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If your motorbike has a carburetor, chances are that it is a small bike or scooter. That’s because most modern motorcycles, with a lot of CCs on the engine, have Electronic Fuel Injection (EFI) to make them more fuel-efficient.
It is easier to tune, repair, or replace an EFI system, but things get a bit tricky with carburetors. The analog fuel/air mixing system requires precise settings to work right. If there is even a slight maladjustment the bike could burn raw fuel, or the engine could underperform. Moreover, carburetors require frequent service, or else they can choke.
So, you must always keep them in top shape. If your carburetor has malfunctioned and you want to get it rebuilt, here is the information you will need.
What Is The Cost To Rebuild A Carburetor?
You should expect to pay around $200 to $500 to rebuild a carburetor. The price variation is usually due to the cost of parts and labor. If you can find good quality carburetor components at a cheap rate, you can get away with around $200. However, if the labor cost is high and you also acquire expensive parts, the total cost could touch that $500 mark.
The parts alone cost around $10 to $60. So, if you are willing to do the work yourself, the total costs could drop considerably. In essence, you would only pay for the parts and nothing for the labor.
But this approach is also risky. You have to be well-versed in the art of rebuilding a carburetor or you could end up doing more harm than good.
What Is The Cost To Rebuild The Carburetor On A Motorcycle?
The story for motorbikes is a bit different. You could be asked to pay $700 to $2000 to rebuild carburetors on a motorcycle. But why is there such a vast price difference?
Well, most motorcycles have one carburetor for each cylinder. So, if your bike has four cylinders you could have four carburetors as well. That also means you have to pay more money for parts.
However, it is the labor costs that are truly responsible for taking the price too high. It is hectic to reach carburetors on bikes, and that is a fact most mechanics do not tell you. A technician has to spend a tiring four to five hours and sometimes even an entire day to remove the carbs from the motorcycle.
Afterward, it’s time to take them apart, install the worn-out components, put them all together, and install everything back as it was before.
DIY vs. Workshop
Rebuilding carburetors is not rocket science. In fact, anyone can learn how to do it with some honest practice.
The only thing you would have to do is watch some videos on YouTube or visit the nearest motorcycle mechanic to observe their actions.
Once you learn the entire process, you can do it all by yourself whenever there is a need.
But the question is: Should you be rebuilding carburetors yourself?
Well, it’s no secret that you can learn art. However, it is better to trust the mechanic initially and learn the process. Once you have seen the work and built up confidence, you can try it out yourself.
If you decide to build the carburetor yourself, you will save a lot of money at the end of the day.
Signs Your Carburetor Needs to be Rebuilt
The carburetor will often show some symptoms before it malfunctions. If you learn them, you can save the carburetor from damage and perhaps move over to the rebuilding phase earlier. Here are a few telltale signs:
1. Bike won’t start
If the carburetor has choked or its near failure the bike won’t start easily. It would give you problems, especially with cold starts. Even if the motorcycle starts, it might not idle properly.
2. Lean Fuel Mixture
The carburetor must balance the air/fuel mixture before sending it to the engine. If the carburetor is off its tune, it could send in a lean mixture.
This means that there is less fuel and more air in the mix, essentially hampering the bike’s performance.
3. Rich Fuel Mixture
On the flip side, the carburetor could mix more fuel and less air into the system. In such an event, the engine could burn raw fuel and ultimately waste it without extracting the necessary amount of power from it.
Both situations are not good for your bike’s engine, that’s why the carburetor should be perfectly calibrated and tuned for optimal performance.
Carburetor rebuilding is very important and back in the day, it was a process that mechanics performed daily. The art has died down a bit, thanks to the induction of EFI. However, there are still some motorcycles and scooters out there that use carburetors.
