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KLX, 22c, or nothing?

2K views 10 replies 6 participants last post by  Damocles 
#1 ·
I have a 2006 with a UNI air filter and a Leo Vince exhaust. I ride between 500 and 3K feet right now. Next summer I will be riding between sea level and 7K.

I have a very slight pop with deceleration, no worse than stock.

I had read that at altitude you want a bike running lean. Should I leave the carb alone since I will be spending more time at altitude than not next spring and summer?
 
#2 ·
Even though your mods are minor, the stock KLR runs overly lean at partial throttle and benefits from jetting changes, any mods that help airflow make the lean condition worse. 22 cent mod works but is a bandaid, KLX kit is much better. The CV carb is largely self adjusting for altitude. You could leave it alone, but if it was my bike, I'd install the KLX kit and pull the snorkle (as recommended by Eaglemike) - it will run better.

Dave
 
#3 · (Edited)
If you are happy with the current jetting, leave it be. It sounds like, with just a slight pop, that it is not overly lean with that pipe.

The CV carburetor will do a pretty good job of adjusting for altitude by itself. The slide is dependant on vacuum, and therefore air density, to rise. With a lower air density the slide will rise less, admitting less fuel. You'll be down on power, but your mixture will be right.

At higher altitudes, a direct pull carburetor will admit too much fuel for the air density at any given slide position and will run too rich. CV carbs don't work that way, so it's not an issue.

My riding takes me from sea level to 10K feet and I never change anything in the carburetor.
 
#5 ·
Dave's right about that! KLX even on a completely stock bike is the best option.
 
#6 ·
All the responses are spot on. I'd like to expand Tom's explanation of CV operation. Simply that your right wrist is NOT directly connected to the carb slide. When you turn the throttle tube, either direction, you are 'requesting' the slide to move. Engine vacuum does the actual movement. There are various operations going on in the carb and all have some adjustability on response time and rate of movement of the slide but thats getting a bit deep. Short example...if you are at say 10K feet and running down the road at 70mph you may have the throttle pinned but the actual slide is probably only about 65% open. Thats the advantage...no real need to adjust jetting for altitude. The slide will not open fast enough or far enough to cause engine stalling. Downside is a carb that responds slow compared to carbs like an FCR or FI in modern bikes. There are CV type carbs with an accelerator pump that greatly improves engine response.

The KLX kit simply rejets the carb the way Kawasaki wanted to jet the KLR but EPA would not allow. KLX650 is not road legal thus didn't have to meet EPA/emission standards of the day.
 
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