For those of you who are considering a new carburetor, or what your next carb mod will be, I thought I’d pass on my experience so you may learn from it. It's a little long, but I wanted everyone to have the whole history so you can make your own conclusions.

I bought a DRZ-400S last December. I hadn't been riding for many years, and I would consider myself a novice compared to most of you. My skill level is enjoying jeep roads, fire roads and single track up to intermediate level. I can do some of the advanced trails, but I really don't enjoy those trails (yet).

I live at sea level. When I first got my bike I didn't notice anything wrong with it being totally stock. As I started to get the feel for the bike I started noticing slow throttle response and some hiccups after hitting the ground a little hard. Other than that, it ran really well at sea level. When I really started to notice issues was when I would go ride in the local mountains. First rides were around 3500-4000' and I had serious carburetion problems, hesitations, lack of power, etc.

So I read all of the recommendations on Matt Nelson's page (http://drz.info) and burned's faq. I started making what I felt were very simple steps towards improvement. First thing I did was the air box mod and jetting recommendations with the Dynojet kit. Noticeable improvement in power at sea level, but still has a slight (annoying) hesitation. My next ride was at 4000-6000' and the bike ran "ok" at 4000', but like crap above 4500'. Next trip was going to be at 7000-9000' for 4 days, so I got recommendations here (thank you Burned) before I left. Got up there and the bike only ran "ok". It would stumble from idle and low RPM, and it always seemed to be right when you needed throttle. However, thanks to Burned’s recommendation, my bike was at least rideable. My friend’s DRZ (with a Dynojet, and a 25 pilot jet being the only mods) had a terrible time. The bike was running so bad it almost didn’t run at all, and often cut out.

So now I'm almost configured for 7000-9000', but am back home at sea level again. I still don't have it right for sea level (home), local mountains (3500-4000 down to sea level) OR higher-elevations. By this time I've had the carb on and off 4 times. Each ride was a disappointment because the bike hasn't been running right.

So, I start thinking of the E model (Keihin) carburetor. When I added up all of the parts I saw it was going to be quite a big project both $ and time. Once I started to research the jetting for THIS carb I found it too has recommendations for jetting for various altitudes. Sigh.

I knew that going from a CV carb to a slide-carb w/accelerator pump would be an improvement, but I'm still going to be taking the thing apart and re-jetting for these various rides. I was pretty disappointed at the prospect of having to do carb adjustments forever or start skipping rides with my friends because of the elevation changes. I thought it sure would be nice to have an externally adjustable carb.

Then one of my friends told me about the Edelbrock carb. I started researching it and found people who hated it and people who loved it. Then I began to notice that people who said it was junk didn't mention ANY specific reason. So I did some more research and found that it WAS junk ON A PARTICULAR KTM where it was used. I also read that KTM had configured the carb against Edelbrock's recommendation. I also learned that the carb with the bad reputation was nothing like the currently available Edelbrock carbs. Having done quite a bit of business with Edelbrock in the automotive industry, and knowing a bit about the company and their history, I considered trying it.

I sent an e-mail to Edelbrock and they referred me to Rob Barnum. I called and talked to Rob for about 15 minutes and told him what I had done to my motorcycle to this point and what I wanted. He told me of the history of the carb, and what he had done with Edelbrock, and that he wholeheartedly recommended I try it. I re-iterated my want to be able to change altitudes without tearing the carb apart and he told me it had 30-clicks of external adjustment, and that it should suit all of the altitudes where I planned to ride. He said I would be pleasantly surprised and offered to help me dial it in if I had any problems. I debated it for a week or so, and then plopped down about $500 for the carb and the parts I needed from Suzuki.

AM I EVER GLAD I DID!

The kit that comes from Edelbrock contains everything you need except the "intake pipe" and 1 clamp that you need to get from Suzuki. ($20) New Motion Pro throttle and cables are also included with the kit. The instructions were very good, lots of detail.

I put the carb on in its out-of-the-box configuration. The whole job took about 3 hours, then I rode my bike at sea level. It was amazing. It started right up, faster than it ever did with the stock carb. Instant throttle response, smooth power no matter how fast I rolled it on, and noticeably more powerful than the best configuration I ever obtained with the stock carb, even after all the modifications. This was with no adjustment!

I knew the first test would be going to altitude so last week I took a ride into the local mountains. I made this ride the same ride I had done in the past. I started at 3800' and went down to about 200'. At 3800' I could tell the bike was running a little richer than at home, BUT, no hesitations, no stumbles, no lack of power. Just to try the externally adjustable feature, I leaned it out three clicks and it ran absolutely great. When I got down to 200' I never changed a thing, it ran better than it did when I first installed it (probably was a little rich then, too). I could have ridden it without ANY changes, but I was able to make it perfect with a twist of a knob.

I realized I was on to something when I finished the ride and made a slip of the tongue to my friend, I said "On my old bike that would have been a [@#$%&!]." This WAS my old bike, but it seemed like a whole new ride and I never once had to "think" about throttle.

So, in summary, I have a DRZ-400S, with a 3x3 air box, stock exhaust, Edelbrock Performer 3118 carb and have more power and INSTANT throttle response than with the stock or modified stock carb.

I know there WERE problems in the past with a particular model Edelbrock carb on a particular bike, but this is a different carb and a different bike, and it made a dramatic positive improvement on my DRZ. If any of you are in the San Diego area and would like to test it for yourself, drop me an e-mail and we’ll get together. I think you’ll be impressed.

I have no connections with Edelbrock or Rob Barnum other than now I’m a completely satisfied customer.

scotto

Thanks for the time & testing. Sounds like a worthwhile investment if it works out
for you in the long run. Id like to see a side by side comparo with the FCR. Which one
pumps more air & gas...?

... If you call in the next 15 minutes, we'll give you NOT ONE, NOT TWO, but THREE free O-Rings...

Just kiddin'! That was so detailed, without spelling and grammar errors; it reminded me of factory ad copy.

Thanks for the tip.

Do you have the part #'s of the Suzuki intake pipe and clamp?

-=Adam=-

I'm glade the Edelbrock worked out for you.
I'm not a big fan of Edelbrock products, none of there auto products has blown me away, and I have been told the Harley stuff is junk. For a few dollars more there is always something better then Edelbrock.
Like I said, glade it worked for you and thinks for the info, got anymore, let us have it.
For some reason I trust those Jap's that have made more carbs then Vic could ever dream of selling his hole product line.
Unless Edelbrock gives me a carb with all the tunning parts to go with it, are they move next door, I'm going with the FCR with TPS.

Just my 2 cents!

Due to the length of my post it is possible the reason for me wanting to change the carb was lost. I wasn't looking for race performance but rather reliability and rideability.

My pleasant surprise was that I now had more power and instant throttle response in addition to what I was looking for in the first place.

I have no doubt that a qualified mechanic who doesn't mind tearing their bike down before each ride to make it run perfect will probably want the carb with the best performance. It certainly isn't the Mikuni, whether stock or with all of the proper mods and jetting. It may very well be the Keihin. I'm not going to find out because I am thrilled with the performance with this carb.

I'm sorry that I can't answer the Suzuki part number questions right now, but I seem to have misplaced the manual. The first one was the "E" model "intake pipe", and was $16. The second part was an "E" model clamp for that pipe and was $5. On the "S" model, the intake pipe steps down from the 40mm intake opening to 36mm for the "S" carb. The "E" pipe is nearly straight through. I will post the two part numbers when I find my manual.

Lastly, I'm sorry if my post seemed too commercial. It was my intent to just give you MY background, history, thought process and results so all of you could make your own decision. I had such a good time riding on Saturday I can't wait to get out and ride again. Isn't that what it's all about?

scotto

I'm glad you posted this info. Sounds like a decent solution for folks that ride at different altitudes and don't want to rejet all the time.

Rusty

When you pencil out the cost of the Edelbrock vs. the FCR how much money are you saving? It would be nice to have a side by side comparison of the two rather then side by side opinions. I would consider the Edelbrock if there was a savings, thanks for the review nice job!

WOW! Positive feedback on an Edelbrock carb?! Ya don't hear that every day

I know in the automotive world edelbrock carbs seem to get a bad rap (when compared to the holleys). However, I have never had a bit of trouble with mine. For true race performance, holley is the only way to fly, and on a race car I would have nothing but holley. But if you want the car to start, idle, and perform consistently everytime holleys suck and edelbrock is a dream, they usually work right out of the box without having to change a thing.

So I wonder if the same applies here. Maybe the FCR is the true race carb, but a little finicky like a holley. And maybe the edelbrock is the consistent runner that performs well and can be slapped on and never need touched again, but will never match the race performance of the FCR.

Good report I agree with trav on the edelbrock vs holley,I have also found that differant folks can tune differant carbs correctly and have one heck of a time with a differant brand :excuseme:for the money and getting a brand new carb not somebody elses problem I may just have to try one myself I like doing things a little differant from the norm once in a while..

Thanks for the info. my riding area goes from 1500" to over 10,000' and the constant jetting changes are a pain and all but stupid when a days ride changes elevation 5 or 6 thousand feet in a day. till this point I've not heard a good report on the Edlbrock??, now you got me thinking. . I'd like to hear more about the Edlbrock carb.

Quote

From the installation instructions:

"This carburetor is designed to be used with a dirt model manifold and a street model air boot.

If installing kit onto a dirt model, you will need to purchase the following part numbers from your Suzuki dealer to complete the installation:
#13881-29FB0 (air boot)
#09402-64203 (clamp).

If installing kit onto a street model you will need to purchase the following part numbers from your Suzuki dealer to complete the installation:
#13111-12FO0 (pipe intake
#09402-58208 (clamp)."

Quote

I didn't actually check on the prices for the Keihin personally. I used the info Matt's page (http://drz.info) where it has two options.

The first option is to buy everything from Suzuki, where the carb alone is $1200. Then you need to buy Velocity Stack, Intake, Outlet, two Clamps, and Throttle Cables.

The second option is to buy a slightly different carb (same basic model) from Carb Parts Warehouse where it is $500. The same accessories from Suzuki apply. I figured $100 to $150 for those parts.

So, my estimation, $600-$650 for the Keihin solution and $500 for the Edelbrock.

I probably would have paid MORE for the Edelbrock with the promise of not having to rejet, but as it ended up, it was less.

scotto

OK but lets talk perfomance versus tuning??, for a guy like me that will go from 2000" to 10,000' and back down to 2000, is the tuneability versus HP worth it??. Without rejetting I face a HUGE! comprimise in performance with these altitude changes, maybe I would be better off with a carb that only takes a turn of a screw to adjust???, I would gladly?????, lose a little power to have a bike I could tune that quick. .

I would be interested in fuel usage between the edelbrock and FCR,I dont mind giving up a bit of range from the CV carb but fuel range is important to me at times..I think this carb thing could use some discussion rather than just FCR is better I am fairly sure if performance is priority FCR rules if fuel econemy is priority CV carb rules if the edelbrock falls somewhere in the middle I would be a happy camper with edelbrock I am definatly interested in learning more about it...

Just sell your DRZ and get a Gas Gas 450 EFI. Your can ride from Death Valley -250 elevation to +15,000 in the same ride and always have great jetting.