the line with side-cutters above the nipple, remove the carb and deal with it once all the petrol has been eliminated from the carb. Then you can carefully clamp the carb body in a vice and/or slice it off with a sharp knife.

In our case the carb was already removed, so we pulled the O-ring from the back which seals the carb to the intact manifold. We also installed a brand new S&S intake manifold to make sure we had the proper venturi for this carburetion and a manifold designed for the S&S system.

Next I reached out to a factory rep for his advice. Here's what he said:

One of the problem areas on any carb is excessive wear in the housing, where the throttle shaft rotates. The old Bendix carbs were notorious for this. The excessive wear would create an air intake leak causing drivability issues and poor idling.

I used to make stainless steel bushings and bore the throttle shaft boss. Then I could press in the bushings and save a carb from being scrapped. I think that S&S has a repair kit for this problem. It may be that you send the body to S&S, and they fix 'em in house, I can't remember.

We also would run an in-line filter between the tank and carb in the fuel line. This has always been a good idea to keep the shit out of the float bowl. The tank fuel valve usually has a filter screen in it, but they are difficult to inspect. Every now and then I drain the carb float bowl to inspect the gas for particles.

As far as winter storage: I put the Stabil additive in the gas tank. Then I run the bike a bit making sure the fuel additive reaches the carb. I don't drain the float bowl. In the spring, I flush the float bowl and gas tank after the winter season. Then I install fresh gas, new plugs and start 'er up, allowing the fluids to warm, then drain all the oils. I’ll then install fresh fluids and be good to go. This worked for me when I lived in Chicago. A very cold place!!

--Pablo

Good advice: If you ever install a Super E or G hold onto the installation guide. It's fulla helpful information as well as drawings, including a breakdown of the entire carburetor. Currently there is no rebuild instruction sheet, making this kit a basic clean, inspect, and assemble with new components. The install guide does tell you how to trouble-shoot some specific problems.

The kit includes nearly every internal part necessary except for the main jet, mid-range jet and the throttle shaft bushings mentioned above by Pablo. As you can see in the photo, all the other elements including fasteners, throttle shaft, butterfly, springs and gaskets are included.

With Brad's pink parts cup under the carburetor we removed the float bowl, drained the body and cleaned it with solvent. Brad experienced some starting problems and the accelerator pump didn't work properly, although the bike seemed to run fine once rolling down the road. We researched the Shorty installation and jetting guide for troubleshooting tips. In most cases the problem can be caused with crap in the intermediate air bleed metering hole or the main discharge air bleed metering hole. They're in the bottom of the carb and can be blown out with forced air once the float bowl and gasket are removed.

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