DesmoStucky 0 Posted June 21, 2016 I recently had my KTM's top-end rebuilt by Dave Hopkins. I had the works done, new kibblewhite valves, new cam chain, re-plated cylinder, new piston, and of course all the gaskets. Dave did a great job, but upon rebuilding the bike the fuel mixture was totally off. I couldn't get the bike fueling correct with the stock jetting and thus began my efforts to get the bike running well again. I first installed a JD Jet Kit, but was unsuccessful in dialing in the carb myself. I suck with carbs, so I figured I'd take it in to GP to see what they could do. I provided them the original needle and jets, and the full JD jet kit. Well, $180 dollars later and the bike still runs like crap. GP states: Quote JD Jet Kit not recommended by parts or service department for poorly designed needles. Bike runs ok now. GP didn't mention what they installed, or what position they changed the needle to. So now I'm out $180 bucks, the bike runs terrible, and apparently I bought a JD kit that is also crap. Any experience or advice from the forum with similar issues or what my next step should be? Return the JD kit and go complain to GP? I was thinking of cutting my losses with GP and taking the bike to Lee's Cycle. I have heard a lot of great stuff about the JD kits, so I'm surprised the kit is being blamed. To be fair, the bike ran poorly before I installed the kit, and I'm annoyed that GP didn't do whatever was necessary with the parts I proved them and just get the damn thing running well. I just want to go for a ride, haha. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Covered in Dust 162 Posted June 21, 2016 Dave did my 06 525 a few years ago. I don't really remember if I had any issues with jetting but mine runs spot on now. Starts very easy and idles great. If you want to test your bike your welcome to come to my house and we can swap carbs and see if your bike runs great then. If it does then you could just copy how my carb is setup. CiD Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DesmoStucky 0 Posted June 21, 2016 That is incredibly generous! I may have to take you up on that offer if I can't come up with any other alternatives. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Wierdrider 187 Posted June 22, 2016 My valves and rings were just done and my mechanic switched main jet to a 182 needle all the way rich. It had a little hitch mid range. I changed it back to a 180 main, pilot is a 48, and set the needle in the middle at 3 notches. It might be a little lean but runs and idles good. Pops on deceleration. My fuel screw is probably 2-2.5 turns out. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
robertaccio 405 Posted June 22, 2016 how about going full oem stock, but you better baseline the thing. Be extra sure of the carb, a complete check- no missing or broken parts parts-----especially the fuel mixture screw its common for folks to drop parts off that thing, spring, backing washer, o ring, check the sudco catalog breakdown of the FCR carb for parts exploded view reference verify no air leaks, valves proper, fuel proper, plug fresh, ignition proper, compression good. Fact is those things run fine right out of the box. I have liked JD for most of my machines, but the mechs are correct JD uses brass needles they do wear fairly fast (IMO) compared to the surface hardened Keihin OEM needles. You want safe and relable go back to full OEM config. what CiD said will answer any carb questions, easy on RFS bikes. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PbdBlue 46 Posted June 22, 2016 Sounds like perhaps you have a carb problem. JD kit may not be perfect but it should be in the ballpark. FCR carbs are prone to getting gunked up if you let them sit with pump gas in them and they are not particulalrly easy to clean up when\if that happens. I think CID's swap suggestion is a great place to start. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Covered in Dust 162 Posted June 22, 2016 I'm pretty sure mine is OEM stock. I hadn't ridden this bike for a few years before I took it on the AZBDR a couple of weeks ago. To get it ready I needed to clean the carb a few times. One of the jets has a very tiny hole that is easy to miss and hard to clean, but once I got it clean it ran great. CiD Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bagstr 287 Posted June 22, 2016 Anyone using those rattle boxes to clean the carbs?? Ultra-sonic. Someone ( Chilly White?) did a piece. If not, what is the preffered method? Brillo pad and Ajax? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hobiee 28 Posted June 22, 2016 Take completely apart. No rubber or plastic. Soak in Berrymans for a bit. Compressed air in all ports, holes, orrafices etc.. Same for jets and everything else. Rinse completely in water and again compressed air to dry and clean. Reassemble and set up. Install and tune. Go ride ! O Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hobiee 28 Posted June 22, 2016 Or just take it to All American Ktm. Pay Rj and wait. Pick bike up and say to yourself "damn should have done this long ago". Ride bike that runs better than it ever has. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PbdBlue 46 Posted June 22, 2016 10 hours ago, Bagstr said: Anyone using those rattle boxes to clean the carbs?? Ultra-sonic. Someone ( Chilly White?) did a piece. If not, what is the preffered method? Brillo pad and Ajax? Yeah I use ultrasonic and dilute Simple Green. Carb looks brand new when done. In extreme cases there are passages in the upper carb area that even ultrasonic won't get too. In that case sometimes you need to disassemble the upper half that is held together with security torx screws. The problem is Keihen won't sell the gasket that goes between the halves and you will almost for sure destroy it getting the assembly apart. JD sells the gasket but I don't have any idea where he gets it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Wierdrider 187 Posted June 22, 2016 Is there a difference between the mx carb and the exc carb? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Covered in Dust 162 Posted June 22, 2016 The slow jet is the one I find gives the most problem. Make sure it's clean , they get gummed up. CiD Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
350thumper 336 Posted June 23, 2016 What range is it having performance issues? idle? half throttle ? does it stumble on itself ? Or does it pop when you pull the throttle? I'm sorry your having trouble . Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Spaugh 1 Posted June 23, 2016 JD kit is all good. Put it back in. If you cant figure it out you can bring it to me and I will make it work right for a very reasonable cost or it will be free if I cant fix it. I just did someones RFS carb fixup, the accelerator pump was rotten. And a different guy is bringing one to clean up next weekend. Maybe you elaborate on "runs like crap"? Bogs when you whack the throttle open or what? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Spaugh 1 Posted June 23, 2016 13 hours ago, Wierdrider said: Is there a difference between the mx carb and the exc carb? the MX carbs (honda) have a shorter squirt from the accelerator pump and on the 2007+ ktm(maybe on older ones as well) tney routed the engine breather back into the carb for smog reasons. That hole has to be plugged if the bike is desmogged. Otherwise the FCRs are all basically the same. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Spaugh 1 Posted June 23, 2016 By the way, after being "overcharged" or tried to overcharge me one too many times on OEM parts. And after fixing several peoples' bikes that had shotty work done at AA ktm, I would advise everyone to stay away. Sorry, I am sure there are many happy customers here that may not like that. I used to always defend RJ too. But Ive seen too much completely unacceptable work and straight up trying to charge way more than retail on parts. Buyer beware. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bp619 104 Posted June 23, 2016 Yup spaugh is the man he worked on my 05 525 couple years ago getting it jetting right and just couple week ago he split cases on my husaberg and freshened it up with all new seals and piston you can trust him and honest prices. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
robertaccio 405 Posted June 23, 2016 Like Brad said. at this age point be aware of all the soft parts. its best to do a full disassembly and rebuild. And BTW although I spoke about the "soft" brass JD needles, all of my (2006 TE and 2008 TXC450) FCR carbed bikes were full JD set up with JD spec leak jet and AP o ring mods. in addition I had power now devices along with AP cover mod and Zip Ty extended mix screws (which after the JD spec tuning was done I never touched) . So yes JD setting are an overall good trusted set up. Mine was ridden and raced from dez 0 to 5000ft and always worked great. And yes I do all my own work.....but time and aircraft job don't allow much left over to do other folks work. Spaugh is a private engineer with his own set up, good choice if you take him up on it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DesmoStucky 0 Posted June 23, 2016 Damn! I don't sign into the forum for a couple of days and you guys have flooded me with help. I truly appreciate all the suggestions. On 6/22/2016 at 6:55 PM, PbdBlue said: Sounds like perhaps you have a carb problem. JD kit may not be perfect but it should be in the ballpark. FCR carbs are prone to getting gunked up if you let them sit with pump gas in them and they are not particulalrly easy to clean up when\if that happens. I think CID's swap suggestion is a great place to start. I think I will take the carb apart at least to document what GP changed. I can easily get it back to stock at that point. On 6/22/2016 at 9:04 PM, hobiee said: Or just take it to All American Ktm. Pay Rj and wait. Pick bike up and say to yourself "damn should have done this long ago". Ride bike that runs better than it ever has. I'm pretty close to taking it back in to a shop and having someone else deal with it. I NEVER take my bikes into the shop, but with a new kid at home it has been difficult to find time for all my little projects. On 6/22/2016 at 8:54 AM, Covered in Dust said: The slow jet is the one I find gives the most problem. Make sure it's clean , they get gummed up. CiD I had completed a full carb cleaning when I put the JD kit in. It has been a couple of months now, but I do always drain the bowl before I let the bike sit. Regardless, I'll clean everything out again and put some fresh fuel in once I get the carb back to stock. Thanks for the tip. 12 hours ago, 350thumper said: What range is it having performance issues? idle? half throttle ? does it stumble on itself ? Or does it pop when you pull the throttle? I'm sorry your having trouble . Yeah, I guess I didn't give much details with the whole, "runs like crap" description. Basically, the bike is tough to start and doesn't idle well at all. As the bike warms up the idle rpm significantly increases. I honestly haven't ridden it much since the rebuild or JD kit install. I do remember that last time I rode it the bike was super "juddery" on maintenance throttle. Basically at a very small throttle opening the bike would kick forward sporadically, and just wasn't smooth at all. 11 hours ago, Spaugh said: JD kit is all good. Put it back in. If you cant figure it out you can bring it to me and I will make it work right for a very reasonable cost or it will be free if I cant fix it. I just did someones RFS carb fixup, the accelerator pump was rotten. And a different guy is bringing one to clean up next weekend. Maybe you elaborate on "runs like crap"? Bogs when you whack the throttle open or what? Tons of generosity on the forum! I am going to troubleshoot some more and post up on the forum. If I get stuck I may send you a PM. Also, I have the R&D brass remote fuel screw, so I shouldn't have any issues with an old, messed up fuel screw. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
350thumper 336 Posted June 23, 2016 If your running a #45 pilot jet. Take it out and put in a new #48 pilot jet. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DesmoStucky 0 Posted June 24, 2016 So it looks like GP only made two changes to the carb compared to when I took it in. They moved the JD red needle from the 4th position (recommended by JD) to the 5th position, and removed the o-ring accelerator pump mod and replaced it with safety wire. The accelerator pump condom thing wasn't touched, nor the idle or slow jets. Lame for my $180... So my current setup is: 170 main 50 pilot JD red needle at the 5th notch Fuel screw 1 3/4 out I did find one problem, and that is one of my vent hoses was melted shut. I'm sure this wasn't helping, but I'm surprised both GP and I missed this issue. Do you guys think this could have been the main source of all my issues? I'm cleaning everything out now and will reassemble in a bit. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Wierdrider 187 Posted June 24, 2016 I think stock main jet is supposed to be 178(?), mine is 180. Stock pilot is 46(?), mine is 48. Yours seems a little leen on main and rich on pilot? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Spaugh 1 Posted June 24, 2016 you need to take a can of carb cleaner and clean all the passages. check the accelerator pump diaphragm. then put the jets and needle settings that JD recommended for your riding conditions. Fix the breather hose although it should not be an issue if the others were ok. And lastly set the air/fuel screw 1.5 turns out and then get the bike hot and set the idle. That should be a good start. Those carbs aren't pickey at all. Once you have it running ok, you should never have to mess with it again. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
