Lectron carb tuning guide

[wrtimmy]

Had the rod 1/4 turn richer before and it wasn't as easy starting and idle was a bit low. Went to where it is now and it's definitely better. Feels like maybe somewhere in between would be spot on?

Where does the 3-2m rod richen?

 

[NCSteve]

Looks good, but i find lectrons hard to read with the plug, just try the rod a 1/4 richer and see if that feels better.

Agreed, I'm now @ 1 1/4 out on the PJ, bike is super smooth and scary fast on top and after some WOT yesterday plug reads rich.
Going richer on the rod to @ 50.5mm today to hopefully get rid of a persistent rough spot @ 2500-3000rpm.

more later

 

[Errk]

I have a 2004 Wr 250. i adjusted the rod so the idle and part throttle feels good. I adjusted the power jet richer until it stopped hesitating and the power increased with every quarter turn. Overall the carb feels good, smooth and makes a lot of power but I realized the power jet is almost 4 turns out do I need a different rod or power jet? I currently have a 3-2m rod Thanks

 

[juicypips]

No its running fine ride it, you need more riding time, if not watch moto5 then go riding.

 

[shawbagga]

so am I right in assuming the 300 will want a leaner rod setting than the 125/165? have 165(now 125 again!) set back at 49mm which seems to b the sweet spot & 300 at 49.5mm. sound ok? both pj set at 1/2-5/8 turns out & plugs look good, bike running strong up top. sucks not being able to test bikes when you want

 

[NCSteve]

Yeah, raining here for a few days. Should be good this weekend, but expect it to be very slippery in the woods.
After reading all I can on the Lectron it seems whatever works for you, works. To me your PJ sounds lean and rod a little rich.
I'm still trying to get rid of a rough spot. It seems that spot moves lower in the rpms as I go richer on the rod. I'm @ 50.25 now and going to @ 50mm for next ride. If I go leaner on the PJ the top hits too hard for me so far, I'm at 1 1/4 turns out.

 

[Rickyme]

Lectron arrived in Aus last week and I get a chance to install it yesterday.New throttle cable was supplied which was perfect length for my 2013 WR300.It was a bit tight getting the lectron in as it is longer than the Mikuni. After a bit of grunting she was in, hooked up the gas and first kick fired up

.After a couple of runs up the street I trailered the bike to a riding area close by to do some tuning.Again first kick, adjusted the idle very slightly as Ive gpt a Rekluse EXP in.
First thing I noticed was it is a lot smoother and doesnt have the hit it used to with the mikuni...good!!. It used to run well with the old carb but used a lot of fuel while still feeling kinda lean and jerky I adjusted the needle a couple of times but intended to swap it out so i put up with it.Ive got 40 hours on its first new top end.

I expected and hoped it to have more low end but it doesnt seem to, mid range is probably better but the top is unbelievably strong. I pulled the (brand new) plug a couple of times and it was light grey, theres no hang throttle hang and no crackle, it even sounds quieter.
The band was always a bit strong in the bush, Ive had a couple bad crashes into trees on the 300 so I normally short shift now . Now its a lot more controllable when she comes on song and seems to have no limit to the top end that I was comfortable testing yesterday

Im not 100% sure about the low range as its so much smoother and may just seem not as strong right t off the bottom. One thing I do notice is I do turn the throttle further so power is much better modulated there is no bogging or hesitation anywhere.
Im thinking if I richen it slightly on the rod it should help, the plug looks light grey and ive checked it at full and low throttle settings..same. I ran out of time yesterday so didnt get a chance to test this.
And yes after screaming around for an hour I could still see gas in the tank!!
The airboot is pretty close to the spring, sp Ill keep an eye on that but yeah Im sure I was riding faster and smoother yesterday.

 

[shawbagga]

rode 300 today. adjusted rod(3-2M) a full turn leaner after last ride as it was fouling plugs, chewing fuel & generally running like a dog down low. top end was fine at half a turn out but in interests of safety went quarter turn richer on PJ so set at 3/4 turns from seated. top end running beautifully. still fouled a plug on warm up though? plug oily/black. ran great down low today but don't wanna be fouling plugs all the time. am hesitant about going too lean after killing my 165 with stupid adjustment(was running well & went full turn leaner on rod out of curiousity then seize ). know im still well rich but wanna stay on rich side as its getting cooler & doing a bit of 1/4-1/2 throttle riding on transport sections/road on trails we riding at the moment(plus a bit of sand!).

is half a turn too much while its still fouling plugs? stick to quarter turn adjustments? am gonna get some new plugs & do a chop for 1/4-1/2 throttle, does this work?

 

[lankydoug]

rode 300 today. adjusted rod(3-2M) a full turn leaner after last ride as it was fouling plugs, chewing fuel & generally running like a dog down low. top end was fine at half a turn out but in interests of safety went quarter turn richer on PJ so set at 3/4 turns from seated. top end running beautifully. still fouled a plug on warm up though? plug oily/black. ran great down low today but don't wanna be fouling plugs all the time. am hesitant about going too lean after killing my 165 with stupid adjustment(was running well & went full turn leaner on rod out of curiousity then seize ). know im still well rich but wanna stay on rich side as its getting cooler & doing a bit of 1/4-1/2 throttle riding on transport sections/road on trails we riding at the moment(plus a bit of sand!).

is half a turn too much while its still fouling plugs? stick to quarter turn adjustments? am gonna get some new plugs & do a chop for 1/4-1/2 throttle, does this work?

I went 1/2 turns three times and then ended going back 1/4 turn leaner to 1 1/4 which was perfection. I recommend setting the needle first and then the power jet because they overlap more then you would think. My powerjet ended up 1/2-3/4 out unless I'm riding in sand all day and then I'll go 1/4 richer for safety.

 

[Motosportz]

You must be real rich fouling plugs. Go 1/2 leaner and see what you get.

 

[Motosportz]

I recommend setting the needle first and then the power jet because they overlap more then you would think.

 

[shawbagga]

yeah fouled 2 plugs Kelly but both were oldish plugs so gotta get some newies & see. 3-2M rods at 49.5mm, 38mm carb, stock engine/exhaust, 98 octane, fat squish id imagine(0.8mm base gasket), 20 degrees C, bugger all humidity or elevation. does a 1/4-1/2 throttle plug chop work? yeh im with you on the PJ Doug that's where mine is at-1/2 turn out is cocoa brown plug but went a further quarter turn richer to err on side of caution for sand/sustained throttle/mx riding

ill pull plug in the am & see what it looks like after 7-8km riding home on the road(cruising)

 

[lankydoug]

I just set the needle where it accelerated ran the best and the power jet where it revved out without sputtering or going flat. I run vp110 with ammsoil and it doesn't color up like some of the other mix oils and fuels. If it runs the best it's set correctly. I haven't touched my settings in nearly 2 years unless changing the spark plug once a year counts.

 

[justintendo]

this ^...adjust to where it runs best. i also do not look at plug color as this seems to lead in circles. if its too rich it will four stroke, i only lean enough to get rid of the four stroking. i really dont warm my bike up, only about 10-15 seconds then ride. i slowly warm it as i put more load on it. plugs last all season easy.
a quarter turn on the pj is a fair amount of adjustment, a whole turn on the rod is huge. i would not go more than quarter turns unless its really out of wack, like blubbering or hanging rpm.

 

[shawbagga]

I might jus try a new plug next ride(hopefully sunday or monday if not another coupla weeks) & see if it fouls on warm up. plugs ive been running are pretty old & have been cleaned a few times before so not best indication I wouldn't think! may try a quarter-half turn leaner on rod but see how new plug goes first. I normally just let bike idle with a few revs here & there while putting helmet, gloves & goggles on then yeh jus ride easy til it feels right then game on!

 

[NCSteve]

I finally put in a new iridium plug replacing one @ 3 months old that I installed at the same time as the Lectron. The old plug had been cleaned many times after going to both extremes in tuning the Lectron. Even then I didn't ever foul the plug.
With the new plug at old carb settings started 3rd kick cold which was a best yet. Yesterday went another 1/4 turn richer on the rod to 50.5mm (now using my calipers, so different, accurate measurements). After a couple of gentle priming kicks, bike started on the 1st kick! A first ever and huge improvement from the sketchy cold start ritual.
Had a nice 3 hour ride on my fav trails, @ 45 mi, used @ 1 1/2 gl fuel And that's not putting around either. Bike runs great overall, has that 2T cackle sometimes which I like, great throttle response, pulls strong from way down low to a very wide, usable mid with what seems like an endless top end. Funny thing is now it's no longer 1 kick warm Plug looks a little lean, FWIW. And still this slight rough spot @ 2000-2500 rpm.
Thinking to keep going richer on the rod, 1/4 turn at a time, until starting suffers then back off a 1/4 turn.

Overall very happy with the carb, just wish I could be done with tuning it already.

more later

 

[Eaglefreek]

I finally put in a new iridium plug replacing one @ 3 months old that I installed at the same time as the Lectron. The old plug had been cleaned many times after going to both extremes in tuning the Lectron. Even then I didn't ever foul the plug.
With the new plug at old carb settings started 3rd kick cold which was a best yet. Yesterday went another 1/4 turn richer on the rod to 50.5mm (now using my calipers, so different, accurate measurements). After a couple of gentle priming kicks, bike started on the 1st kick! A first ever and huge improvement from the sketchy cold start ritual.
Had a nice 3 hour ride on my fav trails, @ 45 mi, used @ 1 1/2 gl fuel And that's not putting around either. Bike runs great overall, has that 2T cackle sometimes which I like, great throttle response, pulls strong from way down low to a very wide, usable mid with what seems like an endless top end. Funny thing is now it's no longer 1 kick warm Plug looks a little lean, FWIW. And still this slight rough spot @ 2000-2500 rpm.
Thinking to keep going richer on the rod, 1/4 turn at a time, until starting suffers then back off a 1/4 turn.

Overall very happy with the carb, just wish I could be done with tuning it already.

more later

Sorry to hear you're struggling a little with dialing in the Lectron. It was the easiest carb I've ever sorted out. I wonder if there is another underlying issue. My bike was always a one kick start cold or hot with the Mikuni or Lectron. However, it slowly started getting harder and harder to start and then the ignition took a dump. I truly believe the Ducati ignition is a weak link in the 11+ WRs.

 

[NCSteve]

Sorry to hear you're struggling a little with dialing in the Lectron. It was the easiest carb I've ever sorted out. I wonder if there is another underlying issue. My bike was always a one kick start cold or hot with the Mikuni or Lectron. However, it slowly started getting harder and harder to start and then the ignition took a dump. I truly believe the Ducati ignition is a weak link in the 11+ WRs.

Thanks, but not really struggling. More like fine tuning, the bike is totally rideable and faster than I am.
I agree on the Ducati ignition and have read up on some of the options. A spare or outright replacement is on my list.

 

[Auto5guy]

this ^...adjust to where it runs best. i also do not look at plug color as this seems to lead in circles. if its too rich it will four stroke, i only lean enough to get rid of the four stroking. i really dont warm my bike up, only about 10-15 seconds then ride. i slowly warm it as i put more load on it. plugs last all season easy.
a quarter turn on the pj is a fair amount of adjustment, a whole turn on the rod is huge. i would not go more than quarter turns unless its really out of wack, like blubbering or hanging rpm.

This is what has befuddled me. I am terrible at jetting. It's like voodoo to me. The little I do know is to read the plug and I have chased my tail around in circles to the point of insanity because it seems like my ear and the plug go in different directions with every single change. I've reached the point where I've just left it at the needle length the Lectron guy gave me but it still runs like crap. I'm quite frustrated.

 

[justintendo]

there is no voodoo to it at all, the butt dyno and ear are your best guide, not the plug. i really dont think you can jet by shades. i have always ignored my plug readings and never had problems with plug fouling on any bike.