Who's Got a SmartCarb?

[Odysseus]

Both excellent posts guys. I've ridden a ktm 200 with the lectron and can not fault how it performed.  BTW,One mustn't overlook the other altitude compensating methods like dial a jets  for simple on the trail adjustments and bear in mind that the real culprit at altitude is not air fuel ratio per se but rather air density and pressure and without forced induction , nitrous or mega compression your going to loose power compared to sea level.

[wwillf01]

My biggest issue would be how available the "needles" are. With a carb I can grab a needle or jet of my choosing at any local motorcycle shop.

 

 

It took a lot of trial and error to get my jetting just right. I actually have 2 carbs of different sizes for the type of riding I do. For hard running in the desert and super easy jetting changes I suggest the JD 38mm PWM carb. It has a short body and is really easy to jet. By using the red needle and super fat MJ you can have a trail worthy carb that screams when hitting the sand washes. Less than 300 bucks pre jetted for your bike. It does guzzle the gas though.

 

For the riding I do these days, I'm running the stock carb with the gimmicky Power-Now wing. It's actually not a gimmick if you realize that all it does is down size your 36mm PWK carb to a 35mm. I'm sure a few guys here might question my jetting but it works from sea level to all the way up to 10'000. The only thing you notice is a slight power loss at higher elevations and blubbering if you try to scream the motor past 3/4 throttle. I bet that 99% of us will never see more than half throttle on the mountain single track.

 

KTM300 stock compression the jetting is as follows on my "35mm" PWK:

 

160MJ, 35P, N3CH needle (common YZ 2T needle) #2 position, 1.5 out on the AS.

 

I'm sure these settings on the Beta carb would be a good starting point. The 165-170 main might be a better choice for those of you who scream the motor with pump gas. I run nothing but high octane race gas (VP Street Blaze at the pump) in my 300 and these settings work great. 

 

For the JD 38MM PWM the jetting is:

 

170MJ, 45P, JD red #3 position, 1.5 out on AS. 

 

The jetting changes on this carb are ridiculously quick and easy. Less than 5 minutes for main, pilot or needle change. Carb is a short body and rotates for easy access.

 

I would like to add that needle choice and position is the very most important circuit to get right for most of us mortal riders. At pro level riding and sand dunes you just stuff in the biggest main jet you can and ride. Some guys get caught up into changing different slides as well. I never went that route because of cost.

 

 

As a side note when it comes to jetting. I have to laugh every year when I go up to my favorite high elevation mountain spot (Kennedy Meadows). It blows my mind when I see guys screaming their bikes up and down the fire road and try to jet them in camp. They get them running perfect. Then when we hit the hard core whooped out single track the bikes run like shit! While mine just plugs along jetted cleanly!

As far as the Lectron I never had to change a Rod and it has always ran well... Nopw with the Smartcarb there so called q11 rod that works for all bikes is not the case.... I own a q5, q7, q9, and q11 (Sometimes I wonder if I should just invest in the company;) )   That being said my cr takes the q5... The richest....  Trust me tried every one funny enough it will run on all of them but it is a matter of gaining a boatload of power with the richest...My 300 works the best with the q11... If I just ran top end I would use the q9.... Like I said at the end of the day it is still a carb and not super human so there is some initial tuning but for me was a better option for Utah... They are a great option if you have kids that ride real trails in the desert and the mountains.... My sons kx65 is one picky machine and the Lectron solves that!

[ballisticexchris]

As far as the Lectron I never had to change a Rod and it has always ran well... Nopw with the Smartcarb there so called q11 rod that works for all bikes is not the case.... I own a q5, q7, q9, and q11 (Sometimes I wonder if I should just invest in the company;) )   That being said my cr takes the q5... The richest....  Trust me tried every one funny enough it will run on all of them but it is a matter of gaining a boatload of power with the richest...My 300 works the best with the q11... If I just ran top end I would use the q9.... Like I said at the end of the day it is still a carb and not super human so there is some initial tuning but for me was a better option for Utah... They are a great option if you have kids that ride real trails in the desert and the mountains.... My sons kx65 is one picky machine and the Lectron solves that!

 

Oh yea, the little KX65's!! I played hell jetting that bike!! I like the clear bowl on the Lectron carb. 

[ballisticexchris]

Both excellent posts guys. I've ridden a ktm 200 with the lectron and can not fault how it performed.  BTW,One mustn't overlook the other altitude compensating methods like dial a jets  for simple on the trail adjustments and bear in mind that the real culprit at altitude is not air fuel ratio per se but rather air density and pressure and without forced induction , nitrous or mega compression your going to loose power compared to sea level.

 

I remember something like the dial a jet. That's another great option. 

[wwillf01]

Oh yea, the little KX65's!! I played hell jetting that bike!! I like the clear bowl on the Lectron carb. 

Ya baby... The clear bowl is great I have had my floats stick up ... The lectron is easy to diagnose the Smarty not so much.... Its happend on both...

[Rotax]

Whats nice about both carbs is the jets are adjustable and cover a wider range then just swapping parts, so less jets to buy. The tool free adjustments the smart carb offers is another added bonus. Both are very easy to work on, more so then the FCR,TMX or PWK. Another nice carb with similar adjustments are PSI's big air carbs.

[mrquick68]

Lots of great info here.

I see comments about the smarty needles being hard to come by as a concern. It's not like a normal carb. You just pick the needle that works for your motor size and that's it. On the billets it's probably a Q11 rod. They pre run most carbs at the factory and tune it in for you. At least they did for me. I bolted it on and it was super close. Just made a few adjustments and I haven't touched it in a 100 miles.

So I guess laziness is another reason. Ha ha!

[wwillf01]

Lots of great info here.

I see comments about the smarty needles being hard to come by as a concern. It's not like a normal carb. You just pick the needle that works for your motor size and that's it. On the billets it's probably a Q11 rod. They pre run most carbs at the factory and tune it in for you. At least they did for me. I bolted it on and it was super close. Just made a few adjustments and I haven't touched it in a 100 miles.

So I guess laziness is another reason. Ha ha!

I have not had issues with getting g the rods anymore... I know there was a time where they did not have them... now your engine will run on any of the rods... my experience with a 38mm and my 300 was this... q11 is clean everywhere.... now with my engine being ported and head work I can redline at about 10000 rpm.. with the q11 it really will not go above 8500 to 9000... the q9 it pulls like a freight train at the top but has a burble around 3 grand to 4 grand... again I have spent to much time thinking about this on my bike... but that is what I have noticed.. I find I tinker with it a lot more because I am riding with my 8 year old a lot and what else do I have to do on the trail;) but with my engine being modified I am sure that throws things off a bit;)

[lrn5000]

I've got about similar results.. I've ridden a bit over 4 hrs (after my float level was adjusted ) trail riding and be on reserve..So that's reasonable to me. I'm usually a little tired by then so If I get back to the truck I can quit or put gas and go again.. ..     or get a bigger tank.. or get one of these carbs.... waay back burner .. maybe later when I want to blow $700 on a mod..

What exactly is the process for adjusting the float level?  I believe Beta reccommends something like 5 degree's but I have no clue how to be sure that the float is set to that level.

[mtdirtbag]

What exactly is the process for adjusting the float level?  I believe Beta reccommends something like 5 degree's but I have no clue how to be sure that the float is set to that level.

There is an illustration in the manual along with instructions, my float level was pretty much spot on but still dribbled out the overflow when on the sidestand in the woods. I adjusted mine down a very scientific smidgen (just enough to notice a difference) and it made all the difference in mileage. I did this while I had the tank off when I changed to the large tank - I think it made enough difference that I could have lived with the smaller tank. It is nice to be able to put on over 70 miles and not hit reserve tho!

[not_again]

My float was set ridiculously high from the factory. It dribbled from the overflow on the sidestand. I used my general purpose, tried-and-true method of flipping the carb over and adjusting the float tang so that the float sits level with the carb base. Then I went a little bit under to prevent dribbling in steep terrain. It may explain why my bike likes to be jetted so much fatter than stock. Works good though.

[ballisticexchris]

What exactly is the process for adjusting the float level?  I believe Beta reccommends something like 5 degree's but I have no clue how to be sure that the float is set to that level.

 

You just bent the tang and set it so the middle line on bowl is flush with the carb body or 9mm from body to bottom of bowl. This is the correct setting for virtually every Keihin carb. 

 

https://www.thumpertalk.com/topic/1113551-beta-carb-rebuild-started/?p=12070800

 

The weight of the bowl will overcome the float needle spring so you hold it at an angle and set the float just as the needle seats.

[not_again]

You just bent the tang and set it so the middle line on bowl is flush with the carb body or 9mm from body to bottom of bowl. This is the correct setting for virtually every Keihin carb.

https://www.thumpertalk.com/topic/1113551-beta-carb-rebuild-started/?p=12070800

The weight of the bowl will overcome the float needle spring so you hold it at an angle and set the float just as the needle seats.

Correct Chris. I forgot to add that it must be held at an angle due to the needle spring compressing. You want the needle to just contact the seat, not compress the spring.

[ballisticexchris]

Correct Chris. I forgot to add that it must be held at an angle due to the needle spring compressing. You want the needle to just contact the seat, not compress the spring.

 

LMAO!! We posted about the same time!!

[mcnut]

I have a '14 250RR with a 38mm die-cast SmartCarb. I am extremely happy with it. Instantaneous starting, cold or hot. 15-20% increase in fuel mileage. Strong bottom end, smooth across the rpm range, strong on top. APT customer service was superb while helping me work out a couple early bugs.

I've put about 800 miles on my bike since swapping out the Keihen last fall.

Aside from the benefits I listed above, I am confident again. I've had too many stuck throttles on too many PWK's, including the one that caused this:

[NWBetaRider]

I just installed a Lectron last night on my 2015 300RR. I took it for a little rip around the neighborhood and from what I can tell so far it starts and runs great. The real test will be this weekend.

Edited May 7, 2015 by NWBetaRider

[ballisticexchris]

I have a '14 250RR with a 38mm die-cast SmartCarb. I am extremely happy with it. Instantaneous starting, cold or hot. 15-20% increase in fuel mileage. Strong bottom end, smooth across the rpm range, strong on top. APT customer service was superb while helping me work out a couple early bugs.

I've put about 800 miles on my bike since swapping out the Keihen last fall.

Aside from the benefits I listed above, I am confident again. I've had too many stuck throttles on too many PWK's, including the one that caused this:

📎ImageUploadedByThumper Talk1430971369.554200.jpg

YEEEOOOUUUCCHH!!!

 

Tibia Plateau? Mine was just a crack and I was no weight bearing for 12 weeks!!

[mcnut]

They had me scheduled for surgery before I even got to see the x-ray. I asked the Dr if surgery was really necessary. He replied, "Only if you want to walk again."

Oh yeah, I did not have to trim the intake boot on my bike.

Edited May 7, 2015 by mcnut

[ktm300]

Do you remember which needle your using and about how many clicks you ended up at, were same bike same elevation. I used the stock throttle cable but had to adjust everything as short as possible, did you do the same or find a longer cable ?

   

I have a '14 250RR with a 38mm die-cast SmartCarb. I am extremely happy with it. Instantaneous starting, cold or hot. 15-20% increase in fuel mileage. Strong bottom end, smooth across the rpm range, strong on top. APT customer service was superb while helping me work out a couple early bugs.
I've put about 800 miles on my bike since swapping out the Keihen last fall.
Aside from the benefits I listed above, I am confident again. I've had too many stuck throttles on too many PWK's, including the one that caused this:
📎ImageUploadedByThumper Talk1430971369.554200.jpg

[mcnut]

I have the Q-11 metering rod & I'm at 58 clicks from full rich, I think. During the winter, I played with my knob during temp/humidity variations and I might have lost track.

Edited May 7, 2015 by mcnut