ok so i discovered something interesting. our "all american" harleys use kawasaki carburetors. LOL

i'm not sure exactly which harley, but there are a couple that seem to use cvk40 carburetors, which is the same model carb that we have on our 250's.

now i haven't gone there yet, but from past experience i've noticed that none of the import dealers around here carry any parts in stock other than jackets and chain lube. but the harley dealers seem to carry most of their parts in stock. at least so far i've been lucky. and believe it or not, they also often times are cheaper.

just figured i'd post that here, incase somebody needs something and the kawi dealer doesn't have it, or is to expensive, then you can try to call your local harley dealer.


i'll probably be calling them today or stopping by to see if they have some jets or adjustable needle for my carb.

ok. found some more info that should help finish this off and offer a new parts source.

http://www.johnsmotorcycleparts.com/harley-carburetor-history.htm

Harley Carburetor history overview

Someone recently asked me what carburetor Harley used before the CV. I knew that the predecessor of the Keihin CV / CVK 40 was the butterfly model Keihin and that prior to that they used the Zenith / Bendix butterfly carburetors. Before that they used the Tillotson, Linkert, Schebler and the first HD is reputed to have used a modified tomato can! That question got me to wondering what was the progression of carburetors on the HD?

I have late model information but I would like to fill in the gaps of what carbs were used on what years. I also would like good links to sites that cover the history of the carburetors used on Harleys through the years

Carburetor series / brand:

Keihin CV CVK 40; Was used from 1988 (Sportsters), 1990 (Big Twins EVO and TC88) to 2006. These are the last carburetors you will probably ever see on a production HD.

Keihin Butterfly; Was used from about 1976 until the CV replaced it.

Zenith / Bendix; Was used from about 1970-1971 until the Keihin butterfly replaced it.

Tillotson; Was used from about the mid sixties until replaced by the Zenith / Bendix

Linkert; What years and models?

Schebler; I found very little info on this carburetor

Tomato can carburetor; Reported to have been modified to act as the carburetor on the first HD.

I would like to fill in the blanks and build a list of links to good sites that have historically accurate information concerning the carburetion of HD's.

I would also like to build a list of Harley racing carburetors. such as the SE Keihin butterfly, CVK 44, Holley, Mikuni (really just the EZ-kit.) etc. There were predecessors like the XR-750 special carbs. Any information will be posted and credit given.

Good info to know, thanks.