Tell me about Lectron jetless carbs!

Tbteam
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8/22/2018 4:34pm Edited Date/Time 4/10/2019 9:53pm
I’m ready to buy a new carb for my 1980 CR125 I’m building. Someone commented that these carbs are like discovering sex for the first time. Can anyone give me first hand feedback (the carb, not the sex).
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newmann
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8/22/2018 4:44pm
Did AHRMA start allowing flat slide carbs for the 80 model bikes? I had some puss from Colorado protest me at Don's one year because I had a flat slide on my 80. My one AHRMA race of the year, but he was in the hunt for a National Championship....important stuff.Laughing I told them just to not score me, I didn't care. Went back to the line for the second moto and beat him again. My 80 model back then was an old clapped out turd and he was on a tricked out 79 CR125 with everything DG on it. Fun times.
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Rocky739
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8/22/2018 5:40pm
People swear by them, but then again there's a message board for fanatics of anything you can imagine...
Probably more of a case the bike runs with it on there and didn't with the worn out, clogged, broken stock carb so it's better?
I'd consider a Keihin PWK airstriker, unless there really is a X files style government coverup i'd say there is good reason almost every 2 stroke made today comes with a PWK instead of a Lectron. I've been looking at pictures of factory race bikes for years and never saw a single lectron mounted on one...
But as Newmann stated it would be illegal for AHRMA and their 300 page rule book. Even though my 86 CR came with a flat slide PJ they say the PWK is illegal.
OldPro277
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8/22/2018 5:43pm
I can tell you that the Lectron is even BETTER than sex for the vintage bikes. Ive built some wildly modified bikes including a 78 rm125c, a 1980 yz250 ,a 77 husky cr125gp , a 74 Noguchi 125, 82 Husky XC250 and have used Lectrons exclusively. If you give Dave all the pertinent details of the bike/motor mods/ how you're going to use it/where you're going to use it,what fuel ,etc,etc., he'll set it up to fit correctly, use the correct metering rod and set the power jet. And every single time its dead nuts spot-on. They all start first or second kick, run EXTREMELY clean,and my race buddies all swear that they even sound different, as in much crisper. Obviously ,I highly recommend them to any and all

And Joe, I haven't had any issues with the "legality" aspect. I've run these bikes thru Mid Ohio (AMA) tech the last 2 years with no issues. Also a couple Ahrma races as well,although admittedly we try to avoid those races because of the poor turnouts . (no fun running a 1 or 2 man moto,lol)
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OldPro277
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8/22/2018 6:06pm
To add a couple more things lol--- when you need to "tune" these things or just experiment like I have, its so much easier than a regular carb,it amazes me that the other manufacturers of the "standard" type of carbs haven't adopted this design or at least some aspects of it. Im sure it has something to do with patented design ,etc. . I have 15 vintage racers at home, some are strictly show bikes /display bikes/replica bikes ,some are practice day bikes, but the serious strictly race bikes are all equipped with the Lectrons. If I had enough money, the practice bikes would have them too.

And to address the rules a bit more, Rocky, maybe the Lectrons don't get picked on too much because they were actually built and available back then, while the PWK was not.? The Lectrons certainly seems to fit in the loophole rule of modifications that are "period correct" as the rule states.
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The Shop

barnett468
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8/22/2018 6:18pm
it is nearly impossible for most people to tell the difference between any carb if they are PROPERLY set up. i guarantee it.
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barnett468
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8/22/2018 6:23pm Edited Date/Time 8/22/2018 6:28pm
"People swear by them, but then again there's a message board for fanatics of anything you can imagine...
Probably more of a case the bike runs with it on there and didn't with the worn out, clogged, broken stock carb so it's better?"

Yup, that is quite often the case, plus the placebo effect, "I read the manufacturers ad and it said that this carb will give me 50 more hp on my z50 and I just paid $400.00 for it." Some people simply fool themselves into believing something that is new and that they paid a boatload of money for must be better. I f they on;y paid $10.00 for one of those carbs and it said "heche de china" on it, they might not think it is as good as if they had paid $400.00. I see this stuff all the time.

There is one sure way to go faster, and that is to learn how to ride better, and a new carb ain't gonna do that for anyone.
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OldPro277
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8/22/2018 6:47pm
Barnett--- the guy asked about the product. I answered the best way I could., with honest evaluation. I have tried them all, probably spending more on carburetors than you make in a month, so if you don't like my recommendations, don't tell the guy to ride better.

I love guys like this, All knowing smackoffs that probably couldn't jet a Mikuni if their life depended on it,but all too quick to bust someones balls on how to go faster. Reminds me of the same type of asshats that tell guys they are stupid for putting some titanium on their bikes instead of going to the gym and lose some weight !!

And "Barnett" -- if you haven't ever tried a Lectron ,PARTICULARLY on a vintage bike ,you should actually spend a few dollars and hours to check into it, before spout out asinine advice. 40 year old 2-strokes with no power valves are no picnic to keep jetted properly.
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barnett468
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8/22/2018 6:49pm Edited Date/Time 8/22/2018 6:54pm
OldPro277 wrote:
Barnett--- the guy asked about the product. I answered the best way I could., with honest evaluation. I have tried them all, probably spending more on...
Barnett--- the guy asked about the product. I answered the best way I could., with honest evaluation. I have tried them all, probably spending more on carburetors than you make in a month, so if you don't like my recommendations, don't tell the guy to ride better.

I love guys like this, All knowing smackoffs that probably couldn't jet a Mikuni if their life depended on it,but all too quick to bust someones balls on how to go faster. Reminds me of the same type of asshats that tell guys they are stupid for putting some titanium on their bikes instead of going to the gym and lose some weight !!

And "Barnett" -- if you haven't ever tried a Lectron ,PARTICULARLY on a vintage bike ,you should actually spend a few dollars and hours to check into it, before spout out asinine advice. 40 year old 2-strokes with no power valves are no picnic to keep jetted properly.
ummm...you have no idea what i have and haven't done junior, and your ego is much larger than your ability AND, if you had even the slightest clue how to PROPERLY jet a carb, you wouldn't have had to spend all that money on different ones trying to get one that was already jetted close enough to make it run decent, lol.

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Tbteam
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8/22/2018 6:53pm
Sorry guys. I had to edit the thread title. (Spell check)

Anyway, thanks for the insight. They sure sound interesting.

And oldpro288, you beat me to it. Thanks.

Rocky739
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8/22/2018 7:02pm
Well they sure instill passion in folks. Maybe they are better than sex!!!! Bwahaaaa!!!!!!
I'd ask a well known Honda engine and parts builder that is on this forum his opinion and if your curious still, get one and see if the goods live up to the hype. If you don't like it punt it on eBay and get most of your coin back out of it.
OldPro277
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8/22/2018 7:06pm
Junior ---funny stuff. Go give your advice to someone that actually asked for it. Apparently its YOUR ego that needs stroking LOL. pffffft idiot LMFAO

Tbteam-- back to the matter at hand. If you buy a Lectron and do not think it was worth every penny, PM me and I'll buy it from you for what you paid. I just don't believe you'll find an easier way to make your bike run cleaner with FAR less hassle. Just trying to answer your question with real-life experiences.
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barnett468
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8/22/2018 7:16pm Edited Date/Time 8/22/2018 7:31pm
"Junior ---funny stuff."

Well since your comments to me were childish, I naturally assumed your were young.


"Go give your advice to someone that actually asked for it."

ummm...that's exactly what I did, and then you tried to appear like the arbiter of all carb knowledge to satisfy your needy ego, and feebly, but amusingly, attempted to berate me and discredit my post in an attempt to make yourself feel like a "big man" in front of your internet friends.


"pffffft idiot LMFAO"

It's good to see that you recognize at least one of your better traits and are highly amused by it as laughter can help you feel better about yourself.





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OldPro277
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8/22/2018 7:24pm
barnett-- Im the one that actually tried to answer the mans DIRECT question-----he did NOT ask how he could go faster or ride better. So reading comprehension is another thing you really need to work on as well. But if you keep trying to improve yourself, you'll eventually find a forum that will accept your attempts at giving advice. Cmon man, you can do this !!!!WoohooLaughing
OldPro277
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8/22/2018 7:27pm
And for what its worth--I've been jetting Mikuni's, Keihin's and even Bings since around 1974. Even MORE reason I dig the Lectrons.
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barnett468
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8/22/2018 7:36pm Edited Date/Time 8/22/2018 7:55pm
OldPro277 wrote:
And for what its worth--I've been jetting Mikuni's, Keihin's and even Bings since around 1974. Even MORE reason I dig the Lectrons.
It's not worth anything if you have been jetting them incorrectly all this time. I have actually been jetting carbs since before that and was in charge of setting all the jetting specs for all the atv's and some dirt bikes for production when I ran the ATV department at Kawasaki Motors R & D in the mid 80's. Plus I jetted all my own bikes even when i was sponsired by dave miller from miller mano and fmf, and won many pro level races with them. I have also used various flat slide carbs including one that was on a suzuki quad i raced in the pro class, so i am far from inexperienced with carbs in general.

I also have experience with a tillotson carb which is what we tested on Jeff Jennings bike around 1975 when i worked at norm reeves honda motorcycles. Also, jetting a bing is no hurculean feat. I had them on both my 250 and 360 bultaco's that i raced back around 1975.

To your apparent dismay and surprise, your opinion and "experience" are not the only one that matters.
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OldPro277
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8/22/2018 7:55pm
Well you win !! I can't say that I ever worked in a bike shop, unless you count owning a few. Anyway to wrap this up---Im sure you're a good egg,as most of us Vintage moto guys are. And while you are mostly correct in saying that a properly jetted conventional carb will run fine for most everyone, I believe the OP was looking for advice if the Lectron was "as billed", meaning, will it produce clean strong power throughout the RPM range while being ridiculously easy to keep "jetted" correctly. And yes, I believe that it is the best $ 350-400 you can spend on a vintage racer,particularly a small bore. I have all of the period carbs , and yes they are jetted perfectly (for today-- but tomorrow may be a different story,lol)
Anytime you can spend less time tuning and more time riding is a huge plus for me or anyone that works for a living and has limited free time to ride. OR when you have the ability to go up or down one,two or three sizes on the "main" jet circuit while you're sitting on the gate by turning the power jet even with your gloves on is a pure win . Does that happen often ? of course not, but its just another way of saying how easy these things are to tune.

Tbteam--good luck and my offer stands. You will not be disappointed.
barnett468
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8/22/2018 8:11pm Edited Date/Time 8/22/2018 8:17pm
"Well you win !! I can't say that I ever worked in a bike shop, unless you count owning a few. Anyway to wrap this up---Im sure you're a good egg,as most of us Vintage moto guys are."

I like that approach much better cuz nobody wins a trophy for being right on an internet forum, and even though i know a boatload, i still don't know it all and never will, but also haven't ever run across anyone else that does.

My point, which unfortunately got lost a little, was basically to suggest that the lectron won't make a "dramatic" difference in power or throttle response over a properly jetted old school vm style round slide mikuni or kehin etc. I wasn't saying they were not good or not easier to jet etc but i run into many cases where people are hoping like many of us do that some easy to bolt on part is going to make a big improvement and was just trying to get the point across that it won't and there may be a better place to spend that money.

Do i think they are neat carbs?...yes. Would i like to have one?...yes. Would I personally spend $350.00 on one?...no, and that is because in my particular case, it won't help me much, besides, i guess i'm kinda stubborn and prefer a bit of a challenge in tuning a vintage carb, plus i prefer some vintage stuff over newer stuff even if the newer stuff is obviously better.
.

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GIwasB4
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8/22/2018 8:14pm

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Rocky739
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GIwasB4 wrote:
[img]https://p.vitalmx.com/photos/forums/2018/08/22/282250/s1200_x.jpg[/img]

I told them not to do the Viagra / Geritol speedball but would they listen???
Tbteam
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8/23/2018 5:45am
So, my final question... where do I buy the Lectron, and what specific info will they need from me if they do a “pre setup” of the carb. 34mm?
Tbteam
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8/23/2018 5:46am
I should also add that I’m not a carb expert, and I HATE the jetting process. I am a fairly good rider, but I’m getting older and don’t want to spend my life messing with carb setup.
barnett468
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8/23/2018 8:07am Edited Date/Time 8/23/2018 8:09am
Tbteam wrote:
So, my final question... where do I buy the Lectron, and what specific info will they need from me if they do a “pre setup” of...
So, my final question... where do I buy the Lectron, and what specific info will they need from me if they do a “pre setup” of the carb. 34mm?
From oldpro

"If you give Dave all the pertinent details of the bike/motor mods/ how you're going to use it/where you're going to use it,what fuel ,etc,etc., he'll set it up to fit correctly, use the correct metering rod and set the power jet. And every single time its dead nuts spot-on."


Here are some other sources.

https://www.lectronfuelsystems.com/index.php/off-road

https://www.rockymountainatvmc.com/p/930/70034/Lectron-Adjustable-Power…
Tbteam
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8/23/2018 8:45am
Tbteam wrote:
So, my final question... where do I buy the Lectron, and what specific info will they need from me if they do a “pre setup” of...
So, my final question... where do I buy the Lectron, and what specific info will they need from me if they do a “pre setup” of the carb. 34mm?
barnett468 wrote:
From oldpro "If you give Dave all the pertinent details of the bike/motor mods/ how you're going to use it/where you're going to use it,what fuel...
From oldpro

"If you give Dave all the pertinent details of the bike/motor mods/ how you're going to use it/where you're going to use it,what fuel ,etc,etc., he'll set it up to fit correctly, use the correct metering rod and set the power jet. And every single time its dead nuts spot-on."


Here are some other sources.

https://www.lectronfuelsystems.com/index.php/off-road

https://www.rockymountainatvmc.com/p/930/70034/Lectron-Adjustable-Power…
Missed that. Thanks.
8/25/2018 6:47am
Man, some guys are passionate about carbs! I switched from Mikuni to Lectron on my '78 Maico 400. The biggest advantage I noticed is once Lectrons are set you rarely have to make any adjustments for weather or altitude. When I was living out west I ran AVDRA races in different states at altitudes from near sea level to over 6K feet. Since I lived at 5K feet when I went to the lower altitude tracks Mikuni jetting was a guessing game and with usually only one practice session before the motos, it was a hassle to get it fine tuned in time. Since the power jet style Lectron wasn't legal on my '76 400 (I think they started selling that design in 77 or 78) I kept the Mikuni on it and was forever spending time getting it set for wherever I was racing. A far as starting I didn't notice any difference - ie typical Maico; sometimes 3 kicks, sometimes 33 kicks. I could not tell any power difference and never measured fuel consumption as it wasn't a concern for sub 15 minute vintage motos.

Now If you really want to start a carb argument get some hard core Maico guys arguing about Bing vs Mikuni....
barnett468
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8/25/2018 8:58am Edited Date/Time 8/25/2018 9:05am
Man, some guys are passionate about carbs! I switched from Mikuni to Lectron on my '78 Maico 400. The biggest advantage I noticed is once Lectrons...
Man, some guys are passionate about carbs! I switched from Mikuni to Lectron on my '78 Maico 400. The biggest advantage I noticed is once Lectrons are set you rarely have to make any adjustments for weather or altitude. When I was living out west I ran AVDRA races in different states at altitudes from near sea level to over 6K feet. Since I lived at 5K feet when I went to the lower altitude tracks Mikuni jetting was a guessing game and with usually only one practice session before the motos, it was a hassle to get it fine tuned in time. Since the power jet style Lectron wasn't legal on my '76 400 (I think they started selling that design in 77 or 78) I kept the Mikuni on it and was forever spending time getting it set for wherever I was racing. A far as starting I didn't notice any difference - ie typical Maico; sometimes 3 kicks, sometimes 33 kicks. I could not tell any power difference and never measured fuel consumption as it wasn't a concern for sub 15 minute vintage motos.

Now If you really want to start a carb argument get some hard core Maico guys arguing about Bing vs Mikuni....
"Now If you really want to start a carb argument get some hard core Maico guys arguing about Bing vs Mikuni.... "

I had bings on my bultacos and they leaked and worked just fine. I put a mikuni on a my 1974.5 aldolph weil 400 maico and it worked perfectly (once it started) and good enough that i won the ahrma western vintage expert open class and over 40 vintage open expert class with it in 1993, so i can't imagine a bing being any better, but i wasn't a hard core maico guy either and also had a 74 cr250, 74 cr125, and a 74 yz250 i raced that year and they also had mikuni's on them.

As far as having to change jets more on a mikuni vs a jetless carb or it being easier on a jetless carb, that's for sure but i for one don't mind changing jets.
Manbearpig
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8/25/2018 11:43pm
I love my Lectrons. I have them on 2 bikes. I mainly purchased mine for elevation changes and they are great. I also put one on an old RM with some motor work and a few bolt on mods that was beyond finicky. I sent them my specs with elevation and nods and it runs spot on. I'm happy I spent the money.
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Nzpatch
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8/26/2018 2:30am
So what about a lectron on a wr500, better than the mikuni round slide or would a flat slide carb ( tm38 ,pwk38) be the best or just ride the dam thing the way it is ,lol
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Stuntman949
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Everyone I ask about them swears by them for my KX500, except for the guy that helps me with motor work. Life is tough lol
Mxracer6y
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barnett468 wrote:
It's not worth anything if you have been jetting them incorrectly all this time. I have actually been jetting carbs since before that and was in...
It's not worth anything if you have been jetting them incorrectly all this time. I have actually been jetting carbs since before that and was in charge of setting all the jetting specs for all the atv's and some dirt bikes for production when I ran the ATV department at Kawasaki Motors R & D in the mid 80's. Plus I jetted all my own bikes even when i was sponsired by dave miller from miller mano and fmf, and won many pro level races with them. I have also used various flat slide carbs including one that was on a suzuki quad i raced in the pro class, so i am far from inexperienced with carbs in general.

I also have experience with a tillotson carb which is what we tested on Jeff Jennings bike around 1975 when i worked at norm reeves honda motorcycles. Also, jetting a bing is no hurculean feat. I had them on both my 250 and 360 bultaco's that i raced back around 1975.

To your apparent dismay and surprise, your opinion and "experience" are not the only one that matters.
Wow you're so amazing... is there anything you haven't done??

Working for kawi r&d, racing pro motocross winning races AND professional quad racing as well?

You're soooooo good
barnett468
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3/9/2019 7:39am
barnett468 wrote:
It's not worth anything if you have been jetting them incorrectly all this time. I have actually been jetting carbs since before that and was in...
It's not worth anything if you have been jetting them incorrectly all this time. I have actually been jetting carbs since before that and was in charge of setting all the jetting specs for all the atv's and some dirt bikes for production when I ran the ATV department at Kawasaki Motors R & D in the mid 80's. Plus I jetted all my own bikes even when i was sponsired by dave miller from miller mano and fmf, and won many pro level races with them. I have also used various flat slide carbs including one that was on a suzuki quad i raced in the pro class, so i am far from inexperienced with carbs in general.

I also have experience with a tillotson carb which is what we tested on Jeff Jennings bike around 1975 when i worked at norm reeves honda motorcycles. Also, jetting a bing is no hurculean feat. I had them on both my 250 and 360 bultaco's that i raced back around 1975.

To your apparent dismay and surprise, your opinion and "experience" are not the only one that matters.
Mxracer6y wrote:
Wow you're so amazing... is there anything you haven't done?? Working for kawi r&d, racing pro motocross winning races AND professional quad racing as well? You're...
Wow you're so amazing... is there anything you haven't done??

Working for kawi r&d, racing pro motocross winning races AND professional quad racing as well?

You're soooooo good
ummm...yeah, I was a pro 3 wheeler racer also and beat the top pros in the world including the reigning champion jimmy white when i won the the last 3 wheel race at saddleback.
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