[dlowder]

Got my first harley and want to get a little more out of the stock twin cam 88. Had a stage 1 air filter installed. I've seen that 42mm mikuni is better than stock CV. However just read about a stage 1 upgrade for the CV. Is the mikuni worth the extra $200 or so more over the CV upgrade. Would like to hear both sides of the story. Thanks for any input. Happy motoring, Dave

[bikerjim1]

I put a Mik HSR42mm on my scoot and have never been happier!

[00 wildglide]

Heres my 2 cents,
I started out with the same "STAGE-1" set up as most;re-jet,free-flow air filter & backing plate,Cycle shack slip-ons.The bike ran great.The Problem is as performance mods are increased so is the demand for fuel,cumbustion chamber flow,ignition system upgrade &so on.Anyway,The C.V. carburetor is an excellent carb with the correct mods done to it.There are a few companiesAKOTA KID,WOOD PERFORMANCE ect. that can make a true performance carburetor with a stock C.V. such as yours.I did replace mine with a MIKUNI & have no regrets at all.Hope this helps you decide.

[Killer-B]

After all is said and done, you will probably end up with the mikuni. So, just go ahead and buy it now. You wont regret it.

[00 wildglide]

K-B,I agree & I did.No regrets,all smiles...fuel economy not too bad too.
00 wildglide.

[hotroadking]

OK Mik is a good carb nothing wrong with it, however.... for my $

I'd stick with the cv on a stock motor, in fact I'm running one on my 116 it's a woods 505 rebel.

Had a mik 45 on my 95 inch motor ran great, put a woods 40.5 Rebel a smaller carb and picked up HP and tq and a much smoother curve.

All you need to do is bump the pilot jet or maybe just drill out the epa smog cover over the adj screw and reset the fuel mix a bit.

That 40 can work on motors up to 100 HP no problem, the cv slide keeps the velocity up and tc motors tend to like it. The Mik is a good carb but my guess is for the money you spend without doing anything else you might see a hp or two gain.

The mik feels quicker with that slide that comes up and the response is great but overall the CV is a better street carb for several reasons. JMO>

[kenfuzed]

I have to agree with hotroadking about the CV carb. I had some dyno charts comparing the two on a 95in and they both practically performed the same. The major difference is in both feel and mileage. The mikuni will have a quicker throttle feel to it because of its slide being linked direct to the throttle. The drawback there is mileage, but its hardly noticable. The other major advantage of the CV style carb is its ability to self adjust across a wide range of altitudes. I live close to sea level yet can ride up to our mountains at around 7000 feet without a cough. I did some testing with a Mikuni 42 for a while which felt great off the line, but when I rode up to Big Bear it started getting sluggish.

Then again, I'm sorta biased since I've been reworking CV carbs for over 12 years. JMHO, but don't let the fact that a CV carb is stock equipment fool you. Properly adjusted these things can handle anything up to 100ci without flinching. On the other hand, if you plan on riding at the same elevation most of the time the HSR42 has a great feel.

[dukeofdirt]

Several of y'all have mentioned Wood. Bob Wood is a CV genius. I'm lucky
he's close by, but I'd recommend checking out his CV magic. In my case,
more HP, more Torque and a vast improvement in mileage to boot!

[hotroadking]

Yep that 505 works well on my bike but for a stocker or stage 1 just a bit of tuning will work wonders.

Once you start getting into the motor for more power I like the woods stuff but the HD CV's the 44 and 51 are very good out of the box.

[Seahag]

I'm another that stuck with the CV carburator for reasons that have already been mentioned above. I had mine modified by DakotaKidCarbs. I would and I have recommended their work to my friends. Woods modified CV's have a reputation for performing just as well or better than DK's work; but most reports I've read say the woods carbs are doing it with better gas mileage.

I have never run a Mikuni, but I started with a dynojet thunderslide modified CV; and I can tell you there is no comparison to a properly reworked CV like I have now.

[bikerjim1]

Dlowder,

Look on the "For sale" page of this forum. You'll find a Mik 42 for $200.00
Just tossing crackers in the fish pond....