Anyone running a Keihin FCR 41 on their XR650R?

[Kirk_Moon]

I'm new to the Honda world but have a KTM 450 EXC and just sold a KTM 625 SXC. In the KTM world, the Keihin FCR is the hot carb. I see lots of posts on this forum about the Edelbrock, but very little about the Keihin. Why is that?

Is anyone running a Keihin pumper carb on the 650R and if so, what do you think about it? Any comparison with the Edlebrock? Any issues installing?

Thanks in advance.

[XRMANU]

Here in Europe,all the competition 650's (supermotard)have FCR's ?

[mikekay]

there are fitment issues with that carb and some of the aftermarket stuff used in off-road applications--but for sure its an OK carb for motard.

Not nearly as good as the Edelbrock IMHO.

We are all very fish like.

[riderwv]

Hey Kirk, I can't answer your carb question but would like to ask you about your bikes as I will be buying one or the other after I sell my crf. I know the xr will be more reliable but how is the exc suited for dual sport riding. I just don't know if I can handle the big 650 in the woods!! Any advice would be greatly appreciated as I'm still undecided.

[XRMANU]

I run a Mikuni TM40 with very good results,dyno runs here: http://www.supermotard.be/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=2138&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0 It's in dutch ,but you can read the numbers

You only have to make custom inner cables..thats all ?

[Thumprding]

I will tell you why no one really runs a aftermarket Keihin. To put it plainly they suck. I had one, friends of mine had one. The carb works great when the bike is up to full temp and running get out of that happy zone and they are a mystery on what to do to get the bike to start.

First of all the do not have a choke. So you have to figure out exactly how much many times to blip the throttle so the bike will fire. To much and it is flooded. Too little and it won't start. Once it does start then you have to sit on the bike and keep bliping the throttle to keep the mixture rich enough to keep the bike running until it is warmed up.

Next is crash.

Flooded? Lean? Correct? Your guess is as good as mine. You get real good at trying to find a hill to bump start the bike. Kick it. Better have a strong right leg with a lot of stamina. I acutally got to the point of pulling the plug to try and figure out what I need to do to restart it.

My friend had the same carb on a KLX300. Same issues. I saw him stall it once and he kicked and kicked and kicked and I kicked and a friend of ours kicked and kicked. He had a hot start on the bike. So we are trying to figure out what is wrong. Finnaly we pull the plug and it is bone dry. Four or five twists of the throttle later and it fired. Now the same thing happended later and that time it was flooded. I had the same issues on the XR.

Put on an edlebrock. Great. Restarts just fine and was easy to set the jetting.

[Kirk_Moon]

The EXC is fabulous, but it is a racing bike and requires substantial amounts of routine maintenance on a frequent basis. Oil change every 10 hours. Valve adjust every 15-20 hours. The seat isn't made for long distance riding. And it isn't too great on the pavment - geared for the dirt it can't go too fast.

The XR is less agile on the dirt, but in open spaces it is great, and it handles the pavement part very well. Seat is more comfortable. Probably a more practical dual sport bike unless you want to do difficult technical work.

But I really love the EXC. What a great bike it is. Nice 6 speed gearbox. Smooth power with relatively little vibes. Just a great all around package.

[Kirk_Moon]

I will tell you why no one really runs a aftermarket Keihin. To put it plainly they suck. I had one, friends of mine had one. The carb works great when the bike is up to full temp and running get out of that happy zone and they are a mystery on what to do to get the bike to start.

First of all the do not have a choke. So you have to figure out exactly how much many times to blip the throttle so the bike will fire. To much and it is flooded. Too little and it won't start. Once it does start then you have to sit on the bike and keep bliping the throttle to keep the mixture rich enough to keep the bike running until it is warmed up.

Next is crash.

Flooded? Lean? Correct? Your guess is as good as mine. You get real good at trying to find a hill to bump start the bike. Kick it. Better have a strong right leg with a lot of stamina. I acutally got to the point of pulling the plug to try and figure out what I need to do to restart it.

My friend had the same carb on a KLX300. Same issues. I saw him stall it once and he kicked and kicked and kicked and I kicked and a friend of ours kicked and kicked. He had a hot start on the bike. So we are trying to figure out what is wrong. Finnaly we pull the plug and it is bone dry. Four or five twists of the throttle later and it fired. Now the same thing happended later and that time it was flooded. I had the same issues on the XR.

Put on an edlebrock. Great. Restarts just fine and was easy to set the jetting.

I don't know anything about the Edelbrock, but I have had the Kehin FCR on two bikes (the KTM 450 EXC and the KTM 625SXC) and it was fantastic on both. It comes in several flavors and it the ones that I have used have had choke buttons. And if you get the MX version it has a hot start button as well.

[Thumprding]

I will not disagree that the FCR that comes stock on a new bike is a good carb. Ridden them on a DRZ, KTM, Yamaha, Honda CRF. Good carb that works very well.

I was not referring to those in my original post. I was refreing to an aftermarket one from Sudco or another supplier.

[malevolent73]

Dude I have it on my PIG, and yes it really rocks hard... until you tip, and it floods!!! then the kicking begins! I just turn the gas off, hold the de-comp lever and kick it about 20 times, then try to start it!!! BUT DON'T hold the throttle open!!! the carb pisses from the pump at about 1/4 throttle!!! then your really flooded. Oh, and the fit does leave something to be desired! I even called SUDCO on that, and they said it fit good on their bike!!! go figure... Otherwise it is a good perfomance carb. If you read the posts on the Edelbrock, everybody loves it, and claims that it does not flood (often)! and the cables suck too! I pulled the rubber boots off my stock cables, and slipped them onto the new cables it comes with, so that it fit the stock twist grip. And it came with NO instructions for installation, or tuning, but if you know what your doing you should be fine... I was actually thinking about selling mine, to try the Edelbrock, just because of the fit, and no flooding. any questions PM me.

[Thumprding]

Malevolent73 just confirmed what I think.

Spend 400 plus bucks on one and the instructions suck and they don't fit that well.

Flood. Oh yeah big time when you crash. My friends actually gave a name to what an XR owner with a FCR does. They call it the XR shuffle. Crash and get up as fast as you can and run to bike to get it back up on it's tires before it dies.

I will also tell you that the carb does not like a cold engine. The carb really likes a warm engine that stays that way. The bike will run great and respond great then let it get cold. Ride thru a creek or a lot of puddles and have the front tire sling water all over the motor. The motor will start to buck and kick and surge and gasp until it warms back up. Heck get it too cold and it will just gasp and die.

You may think I had mine too lean. Actually it was running on the rich side. The carb just does not tolerate much in the way of engine temperature variations.

Take that 450 bucks you are thinking about spending on a FCR and purchase a Edelbrock. Find one on E-bay for about 300 take the left over money and buy some parts or new riding gear.

[nite]

I run a FCR 41 on my '99 XR600, and it is a pain to say the least. Everybody who has commented on the finnicky nature of this carb is bang on. It runs perfect only when the engine is hot. I use my bike as a daily commuter (yes its street legal) and unless its warm its problematic. My question is this: When I am running this setup and it is backfiring, running choppy, stalling, and I am constantly wicking the throttle to keep it running - Is this hard on the engine? After 5 to 8 minutes of actual riding it is fine.

Oh yeah, another fine example of being let down by this setup : ever try start a 600 with this carb on an incline? Or even an decline for that matter? Good luck. I went riding alone and got stuck at the bottom of a steep creek cut (dry at the time), with the kickstand down it was still 2 feet to the ground with my front tire on one side and my back on the other. It was impossible to start either backed up or pushed forward with any kind of angle. Ever try push a 300 lb bike by yourself up a steep hill? I had to prop my bike up with sticks and then make a cradle out of logs to start it and then somehow get off the cradle, up a steep bank (30ft high in 50ft = about a 60% grade) without stalling or wipin out. It wasnt one of my finest moments but it taught me a valuable lesson. Although the bottom line is way off topic this story might help you make a decision about the carb for you.

Bottom Line : Never ride alone.

[smashinz2002]

Yeah, the comparison with the Edelbrock, don't know. But I do know the Edelbrock is a great carb and the one I got for my 650R works great and never had any trouble with it. Someone last week posted an edelbrock problem with the float needle sticking, but I've never experienced that on mine.

LL.

'00 XR650R uncorked/legal

[motart]

i run a tm40 mikuni on mine. sudco sells a complete kit w/ throttle cables. a little time to set up but runs great and starts within 3 kicks every time-cheaper than fcr and easier to fit as well