I recently purchased a 2003 r* and the bike is running too rich. It has difficulty starting and pushes black smoke when it fires up. What is the proper way to correct the air/fuel mixture? Is it the pilot jet screw or the pilot air jet screw? Any help would be much appreciated.

Hey Boco welcome to the clinic I useually avoid carb questions because I am not in here enough to follow all the way through your problem but I will tell you it is helpful if you know all your settings ie main jet size as well as the needle setings and the pms setting as well and if you open the carb check your float as well. Look up on the main page here and click on Tech articles and then scroll down to carbs plenty of reading there and will give you an understanding of how your carb works as well as any adjustment you may need ......there is also an article about a choke fix that may help as well ...one of the moderators I am sure will be along shortly ....good luck ...Coug

Any mods? Pipes, airkit, jetting? How much choke do you use and for how long? Do you twist the grip before you start it?

Yes, the bike has 3"hardkrome pipes, and K&N Filter and the pms screw does not have a cap on it, so I think it has been rejetted. I have not used the choke as it does not seem to need it to start. Perhaps the choke is on partially all the time?

The K&N open filter ot the filter that fits in the stock air box? You need to find out what your jetting is. Starting without the choke can also mean too rich. Find out what main and pilot jets you have. What the needle is set at. And how many turns out the PMS is at. Here's a link to the choke knob trim - choke knob

The K&N is the open filter. With regard to the PMS screw this seems to be difficult to get at. Is it on the bottom of the carb? Seem like you have to take the filter off and then reach in to adjust. Am I looking at the right screw?

The PMS is behind the floatbowl when the carb is on the bike.

Musky wrote:
Any mods? Pipes, airkit, jetting? How much choke do you use and for how long? Do you twist the grip before you start it?

As Musky stated you need to determine the jetting ..... which means off with the carb. You could play with the PMS but I suspect it's more than just a PMS tweak that it needs.

Doc

Thanks for your all your help. I removed the carb and found my PMS was 4.5 turns out. It turned it in 1 full and hooked everything back together. Seems to be much more reposnsive and does not smell as rich. Still starts rally rich with black with intial black smoke. I noticed the PMS screw seemed to turn really easy. I am wondering if it will back out again by itself.

Yes I had mine fall out on the highway before I changed the the Barons PMS. Here is what you can do to keep it from falling out. Go to Radio Shack and get a set of phono plugs for speakers that have rubber boots on the end that goes over the wires. One end will be large that slips over the plug the other end will be small that the wires go into. Pull the rubbr boot off and slide it over the PMS tower on the carb. That will keep the PMS from falling out on the road and you can adjust it with a small long screw driver thru the wire hole. The small hole will help you find the screw as well. If you get a Barons PMS then cut the small part off just as it starts to change size to the larger about the size of the Barons PMS shaft. Cut a cross in the smaller end where you cut the small part off making an X and push the Barons PMS thru it and put the parts on the PMS and reinstall in the PMS tower.