Rebuilding K3 Bandit 1200 Carb and Need Advice...

[YJake]

Hello all!

Long time lurker and first time poster in need of some Carb advice.

I have the carbs off of the bike and stripped down.



Everything was pretty clean inside, which I attribute to my use of SeaFoam in every tank but the gas tank has some rust in it and as a result some made it into the carb's float bowls.



The first question I have is regarding these two "T" connectors, what are they for and is it bad that the bike has had them open like this since I bought it? 




And my second question... The needle in Carb #3 did not have a shim nor a spring when I took it apart, only the polymer buffer and C-clip installed. I'm thinking that this could have been the cause of a low RPM studder in the powerband as well as a that cylinder missing occasionally before the engine was warmed up? Should I track an irresponsible Previous Owner down and shoot'em? 



I also plan to install a Holeshot Stage 1 jet kit while I have the carbs apart.

Any pointers would be appreciated folks!

-Jake

[bullet5]

Should I track an irresponsible Previous Owner down and shoot'em?

On a more serious note, yes this will more than likely have been the cause of your RPM stuttering.  Get those parts replaced pronto, and you should be onto a winner.  It is likely the #3 spark plug is sooted up and unable to produce a clean, healthy spark every time.  Seen as one cylinder has been abused it would be best to remove all your spark plugs, and clean them down with a brash wire brush, then give them a quick heating up under a blue flame to help remove any hidden carbon deposits.

As for those two T pieces, they are carb breathers, so should have a bit of rubber hose attached to them and run off either over your airbox or straight down the side of the bike behind the engine.  I don't have a 1200 K3, but it's a similar situation with a Mk1 B6 and Bandit 400's.

All the best,
Bullet5.

[YJake]

Ahhhh breather hoses! 

Well that makes sense. I'll order another connector to replace the broken one and run some leads down under the bike.

I'll attempt to keep this updated in case anybody ever wants to see what happens next or if there are any pointers that I can provide. I just ordered the 4 carb rebuild kits and a HoleShot Stage 1 Jet Kit. Things will get real later this week. 

-Jake

[dk.easterly]

FYI

HS kit comes with spacers and I wouldn't worry about the breather hoses.

One of mine is cracked. Just slid it on and pointed them up.

[YJake]

Pulled the carbs, rebuilt all of them, and added a Holeshot stage 1 jet kit.

Holy Smokes Batman! :eek1

This is what the thing should have been like from the factory!:evil

Starts easier, idles smoother, accelerates smoother, deceleration pop is gone(Just a light rumble now), and I can feel a good difference in HP/Torque  through my Butt Dyno.

I haven't put the timing advancer in yet but Dave's instructions make it sound like it makes things even better so I'll probably do that today.

-Jake

[dk.easterly]

The timing advancer makes things a bit more responsive.

Easy to swap out as well.

[YJake]

The timing advancer makes things a bit more responsive.

Easy to swap out as well.

Well I put it in and you are 100% correct about that!


I'm still having a fueling issue that I've had since before the rebuild/rejet and this kit made it worse :lol3

When I hammer the thing hard for several seconds it loses power and starts to cut out until I back the throttle off then it's normal until I hammer the throttle again. It used to only do it when I was down to 2-3 gallons of gas in the tank, now it does it all of the time. The last thing I can think of is the petcock but I just replaced it 10 months ago. :huh

I may start a separate thread regarding this issue so that I don't thread jack this one.

-Jake

[deanozx10r]

I had the same issue with my 03 1200, when who ever put the jet kit in messed up. For one they put to many spacer washers on one needle and they had 4 turns out on the adjustment. If you research the poor mans jet kit it covers all this.

[deanozx10r]

http://forums.banditalley.net/index.php?topic=13106.0

Theres the thread your probably rich like I was on the top end.

[rider123]

Damn right it will cause stuttering. Imagine the needle just floating around in there with no tension, so it's like you're dumping full throttle's worth of fuel at idle. Happened to me once when I forgot to add the needle spring once.