Mikuni clone VM26 float needle swap with rubber tip needle ?

[Bill Hilly]

I bought my Hawk used, and it had the Mikuni clone, and it needs to have the fuel valve turned off while parked, or it will leak a little gas from the overflow. I took it apart, and replaced the main jet, and knew I needed a pilot jet, since I was 4 turns out, but I didn't have one. I was hoping that it would quit leaking when I put it back together, but it still did. It just barely does it, and I have gotten better about remembering it. My oil smells gas free, and feels good,so thankfully, I don't think it gets in the oil, and it never seems flooded on starting, but I would like to remedy it. I took it off, and replaced it with the stock PZ30, properly jetted, and tuned ,that I had on my TBR7 before going with the PE28FL. I ordered a genuine Mikuni 25 pilot jet, and put it in. I did just barely adjust the float a little as well, but I think the problem may be the fact that the float needle doesn't have the rubber tip on it. The seat looks good, so I am wondering if I could just put the PZ30 float needle in the Mikuni. Is it inevitable that it will overflow if the gas is left on,without a rubber tip needle?

[XLsior]

if the float needles are the same dimensions then trying the alternative seems fine...it will either leak or it wont.

[Bill Hilly]

if the float needles are the same dimensions then trying the alternative seems fine...it will either leak or it wont.

I went to thinking, and remember putting a kit in my Savage a while back, and it has a large Mikuni. I saved old parts , and I have the needle, and it's got the coated tip, but it doesn't have the little spring loaded pin on top of the needle like the one in the VM 26. I can't remember if the PZ30 has the spring loaded pin on the needle,or not. The PZ30 is just fine on the Hawk, except that it's got the cable operated choke setup. It has the arm on the carb, but it has to be held in position, and opens fully when let go of. It would be no problem at all in warmer weather. I may just put the choke cable control on the Hawk, and save the Mikuni for a backup. The Nibbi PE28FL on my TBR7 is well tuned, and it runs great, but it had always had a stiff cable pull right off idle, and then it's fine, but it makes it hard to be real smooth on take off. I think it's were the cable is right up against the frame coming out of the cap of the carb, and is forced into a sharp bend. I have thought about running the Mikuni on the TBR7, but I am pretty sure that my bike seemed to breath easier with the Nibbi, as compared to the PZ30.

[Bill Hilly]

I wanted to compare the old needle from my Savage to the VM26 needle, and they were very different in size. But I think I may have the problem under control. I decided to pull the seat plumb out, and look at the o ring, and it had a powdery corrosion on it, and the recession for the seat had a ring of corrosion as well. The bike had been in storage for a long time before I bought it. I don't have an o ring but will probably have to get one. For now I just let it soak in a little brake fluid. I took some ultra fine steel wool and polished out the ring in the carb as well as I could, and put it all back together. I put a line on the fuel inlet, and can't blow through it with the carb upsidedown, so I think that a good sign. I took a picture of the ring in the bore that the seat goes in, but it's not a great picture. http://https://i.ibb.co/dWvVgst/ASTRO-55-R-03122023-122602-2.jpg (https://ibb.co/h7N4fxc)