Lectron vs. PWK.

P

Ponyboy

New member
got myself a 2012 ec250e that i love to death. Owned it for almost 2 years. It has alot of hours on it from previous owner but she still rips.

For the last 2 rides I've changed out my needle to one from a jd jet kit (blue? Maybe red?) And it feels more responsive. The jetting on my bike is about there but not exactly perfect. I get a bit of spooge out of my exhaust (less after new needle.) And im 1/8th turn out on air/fuel screw. 160 main. 2nd pos. 40 pilot ride at 500-2500ft elevation CURENTLY. High hopes of some future high desert riding...

So now it's got me thinking. Do i spend a couple bucks and get a couple jets and get this thing running solid. Or shall I just bite the bullet and get a lectron. I hope I can get some feedback from those who have lectrons or other alternatives to the standard carb.

I guess I just really like the "set it, and forget it" aspect of the lectron vs pwk. It would be nice to load up and drive to somewhere with 3500-5000+ ft elevation and not worry too much.
 
I have the lectron on my 18 XC300 and love it. The set it amd forget it is nice although I still like trying different things. Like recently I went to a different metering rod and love it. I live at 200ft above sea level and have had it over 6k ft and it runs great. Super responsive and instant torque.

https://youtu.be/535W3ZDWgwM
 
I like the set and forget it nature of the Lectron but I know I give up some throttle response and a little power because of it. 2011 EC250R
 
SS109 said:
I like the set and forget it nature of the Lectron but I know I give up some throttle response and a little power because of it. 2011 EC250R
Click to expand...

I disagree with that, my throttle response is almost electric and don't feel I gave up any power, it is more linear for the most part but doesn't feel any weaker at all. I honestly think it depends on how you have it adjusted. It is a set it and forget it carb but you still have to set it and their stock settings don't always work the best for some people.
 
TGM_OFFROAD said:
I disagree with that, my throttle response is almost electric and don't feel I gave up any power, it is more linear for the most part but doesn't feel any weaker at all. I honestly think it depends on how you have it adjusted. It is a set it and forget it carb but you still have to set it and their stock settings don't always work the best for some people.
Click to expand...
All I can tell you is that between both of my 250's the one with the PWK would pull the front wheel with ease and was explosive once in the power band. The Lectron bike I have to work to get the front up and, yes, the power may actually be the same but it sure doesn't act like it. I do believe my Lectron needs more tuning as Rick admits he likes his bikes running fat when I bought it from him. I was still trying to get it tuned more to my liking when I had my accident so I haven't been back to it yet.

You saying it is almost electric demonstrates my point on throttle response. A properly tuned PWK is instant snap whereas the Lectron is softer. You can argue about which throttle response type is better but there is no argument on which gives actual better throttle response.
 
Do not rule out the STIC metering block for your Keihin as an option as well.

I installed the STIC on my 2018 Gas Gas 250 a couple of weeks ago and just got the jetting dialed yesterday. I was a little skeptical at the beginning, but after getting the jetting correct I am very impressed. I rode the bike yesterday with temperatures from mid 70's to mid 90's and elevations from 4000' to 7,500'. Bike ran cleanly all day.

I will write a more thorough review when I have a chance.
 
SS109 said:
All I can tell you is that between both of my 250's the one with the PWK would pull the front wheel with ease and was explosive once in the power band. The Lectron bike I have to work to get the front up and, yes, the power may actually be the same but it sure doesn't act like it. I do believe my Lectron needs more tuning as Rick admits he likes his bikes running fat when I bought it from him. I was still trying to get it tuned more to my liking when I had my accident so I haven't been back to it yet.

You saying it is almost electric demonstrates my point on throttle response. A properly tuned PWK is instant snap whereas the Lectron is softer. You can argue about which throttle response type is better but there is no argument on which gives actual better throttle response.
Click to expand...

with the "recommended" 4-3m metering rod I agree with you 100% even though I think we both have different takes on what throttle response means but from your description I agree it was soft of the bottom. I recently switched to the 5-1 which is leaner off the bottom and richer mid range as well as a steeper richening curve. With that rod, my RK tek head, Ported Cyl, HoH full exhaust....holy crap. It is far from soft anywhere. My 300 is snappy like a 250. I actually need to dial back the power valve because for technical stuff its a little too much for me to be honest.
 
Ponyboy said:
got myself a 2012 ec250e that i love to death. Owned it for almost 2 years. It has alot of hours on it from previous owner but she still rips.

For the last 2 rides I've changed out my needle to one from a jd jet kit (blue? Maybe red?) And it feels more responsive. The jetting on my bike is about there but not exactly perfect. I get a bit of spooge out of my exhaust (less after new needle.) And im 1/8th turn out on air/fuel screw. 160 main. 2nd pos. 40 pilot ride at 500-2500ft elevation CURENTLY. High hopes of some future high desert riding...

So now it's got me thinking. Do i spend a couple bucks and get a couple jets and get this thing running solid. Or shall I just bite the bullet and get a lectron. I hope I can get some feedback from those who have lectrons or other alternatives to the standard carb.

I guess I just really like the "set it, and forget it" aspect of the lectron vs pwk. It would be nice to load up and drive to somewhere with 3500-5000+ ft elevation and not worry too much.
Click to expand...

Before spending a lot of money I'd re-consider the jetting of the current carb. If the AS (air screw) is out only 1/8 turn it is very obvious that something is pretty wrong. A normal setting would be between 1.25 and 2.25 turns out. So something is wrong and if you are lucky it is only the size of the pilot jet.

Even if I get kicked now I can tell you "set and forget" is a myth and only works if you can forget that your Lectron is not set perfectly. I have installed and set up a few so I know what I am talking about. The Lectron remains unimpressed for big altitude changes but a Keihin is only a tad worse. If money plays no role get a Lectron and forget everything you have ever learned about carbs when setting it up.
 
Doc Brown said:
Before spending a lot of money I'd re-consider the jetting of the current carb. If the AS (air screw) is out only 1/8 turn it is very obvious that something is pretty wrong. A normal setting would be between 1.25 and 2.25 turns out. So something is wrong and if you are lucky it is only the size of the pilot jet.

Even if I get kicked now I can tell you "set and forget" is a myth and only works if you can forget that your Lectron is not set perfectly. I have installed and set up a few so I know what I am talking about. The Lectron remains unimpressed for big altitude changes but a Keihin is only a tad worse. If money plays no role get a Lectron and forget everything you have ever learned about carbs when setting it up.
Click to expand...

Yes my 40 pilot is definitely on the lean side. I was planning on going riding at higher elevation but ended up not going. Got a 45, 48 and 50 pilot coming in the mail.

I think Im gonna try a few different jets and needles first just to see how it does. My bike does have alot of hours on it from previous owner and me. Luckily a lectron/smart carb fits other 2 smoker bikes with 38mm carb right??
 
Doc Brown said:
I see. Hope you get it sorted, let us know how things develop....
Click to expand...

Well i swapped over to a 45 pilot and a 158 main. Bike ran much worse with the 45 pilot. Couldn't get the air screw dialed in. Swapped back over to the 40 with quarter turn out. Bike seems to like that setting the most.

Is there a danger in running too rich on the top end? I seem to be getting alot of spooge out of the tailpipe. It makes a mess but otherwise the bike seems to rip. I loose motivation to make changes in jetting when the bike runs already so well. Expect for the spooge...

Got a extended air screw and idle screw coming in the mail which should make things alot easier...Gonna keep trying different jets i guess...
 
Too rich on the top is not dangerous but the bike won’t rev out full. The spooge can be a reason because of the rich mixture and or of the used oil



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Ponyboy said:
Well i swapped over to a 45 pilot and a 158 main. Bike ran much worse with the 45 pilot. Couldn't get the air screw dialed in. Swapped back over to the 40 with quarter turn out. Bike seems to like that setting the most.

Is there a danger in running too rich on the top end? I seem to be getting alot of spooge out of the tailpipe. It makes a mess but otherwise the bike seems to rip. I loose motivation to make changes in jetting when the bike runs already so well. Expect for the spooge...

Got a extended air screw and idle screw coming in the mail which should make things alot easier...Gonna keep trying different jets i guess...
Click to expand...

158 main seems to be pretty small. What needle are you currently running and which clip position? As it has been said, too rich on top isn't a problem and it will not destroy your engine. Quarter turn on AS sounds strange but if it runs well it is probably ok.
Which oil are are you using and do you know its flash point?
 
Wanted to give an update. Tore the bike down for the winter, New top end, crank seals, gaskets, oil seals, wheel bearings, custom spring rates for suspension, tons of other things...went ahead and got the JD jet kit, was surprised that the pilot jet recommendation was a 40, even though I knew from experience it was too lean. I believe I put a 48 or a 50 pilot in, and now I'm about 1-1.5 turns out on air screw, bike is running better, but by that what I mean is I'm still having pretty weak bottom end power. The bike doesn't stall or bog, but it also doesn't pull very hard from 1/4th to 1/2 throttle. Infact it builds rpms very slow unless you slip the clutch.

During the rebuild I put a (biggest?) .50 base gasket in for a low compression, but reliable build. Is that a mistake?

Going to check the power valve action this weekend and make sure its all working good.

I told A guy on a Facebook group about my issues, he thinks the carburetor on my bike is just old and worn out. He strongly suggests just buying a new carburetor. So now the jump to a lectron is still in my mind.

Right now I have 180 main jet. I think a 50 pilot, JD jetting red needle, 4th position, burning 50:1 redline racing 2 stoke mix, riding sea level to 2500ft.
 
Ponyboy said:
Wanted to give an update. T

...

During the rebuild I put a (biggest?) .50 base gasket in for a low compression, but reliable build. Is that a mistake?
Click to expand...

That all depends on how the head is machined. With a standard head I would think you get too big squish and improper burn of the fuel / difficult jetting. Did you measure the squish?
 
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