These are easy. Just pull the tank off, and remove the diaphragms. There is a clip and some spacers where the needle attaches to the diaphragm. The needles have several grooves on the top end. Just reassemble the diaphragms with the needle a couple of notches higher and make sure all the spacers are back in place. The higher you set the needles the sooner the main jet starts coming in to play. A bit of trial and error to get it right. A tip. Warm the engine to full temp and hold the throttle at about 2000-2500 rpm. If it runs a little "fat", move the needle down a bit. When you get it spot on, you should not get any bucking and missfiring if you lug the engine ,[like exiting a corner in too high a gear]…J.D.
@Wire-Wheels does the " lugging " mean Too rich or too lean ? As my 1998 sprint executive had this issue ! I raised needles and now doesn't pull smoothly once I get up to 7,000 ish rpm. Cheers capt
By "lugging"I mean the act of straining the engine by pulling in too tall a gear. When I said "a little fat", I meant rich. Now, read it again and it might make sense. Funny how English is English all over the world UNTIL...Sorry for the communication issues. ...J.D.
Hi @Reevo , Your vintage Tiger has a redline somewhere around ?9000? Doe's it not ??? The redline is the safe upper limit it can spin at ! Engineers are a conservative bunch ! So probably safe until after 10,500 rpm. These T300 early triumph triples are bullet proof when it comes to their crankshaft's strength ! I had a 94 trident , took it to redline and beyond quite a few times ! I did 160,000 klms before selling it , I saw it again about 5 years ago , spoke to the new owner at a rally , history of bike was spoken about in detail . It was well over 250,000 klms by our reconning ! And engine was original internally ! Had new carburetors as originals had worn out !!
Capt: At 7000rpm the needles should have no effect on the engine. At that range they should be all the way up, and the engine should be running on full main jets. My Sprint has a redline of 9200, if I remember correctly. My T-3 Legend's redline is a bit lower. ...J.D.
Mines done 13000 So I’ve got plenty of kife left! Seriously I for the last 40 odd years rode nothing but Japanese A 955 tiger and a 800 This is my first forte with a early triumph triple Cheers
Hi all I’ve cleaned carbs fitted new pilot jets Cleaned main jets Fired straight up but it’s raining at min so can’t test it Soon as I’m out on it I’ll post my results Fingers crossed Cheers for all the help lads
If it runs well at full throttle, the main jets are the right size. If not, you change them. That's why they are removable. ...J.D.
Hi Me again Went out today and there’s a massive difference Pulls perfect from Rickover the only thing there is now which completely goes when up to temp is there’s a little stutter at about 3500 rpm But as said perfect when up to temp Cheers for all your help/advice Reevo
REEVO: Good to hear you are up and running. I need to sort through both my T-3's this winter. I have had them both in storage this year. I plan to try something different with "Cedric", my old 900 Legend. It has Keihin's on it. Instead of spacing up the stock needles with washers, I am going to try needles from an air cooled Thruxton. I think the carburetors are about the same [just 3, instead of 2]. It is now waiting for me to find the time to put the new starter in it, and bring it back on line. It is a great old ride that I rescued from neglect a few years back. I missed it this year, but I just had "too much on my plate" to get to it. ...J.D.
Nice looking bike Mine was stored for 11 years hence my issues Before I brought my tiger I wanted a thunderbird sport I love the old worldly look of them May get one eventually Keep me up to date on your carb experiment
Need some more help guys. 94 Tiger Mikuni carbs back on, bike starts and idles but poor power at low revs . I thought it might be mixture so gave each carb 2 1/2 turns on the mixture screw. More power now but occaisonally making a wierd popping noise, don't think it's back firing....more of a "fut" not a "bang".... Is it too rich now ?
Reevo simon. Play with needle height ! Runs richer when you raise them , leaner if lowered. You can also open/drill out the vacuum bypass port , quicker throttle response !!
Trying to diagnose from 8 time zones away has it's hazards, but sounds to me more like it is not firing cleanly. How old are the plugs ?...J.D.
Had new plugs in the summer. It’s pulling hard now... was awful at low revs before I put 2 1/2 turns on the mixture screw
Yeh... It is in that wierd spot not quite lifting the needles, but not at idle either. My Legend would not pop. It would just be a little dead if I didn't have the revs up exiting a corner. It is now set at 2 1/2 turns instead of 2. Just depends on that particular machine. ...J.D.
Going to try 2 1/4 turns and then 2 turns on the mixture screw before I start moving needles up/down. Trouble is I cannot get to the mixture screws without taking carbs out so an hour or so just to get to them. Everything was ok before stripping the carbs.