Helmut Classen, seems like an interesting guy. Been reading his Lectron posts on the APT thread on 2 stroke MX. BTW the Lectron I just tested and then bought as I loved it has a nice light pull and works fantastic.
time will tell but I'd bet money you are right. I myself have been victom of promising things that don't get delivered in time. There are always variables out of your control.
Glad you are happy with your Lectron. I am not surprised they have improved the throttle pull. They also added a power jet since I had mine. I don't know if they still improve fuel milage as they did back then but if they do someone might not need a larger fuel tank or with a larger fuel tank they would have even more range. A weight conscious moto or SX nut might be able to run 2lbs of fuel instead of 4lbs. Kinda makes the price of the carb more reasonable. Not to mention that at 5 to 6$ per gallon for gas with oil, maybe race gas one might be able to save enough money in a season or two to pay for the carb. Regarding Helmut, he is an off road legend. I'm not sure of his age but I am 55 and his daughter was in the same high school, maybe one year ahead, as me. The motorcycle club, Steel City Riders (inductected into the CND Motorcycle Hall of Fame) has an annual event the 6 hour. Originally it was an MX but today it is a hare scramble. Helmut rode solo this year and in my opinion he did quite well. The stats are on the SCR web site. He never had a retail location just sold from home. I might not remember all of the brands but here goes, Hodaka, Zundapp, Ossa, SWM, Hercules, Sachs, Maico, Vespa, and KTM (one year I think he sold something like 160 KTMs). I think he has a gold metal (or two or 3) from the six days and did ride a few of them including the Berkshire. The story from the Isle of Man is great, even better, I have heard versions from others on the same trip. Really good stuff. If you want his # ask me.
Helmut is a friend of mine and he loves lectrons on ALL his bikes. Modern and Vintage. I was telling him yesterday about the excitement here on Lectrons now.
A question for all you old timers out there. Being the kid that I am (will turn 50 next month), I just got myself a 1980 Suzuki PE400....I had a very sheltered childhood as my father had restricted my riding to only a 1978 RM125....he would not buy a 17 year old kid an RM400 or the PE400. So here I am 33 years later with a PE400 that was barely ridden and parked in storage most of it's life. SO back to the question.....I already have on order one of these carbs for my WR144/165 and have been thinking about getting one for the PE400 instead of messing around with the jetting (the carb has to be cleaned out from sitting around a gazillion years). So for those who may have experience jetting a PE400, would I be better off with a SmartCarb? Thanks in advance for any insight.
you might try a lectron so you have both type of metering carbs and test them both on both bikes adjustments to get the right mixture is for sure less painstaking work then any conventional carb Robert-Jan
A good suggestion. I am going to check the dimensions of the Muk 36mm that's on the PE400 and probably order a 36mm Lectron.
Take this with a grain of salt as I am selling the Lectron (full disclosure) I would have to say no. I have 5 solid rides on the Lectron now and love it. Super consistent, runs perfect every time and I have had ZERO issues. Bolted it on and like it batter than any standard carb and as much or more than the APT. I like it about the same as the APT but found it EZer to fit to the bike and runs just as good but adds the adjustable powerjet which I found useful. It is a super simple yet high functioning carb. If I was restoring an older bike a Lectron would be about the first thing I would do as I have many times chased jetting on a crappy old carb and it is no fun and never ends in a bike running 100%. I love this Lectron and don't see me riding any more two strokes without one installed.
toss the Lectron you already bought on and see what you think. If you like it (you will) get another one if you want.
I haven't bought a Lectron yet. I just have the APT on order. I will, however, buy a Lectron for this PE400. So if the PE400 came originally with a Muk 36mm carb, should I stay with a 36mm Lectron? Or a different size since it works a little different?
36 should work fine. I had a PE175 with full floater rear suspension back in the day for a bit, that was a cool bike. did not have it long as I traded up to a RMX250. Always lusted after the PE400 back in the day.
No problem. I am REALLY liking these Lectron carbs and have a heard time thinking they will not work GREAT on vintage bikes that are finicky about jetting and temperamental.
Well I just spoke with Kevin at Lectron, and ordered a 36mm with a metering rod set up for the PE400, and also another metering rod to try this carb on the WR144 as well. Kevin said all I would need to do is swap out the metering rods for the different bikes. Thanks again for your input, Kelly.
When I rode for Suzuki we weren't allowed to run Lectrons or other brand carbs. But the PE400 ran great with a stock Mikuni. Clean the Mikuni good and you should be ready to ride unless you change the silencer. Then you may need to check your jetting. A 36mm or 38mm Lectron would also work well on the 400.
You should write a book Dwight. I don't read books, but I would probably pick that one up and dive in.
The PE400 originally came with a VM38 Mikuni Carb. Also be sure to run 10-15psi in the forks. These were air assisted forks.
The forks are air forks? I just bought a factory manual to help me tear this bike down, and rebuild. As for the carb, are you certain it's a 38mm? Can you help me determine for sure...I would greatly appreciate any help you can offer.
Wow- very interesting on the forks- Stewy, Villo, Reed and Dungey are working on them again! Sounds like they could use some help...
