Reply To: ’56 RDE-18 doesn’t want to start

[Don]

frankr wrote:

Mumbles wrote:

The RD and Big Twin carbs don’t have a seal or gasket on the nozzle. It’s a machined fit.

Here’s a parts manual for you.

To be more specific, the RD & Big Twin models with an adjustable high speed needle did not have, nor need a nozzle gasket because any leakage there is compensated for by adjusting the needle. On the other hand, later models with a fixed high speed jet do need the gasket because you can’t compensate for leakage. Summing up, it doesn’t really matter whether or not you put a gasket in the adjustable ones.

OK, but with the tight fit between the bowl nozzle tube and carb body, kinda seems like you couldn’t fit the conventional nozzle gasket in there on the adjustable needle carbs…