Here's what almost every XL600 owner needs. :banana:

scanned from a real Honda book, not a Clymer.

Note: I am not a carb expert.
Don't ask -ME- specific stuff, I only know what I read here. and on TT.

Ask TT... There are many here with more brain cells than me.

I -do- know if you set the carbs back to factory specs, and have a really good stator, maybe even a platinum plug ( no fouling ) then your dual carb honda 600 will start every time. Warm, cold, hot. Been there, did it.

Ask someone else what size jets to use... you DO NOT want the factory size jets ! ( unless you are at high elev. )
and pay attention to the links that control when the second carb opens... both carbs opening at the same time is usually a bad idea ( imho ).

Enjoy ! ( and you can save them to your computer, if you want. )

http://i381.photobuc...rtbiker/4-7.jpg

http://i381.photobuc...rtbiker/4-8.jpg

http://i381.photobuc...tbiker/4-9a.jpg

http://i381.photobuc...tbiker/4-10.jpg

http://i381.photobuc...biker/4-11a.jpg

http://i381.photobuc...biker/4-12a.jpg

http://i381.photobuc...biker/4-13a.jpg

http://i381.photobuc...biker/4-14a.jpg

http://i381.photobuc...biker/4-15a.jpg

Thanks man, pretty handy stuff. :busted:

I can attest that those dual carbs are NOT your enemy. When you hit the throttle, they deliver bigtime. Those kickstart bikes aren't hard to start either. If it is, then you need some maintenance.

That's what I keep trying to tell people!

I really like my dual carbs now that they are dialed in. Starting is not hard either. I don't know why they strike fear into others.

bumpity.

I agree, I have them on my 1987 and now that the jets are dialed in I LOVE them!

I have opened the airbox and that made a major difference!!

Feels like a turbo was added to the bike (ok maybe that is hyperbole) :lol: and man does it sound throaty! :busted:

:thumbsup:

my 83 xl600 starts on one kick.

bumpity bumpity bump bump

Thank you exdirtbiker.......this will be very helpful.

I've got a '90 XR600 that I installed a '84 XL600 (dual carb) engine in.
This bike is a project that got pushed to the side a while back and I'm determined to finish it.

Thanks again.

I have an 85 xl, 86 xl and a 85 xr and I am constantly amazed that people dont understand how the dual carbs work. They think you have to synchrnize them, like a multi-cyclinder engine. When one should think of it as a single carb with an extra float bowl and a high speed jet, and many I have read made both carbs open at the same time, which kills low speed air velocity
in turn killing low speed torque. Then again, those are the people I end up buying bikes from after they muck them up. Yes indeed, every cloud has a silver lining. :lol::thumbsup:

I think they're actually a lot like an automotive carb with mechanical secondaries. All they're missing is an accelerator pump. Imagine how much cooler they would be then!

I just shake my head when someone says to bend the tab so both open at the same time. It hurts fuel economy, hurts response, makes the secondary carb open too far, and doesn't actually improve anything.

I have an 85 xr 600 with twin carbs. I bought it not running. I took the carbs off and cleaned them, put them back on and after kicking and kicking and some more kicking I managed to start it, it runs with the choke on....but when I tweak the accelerator it dies. I pulled the carbs off again and seperated them and found the air cut off valve had a couple of holes in it, would the holes make it difficult to start? I thought the air cut off was to prevent backfiring when deaccelarating.
Any advice support would be appreciated.
Cheers

I rebuilt my 87 carbs recently and installed the stage2 dynojet kit. I also found 2 small holes in the cutoff. I used a little silicone and patched it. Not sure it that did anything, but afterwards it starts in a few kicks and runs like a dream. Hasn't done that in years. Moral of the story is whats your elevation? What size jets? Did you buy the gasket kit with all of the new orings and such? Did you soak the completely dis-assembled carbs in a good carb cleaner to remove any internal varnish or gook? Blow out the passages with compressed air? Are the needles stock, if so there should only be one clip slot at the top.