Mikuni 42 carb quality?

[Goolz]

I have a 2002 xl with stock cv carb. It still working fine but I am about 12000 miles on it with no rebuild. Should i jump inot a Mikuni? I would love to hear from people that have made this switch and why they seem to be so much better. thanks

[Guest]

a 42mm mikuni is a great carb. It is NOT a good carb for a stock sportster, but it is a great carb. Mikuni and S&S both recommend a 38mm carb for a stock sportster

38mm is good for up to 96 cubic inches. 40mm is good for 96-103. 42mm is right for engines up into the 120 cubic inch range. In fact Ultima has quit using the 45mm mikuni on their 127 cubic inch el bruto engine, and dropped down to a 42mm S&S style carb. S&S sells their 42mm G carb on their 124 inch super stock engine.

[Wijns07]

I have had four bikes with the mikuni 42. I love them and will be putting one on both my current bikes as soon as I get the cash.

Very easy to tune and fairly plug and play out of the box.

[Goolz]

This is the carb I was looking at that is fit for my bike... http://www.debrix.com/Mikuni-42mm-HS.../42-251-mw.htm

Hey Heretic what are your thoughts on this?

[LDNCLR]

a 42mm mikuni is a great carb. It is NOT a good carb for a stock sportster, but it is a great carb. Mikuni and S&S both recommend a 38mm carb for a stock sportster

38mm is good for up to 96 cubic inches. 40mm is good for 96-103. 42mm is right for engines up into the 120 cubic inch range. In fact Ultima has quit using the 45mm mikuni on their 127 cubic inch el bruto engine, and dropped down to a 42mm S&S style carb. S&S sells their 42mm G carb on their 124 inch super stock engine.

MAybe because Ultima is making their own "fake S&S" these days....

[planningoncrashing]

An HSR 42 is probably overkill on a stock Sportster. Of course, two of them were definitely overkill on a mildly-built Hinckley Triumph, but they worked just fine.

Great carbs. Easy to tune (main jet swaps only require dropping the inspection plug). Tons of brass available. Absolutely tolerant of too little engine underneath them, so long as you have enough pipe on the other end. Mine ran without a hiccup once they were dialed in. It gave up a couple of horsepower, but it had more than it really needed anyway, and man... the sound those things made...

If you're doing one on a Sportster, that seems like a good deal on the kit. I got bare carbs for $250 apiece, but then spent an easy $60 per carb on rubber and brass, and they were anything but bolt-on. I imagine that would cut down substantially on tuning time, too.

EDITED TO ADD: As to the Super G comparison, an HSR and a Super G are fundamentally different carbs. The HSR will be immensely more cooperative if it's installed on too small an engine.

[dirtbag]

I run one on my ironhead,i got it cheap,i had to rejet it real rich for the stock 900, it works very nice,starts hot or cold easily (kickstart only) idles real nice and pulls good on acceleration,i loved it once I got it jetted right,i have since got my heads ported and dual plugged so im thinking I will like it even more with more flow...