Ural "enrichners"

[RottVet]

Being persnickety and fastidious on the all the carb/performance enhancers is key to a smooth running Ural. I think that the Gossie needles were the #1 carburator replacement item for me. Play with different jetting, drill the slide, proper idle screw adjustment, proper valve adjustment, careful balancing of the carbs, and making the cats disapear are a must. These rigs are severely underpowered as it is, don't leave anything on the table. Or, off the rig, as it were! I never use my enrichers above 35 degrees, and when I use them it is only to get her started, they are pushed off within a few seconds. Good luck..

[Mechanista]

I have re-jetted my '07 according to recommendations, and really improved things (except mileage).
But last week my wife and I went for a ride and it was only 7 deg. F! I could not run without popping unless my enricheners were on. When I returned home I pulled my plugs. They were a little dark, but not fouled by any means.

[PetrB]

I think that the problem is not in the carburetors, but in the air coldness. The fact that on the new 750cc Urals, the air filter is made in a separate hull. Therefore, the air it does not heat up before its get into the carburetors diffusers.

And at the old 650cc Urals, the base of the air filter is made integrated with the gearbox housing. When driving, the gearbox are heats from the engine, and the air, before getting into the intake pipes, a little heats from a gearbox warm. For example, I can ride in -4F (-20C) without any issues.

However, I using another carbs, old good K-63

[pjm204]

Mine pops a bit for the first 5 or 10 minutes and then it goes away. I rejetted to 42 or 45 pilots(I forget at the moment) and 130 mains. Compliance fittings are brand new. I'm going to turn out the air/fuel screw and shim the needles next. I may also go back to the 125 main since the 130 seemed to do nothing.

[OHScot]

What these things need is a way to run a 1/2 choke on them on or off just does not get it. Even my /6 needs 1/2 choke for the first 2-3 miles when very cold. If I ever get energentic I would try the Bings or at least a real carb with a normal choke on the Ural. Bet there is a older carb design that would work slick.

Running too rich makes them run nice in the cold. But mine after the first little bit quits popping and has good power.

[camaroz1985]

Originally Posted by Montague

Lots of good answers.

I have a 2006 Gear Up and was always frustrated with the long warm up.

Switched both idle and main jets to recommended large sizes after several years of living with the problem and viola, a beautiful running bike.

Little bit of enricher to start, but shut off shortly after, minimal popping and farting at idle, very short warmup time and definitely better top end.

Can't say it is more power (from a Ural, power is not a real word) but so much smoother and pleasant to drive, I kick myself for not doing it sooner.

My understanding is they are set up at the factory very lean for CARB and emission reasons but at the expense of driveability.

Absolute must do for every Ural owner.

Did you notice a drop in MPG?

[Montague]

I don't track it that carefully but likely there is a slight decrease as more fuel is being burned.

And of course, on some rides it is just my bulk, sometimes the 100lb dog and sometimes the XXXlb wife, so it would be hard to get a consistent standard to measure.

But to be honest, for the trade off of smoother running, even if I was giving up 10% economy, I would not care.

In the same vein, I use premium fuel despite the extra cost, not for octane but to avoid having the nasty 10% ethanol that the government here mandates for all regular fuel.

[tattoogunman]

Originally Posted by grisezd

I'm surprised the Ural dealer lets it go out the door without rejetting it first. Could be a nice profit center. When we bought an air-cooled Ducati the dealer offered a rejet, sprocket change, and slip-ons, as a package - actually strongly suggested it. When I declined he pushed the rejet and sprocket change, saying I could take it as is but I'd be back in a week. He was right, was the most unhappy running, badly geared (way too tall) motorbike I'd ever ridden. Now that I work in the vehicle testing industry I understand jetting for emissions and gearing for EPA noise requirements!

I've never had a bike where I absolutely *HAD* to do the rejetting. It was always recommended, but not necessarily required. I had a Honda that had similar problems and the idle screws took care of the problem. Not saying that I'm not going ot rejet my Ural, but if I don't *have* to do it, I'm not going to. The other thing that was brought up was the air filter. If it's over oiled (like mine probably is), it bogs down the bike. I was having these problems before I did the air filter though, but I'm sure it's not helping. Kind of ridiculous, but oh well - I knew what I was getting into when I bought one. I'll get it squared away eventually and it will all be good

[Qwik]

Originally Posted by PetrB

I think that the problem is not in the carburetors, but in the air coldness. The fact that on the new 750cc Urals, the air filter is made in a separate hull. Therefore, the air it does not heat up before its get into the carburetors diffusers.

Thats a good thing. cold air is denser air. Denser air means more power. and Yes I realise its a relative term when you are talking about Ural's.

[gspell68]

Originally Posted by RottVet

Being persnickety and fastidious on the all the carb/performance enhancers is key to a smooth running Ural. I think that the Gossie needles were the #1 carburator replacement item for me. Play with different jetting, drill the slide, proper idle screw adjustment, proper valve adjustment, careful balancing of the carbs, and making the cats disapear are a must. These rigs are severely underpowered as it is, don't leave anything on the table. Or, off the rig, as it were! I never use my enrichers above 35 degrees, and when I use them it is only to get her started, they are pushed off within a few seconds. Good luck..

If you never have to use the enrichners above 35ºF, then your idle is probably adjusted way too rich (or jetted too rich).
I used to think that having a rig that started on the first kick even with a mound of snow on it was cool, too. But then I went ahead and did the right thing and adjusted them properly. Now, I have to use the ticklers/enricheners even in the summer and give the bike a couple of minutes to warm up.
However, it may depend on your style of driving, too. If you don't run in the idle range a lot, the fuel might not get a chance to pool or "load up" and blacken the plugs. The flip side is after a long hot ride, a rich idling bike may be hard to start (you'll see this problem a lot on the Rooskie bike sites).