Is a real Mikuni worth it?

scoot newb · 04-03-2019, 09:10 PM

I was thinking about replacing my knock off VM22 with a real Mikuni just to ensure jet compatibility but are there any other benefits?

Is this one real?

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07NWFHQ8M/

It says it is but how do I know for sure? I became suspicious when a local shop said they charged $500 for a Mikuni VM22

Then there is this, the setup I have now.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01FS6M3W8/

I didn't think it was a real one but it says Mikuni and Japan on it.

humanbeing · 04-03-2019, 10:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by scoot newb

...they charged $500 for a Mikuni VM22...

WTH is that.

REAL VM22 is the stock carb in tons China bike http://chinariders.net/showthread.php?t=16157

scoot newb · 04-03-2019, 10:43 PM

I have no idea. The shop sells other miscellaneous parts at close to 'Internet Prices' so I wondered if the shop was just on crack when they said that or if the 'Genuine' Mikuni carb on Amazon was priced too low and a fake.

upgasgas1224 · 04-03-2019, 10:50 PM

even if it is a nock off they have gotten to be such decent quality now adays that you should have no problem with replacement parts ... now if its a current model mikuni thats a different story but the parts out there are everywhere and no real gain would be seen going to the same model mikuni from a nock off to a real one. what bike do you have? have you considered a pumper carb or a efi conversion if you are looking for more performance ?

scoot newb · 04-03-2019, 10:53 PM

I haven't considered either. But I think and EFI is too advanced for me to do it in an afternoon. The pumper carb sounds cool. I'll have to google for details. Is there one you'd recommend trying? What are the benefits?

I have a Hellcat

RedCrowRides · 04-04-2019, 07:14 AM

I'm all for more performance but to be honest there comes a time when you have to weigh cost versus gains. The better Mikuni knock offs are so good these days that the difference between them and a "genuine" Mikuni is not a lot , i doubt there is any really noticeable performance increase between the two , when you consider you are putting it on a 9 or 10 HP , $1000 motorcycle. I certainly wouldn't pay $500 ( there is a Yoshimura carb thats $500 -$700 that will fit Vaders and Hellcats ) .
If you put a good quality Mikuni " clone" on, with a new intake and filter thats as good as anything out there really assuming you get it jetted right ,the HP /perf gain between a $50 Mikuni clone kit and anything else is going to be negligible on a Vader or Hellkat. If you were building a 750cc name brand SuperBike making 150HP then I'd say by all means put hi dollar carbs on it , but for a $1000 chinese Grom clone, uhm no . I kinda feel the same way about EFI conversions, the total of those parts is going to be 400 - 500 bucks which is a lot of cash to pay for what will be about ( maybe ,and this is optimistic) a 1 HP or 10% gain ,and it is a very time consuming conversion
and NOT "plug and play" by any stretch .For what a EFI conversion would cost for the stock motor you'd be right at what a Zs190 swap would run and you'd pick up far , far more performance out of the 190cc than you would from putting EFI on a 125cc, plus gain that 5th gear the Zs190 has. Of course everyone is free to build their bike how they want but to me the whole idea of a Chinese bike is to keep the cost down while still having fun ,thats why i didnt buy a Grom because if you put a pipe and filter on one, you have to buy a $400 power commander ECU , where if you put a pipe and filter /intake on a china bike, you buy a 50$ carb kit .This is also why a run a $100 exhaust and not a $400-$500 yoshi pipe ,why would i put a $400 pipe on a $1000 dollar bike ? , Thats half of what the whole damn thing cost . anyways , sorry for rant but you can do a whole lot of other mods with the difference in the price of some of this stuff.

scoot newb · 04-04-2019, 07:22 AM

Thanks. I wasn't thinking of paying $500 for a VM22. I guess my post was really a 2 part question.

I should have worded it like this.

Is $500 an insane price for a real VM22? If not does that mean both carbs I linked are fake? Are there any benefits to a real Mikuni.

I really want to do the 190 swap and bypass messing with bolt on mods for the 125. I just can't have the bike out of commision for more than a weekend and when I start these kind of (larger) projects it always takes a long ass time.

humanbeing · 04-04-2019, 09:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by scoot newb

... $500 an insane price for a real VM22? If not does that mean both carbs ...

The $500 1 maybe old stock that're still Made in Japan & sold to the shop via those official channels.
Cheaper 1 definitely made in China. Fake or NOT i don't know. The REAL 1 can be bought at ~$30 via Suzuki / CFmoto genuine parts in China... while the fake 1 is < $15 in China

Douglass · 04-04-2019, 10:21 AM

I had the VM22 in an Apollo x18 125cc dirt bike, and the bike idled, and performed awesome. So much better than the stock carb. I paid about 30 bucks on amazon, and bought the mikuni jets from Rockymountainatv.com. I think mine came with a 15 pilot, and a 95 main. I ended up installing a 20 pilot with a 112.5 main.

Douglass

Sport Rider · 04-04-2019, 11:23 AM

the guy at the shop has been shooting heroine so much he's fried his brain.

a genuine one is in the 80 buck range and if you're particular about you bike and parts, it's certainly nice to have.

as said above, the knockoffs are so good that there's not much to be gained by going with a genuine one. knock offs are half the price and I'm a cheap SOB, so that's what I did.

imapdog · 04-04-2019, 11:31 AM

No, and i assume you are running this on a 125cc or smaller? i say no bc i think the authentic mikuni 22 has a fuel inlet larger than 125cc stock fuel lines, yes you can buy adapter but. i got an oem mikuni and it seemed to run too rich no matter what i adjusted....jets r us has pictures of the different jets that your mystery vm22 has. those numbers on your main jet can be off the charts....your 'mikuni' may just have a Keihin-Jet clone in it and the 'stamped number' will throw you off. jets r us will assist you the entire way to setup your phoni mikuni with proper jet sizes for your 125cc once you confirm jet style you have. the phony mikuni carbs are sent with different style jets all the time...

wlfpck · 04-05-2019, 09:30 AM

$500 for a Mikuni vm22?!?!?

There's ways to tell a genuine from a fake. If you search around google there's pretty good guides.

That being said.... for $500 you could get a Lectron or SmartCarb.

The gains you'll get on a 125cc between using a knockoff versus a real mikuni is not going to be anything noticeable. These engines are high performance engines nor are they being revved to 15k and so forth. If you already have the carb, no point in going out and buying another unless this one is defective somehow.

But price point... a genuine goes for anywhere between $40 to 100.

imapdog · 04-05-2019, 09:39 AM

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Genuine-Mik...el!37174!US!-1

scoot newb · 04-09-2019, 07:56 PM

I think I am going to get a real one. The ability to change the main jet without taking off the carb or even the float bowl is worth it to me.

04-03-2019, 09:10 PM	#1
scoot newb Join Date: Sep 2018 Posts: 403	Is a real Mikuni worth it? I was thinking about replacing my knock off VM22 with a real Mikuni just to ensure jet compatibility but are there any other benefits? Is this one real? https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07NWFHQ8M/ It says it is but how do I know for sure? I became suspicious when a local shop said they charged $500 for a Mikuni VM22 Then there is this, the setup I have now. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01FS6M3W8/ I didn't think it was a real one but it says Mikuni and Japan on it.
	0

04-03-2019, 10:50 PM	#4
upgasgas1224 Join Date: May 2017 Location: Michigan Posts: 107	even if it is a nock off they have gotten to be such decent quality now adays that you should have no problem with replacement parts ... now if its a current model mikuni thats a different story but the parts out there are everywhere and no real gain would be seen going to the same model mikuni from a nock off to a real one. what bike do you have? have you considered a pumper carb or a efi conversion if you are looking for more performance ? __________________ 04 flywing 150 05 flywing 150 07 gasgas ec200 18 csc tt250 / foam filter mod, amazon exhaust, mikunki carb, 47tooth sprocket, o ring chain, stereo system, amsoil oil, honda 10w fork oil, tusk bars and brush guards.... more to come
	0

04-04-2019, 07:14 AM	#6
RedCrowRides Join Date: Jun 2018 Location: Florida Posts: 759	I'm all for more performance but to be honest there comes a time when you have to weigh cost versus gains. The better Mikuni knock offs are so good these days that the difference between them and a "genuine" Mikuni is not a lot , i doubt there is any really noticeable performance increase between the two , when you consider you are putting it on a 9 or 10 HP , $1000 motorcycle. I certainly wouldn't pay $500 ( there is a Yoshimura carb thats $500 -$700 that will fit Vaders and Hellcats ) . If you put a good quality Mikuni " clone" on, with a new intake and filter thats as good as anything out there really assuming you get it jetted right ,the HP /perf gain between a $50 Mikuni clone kit and anything else is going to be negligible on a Vader or Hellkat. If you were building a 750cc name brand SuperBike making 150HP then I'd say by all means put hi dollar carbs on it , but for a $1000 chinese Grom clone, uhm no . I kinda feel the same way about EFI conversions, the total of those parts is going to be 400 - 500 bucks which is a lot of cash to pay for what will be about ( maybe ,and this is optimistic) a 1 HP or 10% gain ,and it is a very time consuming conversion and NOT "plug and play" by any stretch .For what a EFI conversion would cost for the stock motor you'd be right at what a Zs190 swap would run and you'd pick up far , far more performance out of the 190cc than you would from putting EFI on a 125cc, plus gain that 5th gear the Zs190 has. Of course everyone is free to build their bike how they want but to me the whole idea of a Chinese bike is to keep the cost down while still having fun ,thats why i didnt buy a Grom because if you put a pipe and filter on one, you have to buy a $400 power commander ECU , where if you put a pipe and filter /intake on a china bike, you buy a 50$ carb kit .This is also why a run a $100 exhaust and not a $400-$500 yoshi pipe ,why would i put a $400 pipe on a $1000 dollar bike ? , Thats half of what the whole damn thing cost . anyways , sorry for rant but you can do a whole lot of other mods with the difference in the price of some of this stuff. __________________ 2001 Mustang GT 2004 Sportster 2018 VADER 2020 Orion RXB250L
	0

04-05-2019, 09:30 AM	#12
wlfpck Join Date: Mar 2018 Posts: 249	$500 for a Mikuni vm22?!?!? There's ways to tell a genuine from a fake. If you search around google there's pretty good guides. That being said.... for $500 you could get a Lectron or SmartCarb. The gains you'll get on a 125cc between using a knockoff versus a real mikuni is not going to be anything noticeable. These engines are high performance engines nor are they being revved to 15k and so forth. If you already have the carb, no point in going out and buying another unless this one is defective somehow. But price point... a genuine goes for anywhere between $40 to 100. __________________ 2020 Honda Grom 2017 Icebear Fuerza (Daix PMZ125-1) - Sold
	0

04-03-2019, 10:43 PM	#3
scoot newb Join Date: Sep 2018 Posts: 403	I have no idea. The shop sells other miscellaneous parts at close to 'Internet Prices' so I wondered if the shop was just on crack when they said that or if the 'Genuine' Mikuni carb on Amazon was priced too low and a fake.
	0

04-03-2019, 10:53 PM	#5
scoot newb Join Date: Sep 2018 Posts: 403	I haven't considered either. But I think and EFI is too advanced for me to do it in an afternoon. The pumper carb sounds cool. I'll have to google for details. Is there one you'd recommend trying? What are the benefits? I have a Hellcat
	0

04-04-2019, 07:22 AM	#7
scoot newb Join Date: Sep 2018 Posts: 403	Thanks. I wasn't thinking of paying $500 for a VM22. I guess my post was really a 2 part question. I should have worded it like this. Is $500 an insane price for a real VM22? If not does that mean both carbs I linked are fake? Are there any benefits to a real Mikuni. I really want to do the 190 swap and bypass messing with bolt on mods for the 125. I just can't have the bike out of commision for more than a weekend and when I start these kind of (larger) projects it always takes a long ass time.
	0

04-04-2019, 10:21 AM	#9
Douglass Join Date: Aug 2017 Location: Bay Area, CA Posts: 375	I had the VM22 in an Apollo x18 125cc dirt bike, and the bike idled, and performed awesome. So much better than the stock carb. I paid about 30 bucks on amazon, and bought the mikuni jets from Rockymountainatv.com. I think mine came with a 15 pilot, and a 95 main. I ended up installing a 20 pilot with a 112.5 main. Douglass
	0

04-04-2019, 11:23 AM	#10
Sport Rider Join Date: Jan 2016 Location: Mooresville NC Posts: 2,050	the guy at the shop has been shooting heroine so much he's fried his brain. a genuine one is in the 80 buck range and if you're particular about you bike and parts, it's certainly nice to have. as said above, the knockoffs are so good that there's not much to be gained by going with a genuine one. knock offs are half the price and I'm a cheap SOB, so that's what I did.
	1

04-04-2019, 11:31 AM	#11
imapdog Join Date: Feb 2018 Location: nashville Posts: 574	No, and i assume you are running this on a 125cc or smaller? i say no bc i think the authentic mikuni 22 has a fuel inlet larger than 125cc stock fuel lines, yes you can buy adapter but. i got an oem mikuni and it seemed to run too rich no matter what i adjusted....jets r us has pictures of the different jets that your mystery vm22 has. those numbers on your main jet can be off the charts....your 'mikuni' may just have a Keihin-Jet clone in it and the 'stamped number' will throw you off. jets r us will assist you the entire way to setup your phoni mikuni with proper jet sizes for your 125cc once you confirm jet style you have. the phony mikuni carbs are sent with different style jets all the time...
	0

04-05-2019, 09:39 AM	#13
imapdog Join Date: Feb 2018 Location: nashville Posts: 574	https://www.ebay.com/itm/Genuine-Mik...el!37174!US!-1
	0

04-09-2019, 07:56 PM	#14
scoot newb Join Date: Sep 2018 Posts: 403	I think I am going to get a real one. The ability to change the main jet without taking off the carb or even the float bowl is worth it to me.
	0