I've dealt with Amal a few times and found them very helpful especially there technical phone line. They've even sent me carb set up sheets for different models of the bike I was inquiring about.

email (option): horror@blueyonder.co.uk

I prefer to use Hitchcock's for new Amal carbs and parts. I've found them much more friendlier and easier to deal with and next day delivery.

http://www.hitchcocksmotorcycles.com/amal_carburettors/complete/pre_monobloc#part_7590

Ron

email (option): ronpier@talk21.com

I didn't find Amals service to be very good..I was misinformed about what was available and, in my case, they weren't much help on the technical front either....and I don't fall into the category of customer described by Ken either! ...

Quote..['I think the trouble is they do not suffer fools gladly, and if you waste time asking stupid questions or rivet counting when 276 carbs are a very small part of their business expect short shrift.']

Noting the above I would also argue that if you have a retail business you should take an interest in the slower moving parts and the customers who want them just as much as the rest and accept the fact that many buyers don't have an in depth knowledge of the subject and do need to ask questions and get advice before buying......

I don't think someone who enquires about a £250 product (or even a £1 product)should expect to be treated as a second class customer...

In the end I got a carb from Surrey Cycles who met the requirement without problems and were very helpful with outlining the options for a carb for another non standard project...

I would also say, although I'm not keen on Amals service I have always been happy with the product...Ian

email (option): ian@wright52.plus.com

To further the customer service bit. Not all 276's are the same, there are different sized jets. The 16H doesn't have a bolt on flange like the M20. They're expensive and I would certainly expect that if you sold them, you should know what you're talking about and be able to set it up correctly for my bike when I buy it. This is the service I got from Surrey Cycles, I'm sure other's are just as competent.

" accept the fact that many buyers don't have an in depth knowledge of the subject"


OOOOOOOhh!! it's mischief friday...... can of worms, if you do not have an in depth knowledge of a 276 carb which is a simple item should you be mucking about with old bikes then?

Not that that applies to Ferg or even ferG3, but if you ask the same question of several forums all you get is information overload, and not always the right info

anyway shouldn't a G3L have a 275/1J?
120 main
slide 5x5
needle in 4th from top
pilot jet is pre set in the jet block.

A carb has to be well knackered before I'll give upon it, and fork out, what £200? These bikes are just not that fussy. So many carbs are renewed when its some other set of faults.
Still, its your cash.

['if you do not have an in depth knowledge of a 276 carb which is a simple item should you be mucking about with old bikes then?']'

When I bought my fist bike (a Matchless) many moons ago I didn't know what the chap who sold it to me meant when he said the gears were 'One down and three up'...Never mind how the carburation worked....

If there was one thing I was taught and learnt in Engineering it was, 'Don't assume the person you are talking to knows what you do'...

When it comes to old bikes or anything else we all start off knowing nothing...

There are many people who are new to this pastime and not as far up the learning curve as the 'old hands' who tend to take their knowledge for granted...

Personally I don't assume that anybody should have any particular knowledge base and if they don't know something and I can help them I will....

It's really quite demeaning to pass judgement on people because they know less than you do...Ian

email (option): ian@wright52.plus.com

In other words, if you ever want to be involved with old bikes when you grow up, you should come out of the womb with a full working knowledge of at least the simple items.
Otherwise you shouldn't touch these items at all, but instead entrust them to someone who knows everything about everything Ron

email (option): ronpier@talk21.com

Well that's not me. After fifty years of bikes I'm still on a learning curve. And long may it continue.

"In other words, if you ever want to be involved with old bikes when you grow up, you should come out of the womb with a full working knowledge of at least the simple items.
Otherwise you shouldn't touch these items at all, but instead entrust them to someone who knows everything about everything "

spot on Ron, absolutely, also come out with a sense of humour, and the ability to self mock, and to know when someone else is doing that.[and the above is not what I said either]

I have known Ferg3 via the AMC club, a long time back, so I am sure he'll take it as meant.

[ should I perceive this as animosity spilling over from that other pompous failed site? sad if it is.]



Or I could say I have learnt everything I need to know about old bikes, thats why I won't ever buy anymore and have off loaded most of them

but I won't say it in case it's taken the wrong way. .


Ian,
"It's really quite demeaning to pass judgement on people because they know less than you do.."

I didn't. I thought thats these silly smiley faces are for?

['I didn't. I thought thats these silly smiley faces are for? ']...

Not really...

Say what you like and then let yourself off the hook with a 'smiley face'...I don't think it really works like that...

The points I made about comparative levels of knowledge and how people should be regarded are entirely valid...

There is no animosity in my comments and I don't consider them 'pompous', which by inference you say they are...

Many people here know me better than that...Ian

email (option): ian@wright52.plus.com

Ken I kept completely out of that saga. In fact I wondered what all the squabbling was all about. The moderates did what they did without any involvement from this quarter.

Piss taking and banter is all part of the fun in my opinion, but it should be done in a way that others can see that's what it is and without rudeness and arrogance.

I like this site and spend a lot of time here. I never consider myself an expert, but I do have a certain amount of knowledge and experience and try to help others if I can. (I am retired now and this is part of my hobby). I also don't think there is any such thing as a stupid question......Everyone has to start somewhere.

I apologise if I didn't pay enough attention to your smiley faces. Ron

email (option): ronpier@talk21.com

Thank you Ron, taken in the spirit its given in.

I'll try to make my banter more obvious in future, but its bound to upset someone even then .

If Ferg wants to contact me off site I'll try and talk him through his carb problems rather than have a 6 month wait and £200 quid less. to get his bike to run.

As I said, I find it hard to accept any carb is so totally knackered it cannot be made to make a bike run unless its truly badly buggered.

My youthful years cobbling together old shite bikes from old shite bits taught me that.


Ian,

"There is no animosity in my comments and I don't consider them 'pompous', which by inference you say they are..."

Never said they were,did I?

sorry if thats how you took it.
For what its worth I agree with your comments about customer service, but Ferg has had it explained to him in depth on the IKBA site who have also pointed out that Surrey cycles are supplied by Burlens, the fact they can supply when Burlens cannot, is purely because Burlen sold them all to the trade.
Funnily enough my experience with Surrey cycles is the same as others have re Burlen, I found them unhelpful, dismissive and offhand, and I knew what I wanted.

email (option): deadsheds[at]yahoo[dot]com

Enough of this I think..I don't think any further comment from me would be productive...

Anyone on the forum can conclude what they may from the previous posts...

I would rather engage in more constructive communication...Ian

email (option): ian@wright52.plus.com

The main problem with carbs and the lack of being able to get the engine to tick over nicely is I think the wear that occurs between the body and slide. A new slide might help, but ultimately a replacement or re-sleeved body is the only answer. Unfortunately, the body is one part that Amal don't sell as a replacement part. Ron

email (option): ronpier@talk21.com

It seems to me that if a worn out carb is fitted to a good/rebuilt engine that is correctly set up, then replacement of the carb would be a logical step to take in trying to improve starting, economy, tickover etc. if there are problems in that respect.....

I can't think of anyone I know that deliberately fits worn big ends, pistons, valve guides, clutch plates, brake shoes, dead batteries etc. etc....

Why should there be any reason not to replace a worn out carb unless you really can't afford one?...

Once a component or assembly wears to the point where its function is compromised it should be either correctly overhauled or replaced...

Is there any other way to acquire and/or maintain any properly functioning machine?....Ian

email (option): ian@wright52.plus.com

Ian, you are spot on in your reasoning.
However I have seen so much grief and disapointment resulting from the fitment of new spares which are total rubbish that I now have modified my outlook.
My attitude is that if a part is only half worn out after 50yrs then my logic is it'll be good for another 50yrs, and that next 50yrs is never likely to be as hard use as the previous was.
I will happily refit a used piston to a new bore, with new rings natch,its the bore that wears not the piston, I'll refit a good original crankpin, not neccesarily with new rollers either.
Items like brakes go without saying, but I still look out for things like original pink linings for my AMC stuff.
I don't think it's so much as if you can afford it, as if you really need to.

Exhausts that don't fit, pistons that are wrong in many ways, valve springs that are short, dud crankpins, duff bearings, out of true or badly sized valve guides, and more I have had them all. People are desperate for spares and there have cropped up suppliers that do not know or care as long as they profit. Its another reason I stopped restoring.
Yes it's fine if you can get NOS stuff at premium prices.Most replacement spares are crap. Most new stuff sold at auto jumbles is crap in my opinion, and they all get their stock from the same sources.

I will reject carbs that have body distortion, distorted flanges, or other damage, but generally I can get a worn one to work satisfactorily; maybe not perfect in terms of fuel consumption or 100% performance but it'll work.
As for Ferg; his problem possibly, just possibly, without any ill impute on my part, is that he is asking for the wrong part?
A G3L should have a 275 carb, if say, he asked for a 276 for a 1941 G3L the answer would be no, as their lists would be different.
However if he asked for a 276 for a G3, or a 275 for a G3L he'd have better luck?
Yes I know both will work on a G3L but Burlens re not experts on individual makes let alone mixed up ones.
Lest anyone take offence the above para is all conjecture on my part, just my input from experience.Which also taught me that troubles blamed on carburation are often something else.

I can supply jet sizes and settings for both carbs, but no longer have spare parts for 275.

Offer of help still stands.

email (option): deadsheds[at]yahoo[dot]com

I seemto have stirred up a Hornets nest here! Thanks for all the comments both here and on IKBA. My main reason for asking is indeed that some suppliers of Amals seem to be more helpful than others and if (if) I go for a new 276 then I want one properly set up and dependable (as noted, there are many reasons for poor engine performance so it is good to be able to rule out one!). Taking up Kens point, I bought the bike with a 276 and that ran well although rich until the thing literally fell apart. Yes, it could be fixed I suppose but I decided to do what Ken suggested and go for a 275, which I bought s/h but looking not bad. JT thought I was nuts as he swears by better performance off a 276 ( but then, my cylinder still wears its decompression base gasket as I like soft motors). Anyway, the 275 would only work well if you held the slide against the carb barrel! So I bought a new slide and yes it works, sort of, but the engine is now hard to start and feels sluggish. Maybe this is just a jetting issue, but frankly, I am getting a bit tired of chasing this problem round and round. When I get a chance, I will have another go at the 275, but in the meantime I thought I would check out the fallback option of buying new. Meantime I am having problems with the Zenith on my Bedford MW..........! Grrrrrr!

email (option): Fergusanckorn@icloud.com

I must admit that 275 sounds well knackered.
But, really the only jet you can alter other than the needle jet is the 120 main and main jets will not affect the starting. The pilot jet is fixed in the jet block, and thats what you should be starting up on.

apologies if this is an granny /eggs suggestion, but in the jet block, corresponding to the inlet in the body is a countersunk hole, in which is a very fine drilling, this blocks easily and can be not only overlooked but a pig to clear.Its critical for starting and tick over.
worth a look perhaps?
But its right that a 276 will give a livlier performance even with a compression plate, you can use either carb and still have a soft engine; also I'd reckon that used 276s in a half decent condition are easier to find if you don't get fixated on the numbers after the 276, its the bore size that matters, even if its as much as 1/16 less than the inlet, you'll be hard put to notice.

Other than that, increasing difficulty in starting might point to the magneto, a far better thing to invest 200 quid in?

thanks for the update

I have thought about the mag, Ken, but the spark is lively enough and hot starting is not a problem. Besides, the plot ran well enough with the 276 before the latter expired, so I think the problem lies in the carb department. Next thing to recheck is the flatness of the flange on the 275.......I was not happy with that to start with and I spent some time fettling that and fitted two gaskets, but that may still be a problem. What I am trying to avoid is getting sucked into trying to cure symptoms rather than the underlying cause. It will idle nicely once warm, and in fact this 275 needs choke to start with which the old 276 never did.......the 275 spits back until it is warm. The reluctant starting may be down to some measure of me needing to revise starting settings. As to the sluggish performance, it is the back of my mind that maybe I am overly influenced by my recent rides on relatively modern machines that I have been using while throwing spanners at the Matchless! But I rather think that the 275 does indeed tend to strangle cf the 276, no doubt giving better mpg. Anyhow, I am not in a rush to spend £300 on a new carb so I will persevere, I guess!

email (option): Fergusanckorn@icloud.com

One thing that Ken mentions that is definitely worth checking, is that tiny drilling in the body and jet block. You can see it in the throat from the flange end. You have to remove the jet block and poke it out in both items with some thin wire and an air line. An air line is never enough on its own. Especially the way modern fuel can quickly build up a hard white verdigris. Ron

email (option): ronpier@talk21.com

Thanks, Ken and Ron and while the carb is off (again), I will certainly check, although as noted, when warmed up, idling is good.

email (option): Fergusanckorn@icloud.com

Two gaskets also not a good idea,it'll will bow the flange then the body goes oval.
thin paper gasket and some thin sealant such as welseal is enough.
I'll post a pic of that elusive hole later, for those who haven't found it yet, as Ron is quite right, even dried rain water will leave enough crud to cause problems.

Ken, you were going to post a pic of that elusive drilling for checking to ensure it is clear? I am poised with my tool in my hand.........

email (option): Fergusanckorn@icloud.com

Sorry about the wait,[and to RobbNortier too] run off my feet here, don't know how I ever found the time to go to work.
In the left pic in the centre of the recess is the hole that gets blocked;note there are two other drilling one at 12o/c and one at 5o/c; the one in the middle is the culprit, a good shot with an airline both ways should clear it; the jet block itself should be marked 30T




another thing thats easy to overlook with mongrel carbs is that it is possible to fit an ealier jet block especially in type 6 carbs. This has the pilot drilling round the side and lacks the recess of the later type. The later type was, I am told, a WD requirement that all air must only enter via the air intake.

And here is the corosponding hole in the body that lines up with the jet block hole. Seen hear with the special precision tool for cleaning it out Ron

email (option): ronpier@talk21.com

PIER ! Have you been inserting foreign objects in your orifices again, Boy ?

Thanks very much, Ken and Ron!

email (option): Fergusanckorn@icloud.com

Good luck Ferg. Don't forget you need to remove the jet block to clean out those tiny drilling's successfully. If it's tight, did the hole carb in boiling water for a while first. Ron

email (option): ronpier@talk21.com

Thanks very much. The hot water did the trick and I checked all the drillings and cleaned out, tho they seemed clear. Anyway, that ticks that box. I got an off it of plate glass yesterday and have just checked the flange. It is still bowed, so am about to start flatting that off. Thanks for all the tips. Ferg

email (option): Fergusanckorn@icloud.com

Well I cleaned out the jet block holes on the 275, flatted off the flange face and put everything back together looking good. However, before putting it back in the bike ........and being a Scot, I pulled out the old 276. That was taken off because the jet block came apart at the soldered joint between the top and bottom halves! Not conducive to good running...........I had tried a bodge JB Weld repair that was good enough for a get-you-home, but the repair was already coming apart. However, my 1933 Sunbeam basket case has a fairly good unabused 276 and while it has a stub fitting body, the penny dropped that the jet block might be extracted and used. So the Matchless 276 now has the Sunbeam 276 jet block in it. They are identical except the single large hole (at the other side from the recessed tiny holes) on the Matchless 276 is replaced by two smaller holes on the sunbeam one. Anyhow, as the 276 worked well before it fell apart, I put it back on in place of the 275 and I now have a motor that seems much healthier. Now for a test run! But thanks for the help, it made life much easier. Ferg

email (option): Fergusanckorn@icloud.com

Burlen - beware of placing an order.

Hi guys, based on my personal experience with amal 276 carb special order I would like to beware to use Burlen Fuel Systems Limited as the supplier. I’ve placed the order and paid in advance in June 2013 (total with S&H to EU was 312Ł, as was told by Burlen staff (Steven Curtis) they will reproduce/delivery the carburetor as a special order within 4-5 weeks, that was the way how the terms of purchase were displayed for me. Finally the carburetor was delivered after over 5 five) months of waiting and chatting by phone and emails about possible delay reasons and actual status to update my restoration schedule. I’m aware that special build up, as other restoration project may be delayed for some time, but 4 weeks is not the same 5 months, isn't it ? The worse think is that nobody care about it from Burlen side, nobody call, or email me saying we are sorry about delay, a UFO just landed in our workshop and we have same radiation issues etc. So my advice is to do not spent your money at Burlen. Truly, an ordinary third party shops with chinese shit metal stuff are more customers oriented than some Burlen people.
Cheers.

email (option): robertzgory@gmail.com

I wouldn't argue with that...and plenty of people have similar stories...

I guess if they have what you want in stock ready for dispatch you can safely deal with them...If not I'd recommend keeping away as well...

They've been telling me for 2 years that a particular carb is 'nearly ready' for marketing..Fortunately I didn't pay them anything up front...( That's apart from them telling me there would be no 34mm MK2s for six months when they had them in stock)...Ian

email (option): ian@wright52.plus.com