11/20/2015

CVCarburetorModifications

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CV Carburetor Modifications
For EVO and Twin Cam engines

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ChangestoimprovetheperformanceofyourKeihinCVcarburetorareeasyto
perform.

AskusaQuestion

DonotunderestimatetheabilityofthestockKeihinCVcarburetorto
producegoodhorsepower.ThestockCVcarburetorhasaventuri
diameterof40mm(1.575inch).Properlytuned,aCVcarburetoris
capableofsupporting80+horsepowerinmodifiedengines.Astockbike
1340cc(80CID)candevelopupto64horsepowerwithawelltunedand
modifiedCVcarburetor.ClickheretoseedynotestingontheCVagainst
othercarburetors.

Note:Ifyourenginedoes
notstartoridleproperly
now,youshouldattempt
determinethecauseand
repairitpriortomaking
thesecarburetor
modifications.

WithafewpartsfromyourlocalHarleyDavidsonDealerandsometools,youcanrejetaCV
carburetorandimprovetheperformanceofyourbike.
PartsList
ToolsNeeded

Step1.REMOVETHECARBURETOR
Removethecarburetorasdescribedtheservice
manualforyourmodelbike.Youmightgetaway
withleavingthethrottlecablesconnected.Itis
mucheasiertoremovethecarburetorandusea
workbench.Leavethechokecablehookedto
thecarburetoranddisconnectthepullhandle
end,takingtheentirechokecable/carburetor
assemblywiththecarburetor.Itisfastertocut
thefuellinehoseoffratherthantryingtosaveit.
Tricksofthetrade
Ifyoutakeouttherearfueltankboltsand
loosenthefrontbolts,thefueltankcanbe
raisedafewinches.Theextraroomgainedby
raisingthetankisthedifferencebetween
strugglingwiththejobandmakingiteasy.

Step2:MODIFYTHEIDLEMIXTURE
ADJUSTMENT:
http://www.nightrider.com/biketech/hd_cv_mods.htm

Modification,Installation,
MaintenanceandTuning
Indexwillhelpyoufind
mostoftheinformationyou
wantononepage.
HowtogetProfessional
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CVCarburetorCutaway

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11/20/2015

CVCarburetorModifications

Thealuminumplugcoveringtheidlemixture
adjustingscrewneedstoberemoved.Turnthe
carburetoroverandlocatetheplugtowardthe
rearofthecarburetor,inbackofthefloatbowl.
Usingabouta1/16"drillbit,carefullydrillahole
throughthesmallplug(CVCarburetorCutaway
item#9).Iftheplugdoesnotfalloutwhile
drilling,removethedrillbit.Carefullyinserta
smallselftappingsheetmetalscrewintothe
plug.Thiswillallowenoughgriptoremovethe
plugbypullingontheselftappingscrewwitha
pairofpliers.

1.SlideSpring
2.SlideDiaphragm
3.VacuumSlide
4.VacuumPort
5.NeedleJet
6.MainAirJet
7.MainJet
8.SlowJet
9.IdleMixtureAdjustmentScrew
10.ThrottlePlate

Underneathyouwillfindaslottedscrew.TurnthisscrewclockwiseuntilitisGENTLYseated.
Overtighteningthisscrewcandamagethecarburetorandneedle.Backtheidlemixturescrew2
1/2fullturns.Thisprovidesastartingpointfortuning.

Step3:SLIDEMODIFICATIONS:
Removethetopofthecarburetor(slidevacuumchambercover)beingcarefultoloosenthe
throttlelinkagestopplate.Thereisaspringunderthetopcover,soholditwithafingeruntilall
screwsareloose.Holdingthecarburetorupright,removethecoverandspring.The
slide/diaphragmassemblycannowberemoved.Insidetheslideyouwillseetheplasticspring
seat.Underthespringseatisthejetneedle.Thesetwoitemscanberemovedbyturningtheslide
overandpouringthepartsintoyouhand.Thesepartsareneededforreassemblyofthe
carburetor.
Onthebottomoftheslidearetwoholes.Thecenterholeisforthejetneedle.
SlideDetail
Thesecondholeisoffcenter.Thisisthevacuumport(CVCarburetorCutaway
cv_needle_detail.jpg
(6096bytes) #4).Thisholeneedstobedrilledto1/8".Makesurethisholeisacleanstraight
hole.Keeptheshavingsawayfromtherestofthecarburetor.Removeany
burrsthatexistandcleantheslide.Settheslideasidefornow.

Step4:REPLACEJETS:
Turnthecarburetoroversothebottomisfacingupward.Removethefloat
bowlbyremovingthefourscrews.Carefullyremovethefuelbowl.Usingaflat
bladescrewdriver,replacethestock#42slowjetwitha#45jet(CVCarburetor
Cutaway8).IfyouusetheOEMneedle,themainjetwillbereplacedwithajet
10largerthantheOEM.IfyouusetheXLneedle,themainjetwillbereplaced
witha165jet(CVCarburetorCutaway7).Thejetsarebrasspartsthatare
screwedintoanaluminumbody.Donotovertightenthenewjetswhen
installingthem.
1.SlideSpring
2.SpringSeat
3.JetNeedle

Replacethefloatbowl,carefullyplacingtheacceleratorpumprodintoits
rubberboot.
JettingNotes:

BesuretousejetsnumberedfortheCVcarburetor,andtheolderbutterflycarburetors.TheHD
partnumberslistedarecorrect.AdditionaljetsizesandjetneedlesarelistedontheCV
CarburetorPartsappendix.

Step5:REASSEMBLETHECARBURETOR:
IfyouusetheOEMneedle,place1(approx..050"or1/16"thick)ofthesmallbrasswashersover
thelongendoftheneedlejet(SlideDetail3).Thesewasherswillraisethejetneedletaper,
richeningthelowRPMfuelmixture.Placethejetneedleintotheslide,makingsurethewashers
remaininplace.Ifyoudidnotgetthinbrasswashers,asinglesmallwasherofupto1/8"thickcan
beused.Makesurethewasheristhesmallestthatcanbefound.
IfyouareusingtheXLHneedle,placethejetneedleintotheslidewithoutusinganywashers.

DragStripGallery
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CVCarburetor
ModifyingtheCVcarb
TuningaCVcarb
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WhereisSiftonCams?
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EFIbasicsexplained
EFImodifications
explained
183HP,2carbs,2680cc

Replacethespringseatintotheslideandoverthejetneedle.Placethecarburetorslideintothe
carburetorbody.Carefullyplacetheedgesofthediaphragmintothegrovearoundthetopofthe
carburetor.Installtheslidespringandthecarburetortopbeingcarefulnottomisalignorpinchthe
diaphragm.
http://www.nightrider.com/biketech/hd_cv_mods.htm

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CVCarburetorModifications

AssemblyTricksforthediaphragm
Thediaphragmiseasilymisalignedorpinched.Thisisacommonsourceofproblemsafter
carburetormodificationsareperformed.Thediaphragmfrequentlyhastheappearanceofbeing
toolargetofitintothegroove.Therepeatedupanddownmovementofthediaphragmcausesit
tostretch,makingreassemblytricky.Tryusingthecaptopositionthediaphragm.Itwillallowyou
toevenlypushthediaphragmintothegroove.Youcan"wiggle"thetopandfeelwhenthe
diaphragmisproperlylocated.Adamageddiaphragmwillhavethesymptomsoftheenginebeing
abletoidle,butwillnotacceptanythrottle.Ifyouthinkthediaphragmisdamaged,checkforany
pinholeswithabrightlightbehindtherubber,pullingontheedgestostretchthediaphragmabit.If
youfindany,theentireslide/diaphragmassemblymustbereplaced.

Step6:PUTTHECARBURETORBACKONTHEBIKE
Thecarburetorisnowreadytobeinstalledbackontheengine.Placethefuellineonthe
carburetorbeforeyouplaceitonthebike.Replacethecarburetor,directingthefuellineand
chokecableintopositionasyoumovethecarburetorintoplace.Remembertoreplacethe
vacuumhosefromtheVOEStothetoprearofthecarburetor.Checkingalltheworktomakesure
screwsandhosesareproperlyinstalled.Becarefulnottoovertightenthechokecablemounting
nutastheplasticwillbreakfairlyeasily.
Lowerthefueltankbackintoplace.Connectthefuellinehosetothefuelpetcock.Ifyouhavea
latemodelbikewiththevacuumlineconnectedtothefuelpetcock,makesurethehoseis
connected.

Step7:WARMINGUPTHEBIKE:
Warmthebikeuptofulloperatingtemperature.Priortofinaladjustmentstheenginemaynotidle
properly.Thecarburetorisnotasleanasthefactorysettings.DONOTfollowtheowner'smanual
directionsforcoldstarting.
Thenewprocedureisasfollows:Iftheengineiscold,pull
chokeoutalltheway.Iftheengineiswarm,usehalforno
chokeatall.Startthebike,adjustingchoketoreducethe
fastidletoareasonablespeed.About30secondslater,
pushthechokeallthewayinandusethethrottletokeep
thebikeidlingwhilewarmingup.Thethrottlelockcanbe
usedforthispurposeduringinitialadjustments.
Lettingthebikeidlefor15minutestowarmupisnot
desirable.Themodificationsmadetoyourbikeshould
allowittorunwellenoughforasedatetestrunaroundthe
block.Thisspeedsupthewarmuptimeandalsoallowsa
feelfortheimprovementtothrottleresponsefromthe
modifications.Asthebikecomesuptoproperoperating
temperature,adjustmentstotheidlemixtureandidle
speedcanbeperformed.

Tricksofthetrade
Asmall,flatbladescrewdriverabout
3"longshouldbeusedtoadjustthe
idlemixturescrew.Fumblingaround
withthewrongscrewdriverusually
resultsinburnedknuckles.Make
surethescrewdriverworksbefore
theengineisstarted.
Toadjusttheidlespeed,along,flat
bladeor#1Phillipsscrewdriver
shouldbeused.Thisallowsthe
screwdrivertogetpastthevarious
obstructionsthatexistbetweenyou
andtheidlemixturescrew.

Step8:ADJUSTINGIDLEMIXTURE:
Withenginewarmedupandatidle,turntheidlemixturescrewinward(clockwise)
slowlyuntiltheenginestartstostumble.Iftheenginewillnotidleonitsownduring
thisprocedure,raisetheidlebyadjustingtheidlesetscrewuntilitdoes.Makea
mentalnoteofthepositionoftheclockpositionofthescrewdriver.Nowturnthe
idlemixturescrewoutwardsuntiltheenginebeginstorunsmoothly,adjustingthe
idlestopscrewasnecessarytomaintainproperidlespeed.Blipthethrottleatime
ortwoandobservetheresults.Iftheenginerespondsquicklywithagratifying
blastandnobackfiringthroughthecarburetor,youhaveyouridlemixtureright.If
backfiringoccursthroughthecarburetorthenadjusttheidlemixturescrewout
another1/8to1/4turn.Undernormalcircumstances,theidlemixturescrewshould
bebetween2and3turnsout.Adjustingtheidlemixturescrewouttofarresultsin
anoverlyrich,lowRPMfuelmixtureleadingtopoorgasmileageandcarbon
buildupinthecombustionchamber.

TheCCPidle
mixturescrew
allowsfine
tuningwithouta
screwdriver.
ClickForInfo.

BigTwinIdleSpeed

http://www.nightrider.com/biketech/hd_cv_mods.htm

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CVCarburetorModifications

TheproperidlespeedforBigTwinenginesis9001000RPMs.EVOoilingsystemsneedbetter
than700RPMtoworkproperly.Resistthetemptationtolowertheidleexcessively.Itmaysound
good,butimproperoilingwillcontributetoengineoverheatingwhileidlingintrafficandpremature
enginefailures.

Step9:FINETUNING:
Thedetailsofcarburetortweakingandplugreadingisaveryinvolvedsubject,soyoumaywantto
refertoahigherauthorityafterthis.IfyoudonothaveaccesstoaDynofacility,hereisavery
basicguidethatwillgettheadjustmentsclose.
Totestthemainjetting,youmustbeinfourthorfifthgearandrunningfairlyhighRPM(4000+)
thenopenthethrottleallthewaytothethrottlestop,notingthefeelofthebike.Immediatelyletoff
thethrottleabout1/8turnandnotethefeelofthebike.Ifitseemstoacceleratesomewhenyou
letoffthe1/8,yourmainjetistoolean.Ifithesitatesorthetopspeedispoor(i.e.lessthan80
MPH)youaretoorich.Adjustyourmainjettingaccordinglybyincreasingordecreasingthejet
sizeby5.Useyourcommonsenseandseatofthepantsfeelandyouwillgetcloseenoughtodo
plugreads.
Plugreadingisasmuchanartasascience,takingyearsofexperiencetounderstandwhatthe
plugsarereallytellingusabouttheengine.Formoststreetriders,makingsuretheplugsarea
nicelighttancolorisgoodenough.Don'treadtheplugsuntilthefinetuninghasbeendoneand
thenmakesureyouusenewplugs.Dosomeridingwhichexerciseseitherlowspeedormain
jetting,thenstopimmediatelyshuttingdowntheenginebeforeitisatidlespeed.Checkingthe
plugsthiswaywillprovidethemostaccuratereading.Ifyourplugsareblackyouaretoorich,
whichdecreasesyourgasandperformancebutwillnotharmyourengine.Toolightorworseyet
bonewhiteyouaretoolean,andenginedamagewillsoonfollowifproperstepsarenottaken
richenthemixture.

Partsneeded:
CVModificationusingtheOEMjetneedlejet
UseOEMMainneedle
2711488Mainjet(#180)or10largerthanthestockjet.
2717089Pilotorslowjet(#45)ornextsizelarger(42>45>48)
5Small,thinbrasswashersapprox..050thick(optionalforfinetuning)
2feetfuellinehose(1/4"ID)
2smallhoseclampsforfuelline
OR
CVModificationsreplacingtheOEMjetneedle
2709488Mainneedle('88XLHpart)
2711688Mainjet(#165)
2717089Pilotor"Lowspeed"jet(#45)ornextsizelarger(42>45>48)
5Small,thinbrasswashersapprox..050thick(optionalforfinetuning)
2feetfuellinehose(1/4"ID)
2smallhoseclampsforfuelline
HavingacopyoftheHarleyDavidsonServiceManualforyourmodelbikeisalwaysextremely
helpful.TheServiceManualwillprovidevaluableinformationonrepairsandmaintenanceofyour
bike.

Toolsneeded:
ElectricDrill
1/8"bit(.125inches)
1/16"(orapproximate)bit
Handtoolsforremovinganddisassemblingcarburetor
PhillipsHeadScrewdriver
FlatBladeScrewdrivers
1/2",9/16"openendwrench
SmallAdjustablewrench
Sharpknife
http://www.nightrider.com/biketech/hd_cv_mods.htm

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CVCarburetorModifications

Goodqualityfineflatmetalfile
Disclaimer:
ThesemodificationsareforoffroaduseonlyandarenotapprovedbytheHarleyDavidson,EPAorDOT.Theauthorsarenotresponsibleforany
damagesduetofollowingtheseinstructions.Ifyoufollowthemcorrectlyanddonotscrewupyoushouldnothaveanytroubleanyhow..

Copyright19972006StephenMullen,Oldsmar,FL+

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