From a sledder, dial a jets were a pita, everyone I know that used them gave up.

IMO,one of those products that's been around forever and resurfaces about the time everyone forgets about them..

My complaint is they were very finicky and didn't add or subtract fuel like a main jet swap did. It fueled into the needles range. Tuning with egts, you'd dial them up to cover a hot wfo but end up up rich in the middle, or visa versa, They work but are not the same tuning effect as changing the main jet,

 

I can no longer say I haven't heard a complaint!

You sure knew what you were advising when you helped me with my jetting...thanks again!

 

I wonder if people were trying to get close on the jetting and then use the DAJ? The instructions are clear about starting with a MJ 2-3 sizes lower than you expect for perfect jetting to allow a useable range of flow and not be forever in the over/under syndrome.

 

They have for me. Both in a 700 four and in my KLX650 as well as my friend's XT225 and the guys on the Yahoo group who bought them. As I said, Mikuni uses a similar set up in their PowerJet, used to keep engines from leaning out at high rpm.

Now, of course I did start with a fully lean carb set up in the first place, so I didn't have any risk of being fat in the mid range or top end.

If it didn't work I would think that would have shown in the media testing as well as the work that Dick's Racing did when setting up their high performance MX carbs. How is it that so many others in the ATV and snowmobile media field had such good experience? Seems only some individuals have had negative issues, not the media. People have trouble with jetting as well, does that make jetting bad? I've seen people remove carburetors and go back to stock, because they can't get the jetting to work. I did the same when I put pods on my S3 Kaw triple. Jetting was a pain... but then I found it was my ignition setting on the points. Problems happen with change. Jetting or with Dial-A-Jet. Some people will have problems, that's life.

In doing research on-line about the Dial-A-Jet, one of the oddest exchanges in a thread I've read was one where a rider told another that some other rider he heard of didn't have good experience with the part. The rider asking the question said "nice to hear of some real experience"... real experience! Heck if that was the case and people did that no one would own anything. I've heard how bad the Dyno Jet kits were to use and jet in. I've heard how bad the KLX650s were, the KLX250s, the XR650Ls, and about any bike you can find. Back in the 80s I also had some guy come in the bike shop, look at the bikes and procede to tell us about some rider who had his head lopped off when the chain flew off his BMW... think about it...

I only know what experience I know of first hand and personally and have said such. It seems most people who detail what they have done will have success if the bike is stock (usually stock is lean jetting all the way through) and those who have problems have usually jetted everything beforehand and tend to fiddle a lot. I had one variable, the Dial-A-Jet. It went in and worked fine. One forum had a guy with a DAJ working fine, until he had to mess with it some more, then had problems. Odd thing is I catch a similar thing from some about a part I make. Start overthinking it or involve too many variables and problems occur. Go figure.

No amount of claims or examples will alter things and opinions (key word here) for some, so I will leave it at this:

The Dial-A-Jet works well installed on a stock jetted carb, the idle mix will need adjusted since it is a separate circuit from that where the Dial-A-Jet works. I had smoother power delivery eliminating a flat spot in the mid range. The bike felt better and pulled top speed of about 105 or so mph easier and quicker.

The Dial-A-Jet only can add fuel, not subtract, so if there is a rich range in the carburetion it will not deal with that. Fortunately all of my bike's carburetion was EPA lean, as many stock carburetor set ups are and as increasing air/exhaust flow will do as well.

It took me all of an hour or so to install on my stock 650. I had to rotate the carb sideways to remove the float bowl, because I wanted to keep the bowl drain, my bike never has started if the gas in the bowl is over 5 days old since I got it with 1710 miles on it. I left the setting on the center setting since it felt fine. Although I should have, I didn't adjust the idle mix until nearly 12 years later, living with the bit of popping and backfiring under decel that was there when stock. I finally adjusted it this year, far less popping on decel. I have 30,000 miles ranging from rain to dusty dirt with the standard set up, but put a small piece of filter foam over it. Far easier than any jetting I ever had to do on the flat tracker or motocrosser. Didn't even mess with the needle.

It has never needed adjustment from the center position based on plug reading and exhaust tip color, even after cutting the air box lid a bit, installing a 2mm larger piston (Vulcan big bore), and an old unobtanium BajaDesigns full reverse cone megaphone exhaust. Actually experienced an increase of 10 mpg after letting the engine breathe (stuffy stock muffler). It has been run from 18-95 degrees and from sea level to about 5000 feet above sea level again no change and no noticable power loss.

The company is totally cooperative in helping with information, with a simple phone call.

I've used the system in a stock Honda Nighthawk S and a friend used them in a 700S with a Kerker, back in 86. No one who picked up on it by my suggestion has come back with any complaint. I once got flack from the administrator on one web site, Thumper Talk I think, when I offered to buy one off of a rider who didn't like it. I need one for my SR. I was told I wasn't allowed to do that, offer to buy a part from another rider. Just saying I have had good enough experience I am going to do one in the SR. Don't have them in the Zephyr because I don't really want to spend the couple hundred it would take right now. Other projects to do first.

So take it how anyone wants... I'm just one of the people who have had success. It is a legitimate alternative using sound science. Like anything, some will have good experience others will not. All I can tell you is exactly what my experience has been... and I have.

 

This makes a LOT of sense to me! Thanks for going to the trouble to post it!

 

Got all of my mods installed today: fmf slip-on (actually it was installed a few days ago), Uni filter, kx200 snorkel, dynojet needle and 128 main jet w/ clip in 3rd slot from top, kouba screw 3 turns out, iridium plug. Wow, what a difference. Jetting seems right based on seat of the pants but I will pull the plug and see what it looks like. One minor issue: got everthing back together except the plastics, fired it up sounded great, then noticed gas just pouring out of the carb around the bowl. Had to pull it all back apart and use some sealant at the bowl to carb seal. I'm already better than I ever wants to be pulling and reinstalling the carb.

 

you didn't lose the o-ring that goes between the bowl and carb body did you ?

 

No, but my bike is an '07 and I really should have replaced the gasket on the bowl but i didn't have one. So I just used a very small amount of sealant on both surfaces along with the old gasket.

 

I suggest ordering the gasket now so when it does leak again you can fix it on the spot. One of those parts you don't want to wait a week to get.