As I have been getting acquainted with my 2005 FS650c, and finally sorted out the water pump seal (7 seals, 3 gaskets, and some busted knuckles later), it was time to ride it.
The power I expected was not there and the throttle was either on, or off; there was no in between. I guessed this should be expected for a race bike right? Wrong.
Having fitted an FCR41 to my modified Harley Sportster, I was floored to see the jetting was almost identical between my Harley and Husaberg. Since the the Harley is a heavy breathing 1200cc, and the Berg a 650; I knew something wasn't right. Yet they were factory stock...
The HD world is notorious for just throwing in fatter jets to compensate for mods. This is not the proper way to tune a bike, unless you're drag racing only.
I went on a quest to find a proper setup for this carb/bike. I knew that this is too much carb for the bike, in current jetting for the 650cc's we have. Again, factory setting was almost spot on with my 10.73s quarter mile HD. I needed to find a base that would cut down the amount of air volume into the carb circuits, then dial down the Main Jet to suit.
I quickly began chasing my own tail and the bike ran worse and worse to the point I was ready to kick it over a cliff, or light it on fire. Fed up, I reached out to Taffy for advice.
Almost immediately he replied with a jetting and needle package that "is like magic for these bikes". I've heard that a million times from other jet kit manufacturers. Everyone of them kits promise exceptional performance increases, whilst only delivering mediocre results. Thence they claim they have the "Magic Beans" they want to sell you.
Seeing how Taffy knows the Berg's better than most, and jetting setups are propietary, I figured, meh, can't be any worse than a JD or Dyno kit and ordered up a kit from his website.
I couldn't have been more wrong!
Taffy has done his homework with his setups! I thought I had a good plan for jetting changes, but when compared to Taffy, I was only looking at 2/3 of the carb and missed some important circuits that I did not even think about.
I got his kit pretty quick, and opened it up to start reading his instructions. These must be read a few times before you rip the carb apart. If after a few reads it doesn't make complete sense, grab a pint, I think mind state had a lot to do with it.
I grabbed a magnifying glass and compared tapers on the stock needle vs his needle. Interesting! I don't want to give it away, but he has spent some good time sorting his taper. I could not match it to any of the dozen needles I have laying around my bench.
Got it all loaded into the carb, and lit it off. It started right up, then died. It repeatedly did this until I grabbed a gallon of petrol and set off to permanently fix the bike. I decided to take a break from the bike, and reached out to Taffy. His reply was one line: "160MJ, Clip 8, and one full turn out on A/F screw.
I thought this to be a short answer, but needed to double check to make sure it was setup like he said. I disconnected the fuel line to rotate the carb to check the needle, and that's when I found why the bike kept stalling. The fuel lines were rotting internally and were clogging up the screen where fuel runs into the bowl. Sweet, easy fix!
I also realized I had a 162MJ and clip 9 on the needle. I swapped jets, raised the clip, and slapped that little sucker back in the bike.
She lit right off! No choke, a little tweak on the A/F screw, and messing with the idle (hanging idle ended up being a flat spot on the adjuster, not jetting related) the bike sounded good.
I left the house for a little shake down around the block. By the time I reached the end of my street, I knew this thing was running right, and put in a 130 mile loop. The throttle is now predictable, smooth, and pulls like freight train! I averaged 62mph on my ride, and saw about 45-47 mpg. This was phenomenal as before I couldn't get anything above 35mpg.
Now I just need to mount a damper on the thing since the front wheel does a little dancing. Third world problems right?
Do yourself a favor, leave those "Jet Kits" for the Japanese bikes. Reach out to Taffy for your Berg breathing needs. The price seemed high at first, but he gives you everything you need, including A/F screw. When compared to the JD kits, his was actually worth every penny since I didn't have to drive 70 miles round trip to get the damn A/F screw that does not come with other kits.
Cheers Taffy!
The power I expected was not there and the throttle was either on, or off; there was no in between. I guessed this should be expected for a race bike right? Wrong.
Having fitted an FCR41 to my modified Harley Sportster, I was floored to see the jetting was almost identical between my Harley and Husaberg. Since the the Harley is a heavy breathing 1200cc, and the Berg a 650; I knew something wasn't right. Yet they were factory stock...
The HD world is notorious for just throwing in fatter jets to compensate for mods. This is not the proper way to tune a bike, unless you're drag racing only.
I went on a quest to find a proper setup for this carb/bike. I knew that this is too much carb for the bike, in current jetting for the 650cc's we have. Again, factory setting was almost spot on with my 10.73s quarter mile HD. I needed to find a base that would cut down the amount of air volume into the carb circuits, then dial down the Main Jet to suit.
I quickly began chasing my own tail and the bike ran worse and worse to the point I was ready to kick it over a cliff, or light it on fire. Fed up, I reached out to Taffy for advice.
Almost immediately he replied with a jetting and needle package that "is like magic for these bikes". I've heard that a million times from other jet kit manufacturers. Everyone of them kits promise exceptional performance increases, whilst only delivering mediocre results. Thence they claim they have the "Magic Beans" they want to sell you.
Seeing how Taffy knows the Berg's better than most, and jetting setups are propietary, I figured, meh, can't be any worse than a JD or Dyno kit and ordered up a kit from his website.
I couldn't have been more wrong!
Taffy has done his homework with his setups! I thought I had a good plan for jetting changes, but when compared to Taffy, I was only looking at 2/3 of the carb and missed some important circuits that I did not even think about.
I got his kit pretty quick, and opened it up to start reading his instructions. These must be read a few times before you rip the carb apart. If after a few reads it doesn't make complete sense, grab a pint, I think mind state had a lot to do with it.
I grabbed a magnifying glass and compared tapers on the stock needle vs his needle. Interesting! I don't want to give it away, but he has spent some good time sorting his taper. I could not match it to any of the dozen needles I have laying around my bench.
Got it all loaded into the carb, and lit it off. It started right up, then died. It repeatedly did this until I grabbed a gallon of petrol and set off to permanently fix the bike. I decided to take a break from the bike, and reached out to Taffy. His reply was one line: "160MJ, Clip 8, and one full turn out on A/F screw.
I thought this to be a short answer, but needed to double check to make sure it was setup like he said. I disconnected the fuel line to rotate the carb to check the needle, and that's when I found why the bike kept stalling. The fuel lines were rotting internally and were clogging up the screen where fuel runs into the bowl. Sweet, easy fix!
I also realized I had a 162MJ and clip 9 on the needle. I swapped jets, raised the clip, and slapped that little sucker back in the bike.
She lit right off! No choke, a little tweak on the A/F screw, and messing with the idle (hanging idle ended up being a flat spot on the adjuster, not jetting related) the bike sounded good.
I left the house for a little shake down around the block. By the time I reached the end of my street, I knew this thing was running right, and put in a 130 mile loop. The throttle is now predictable, smooth, and pulls like freight train! I averaged 62mph on my ride, and saw about 45-47 mpg. This was phenomenal as before I couldn't get anything above 35mpg.
Now I just need to mount a damper on the thing since the front wheel does a little dancing. Third world problems right?
Do yourself a favor, leave those "Jet Kits" for the Japanese bikes. Reach out to Taffy for your Berg breathing needs. The price seemed high at first, but he gives you everything you need, including A/F screw. When compared to the JD kits, his was actually worth every penny since I didn't have to drive 70 miles round trip to get the damn A/F screw that does not come with other kits.
Cheers Taffy!
