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  • New Amal carbs

    I ordered a new mk1 concentric from Amal UK about 2 months ago, for my Challenger. It arrived after about 6 weeks, and had the wrong main jet and a 4-stroke needle jet and spray tube!
    I'm still waiting for the replacement. I'm starting to wish I'd used Surrey Cycles instead.

    Has anyone on the forum had good/bad experiences with either company?

    Cheers,
    Andrew

  • #2
    Amal

    Andy

    Do you mean Burlen Fuel Systems?

    If so, I have ordered concentric spares from them in the past and had good service.

    I don't know what Surrey Cycles is like since Neville Lewis sold up. I see that he still sells ally tanks.

    Phil

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    • #3
      Hitchcocks the Royal Enfield dealers are the best for Amal, I personally found Neville too rude and grumpy, I ALWAYS get good service from Hitchcocks as well as helpful advice. Also check they fit a 2stroke needle.

      Comment


      • #4
        Originally posted by Phil Hyde View Post
        Andy

        Do you mean Burlen Fuel Systems?

        If so, I have ordered concentric spares from them in the past and had good service.

        I don't know what Surrey Cycles is like since Neville Lewis sold up. I see that he still sells ally tanks.

        Phil

        Yes, indeed, Burlen.
        Funnily enough, I've never had any trouble ordering spares - they've always been quick and efficient. The complete carb seems to have caused them difficulties for some reason.

        I'd forgotten about Hitchcocks! I've also found them very efficient at sending spares. I will need a new MKII quite soon, and I think I'll order it from them.

        Many thanks for the advice.

        Cheers,
        Andrew

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        • #5
          Amal

          If Burlen cant supply/help nobody can as they own the Amal name & manufacture the carbs themselves. If you have a problem ask to speak to Mark Burlen.

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          • #6
            Amal Carb

            Originally posted by stormer254 View Post
            Hitchcocks the Royal Enfield dealers are the best for Amal, I personally found Neville too rude and grumpy, I ALWAYS get good service from Hitchcocks as well as helpful advice. Also check they fit a 2stroke needle.
            Surely Hitchcocks only do 4 stroke Amals for Royal Enfields.

            Comment


            • #7
              A couple of years ago, I bought a new Mk 1 Concentric from Surrey Cycles, requesting a two-stroke setup but it came with a 'four-stroke' needle. It took me some time to discover the mistake

              I have bought several parts from Burlen but had no problems.

              One point to bear in mind is that the Concentric carbs from each firm are not identical. Some parts are interchangeable but some, like the float chamber and gasket are not! I believe the Burlen parts will fit the original Amal carb, but the Surrey Cycles will not.
              John A - 268

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              • #8
                Rules!

                Here's an extract from the Pre65 MX club regs for Dave Harper's fantastic Greeves series, where a lot of these lads race their bikes;

                Types of carburettors permitted are:

                •Villiers
                •AMAL monobloc
                •AMAL concentric Mk1
                •AMAL concentric Mk2 (Pre 74 class)
                •Up to 250cc maximum choke size 32mm
                •Over 250cc maximum choke size 36mm

                Despite the wear probs, I note that a lot of the 'trick' pre65 trials irons (both 2 and 4 stroke) run Villiers carbs as the response is actually prefered by some, especially when they're tweaked and well set up. Mick Grant's AJay immediately springs to mind. Mikunis and Keihins are great instruments, without a doubt, but where do you stop...?

                Sometimes, the fun is in trying to get the best out of old kit....isn't it...?

                Brian.
                Last edited by Brian Thompson; 02/11/2010, 11:43 PM. Reason: Additional text added.

                Comment


                • #9
                  Originally posted by Normandale
                  Why not fit a far better carb from Japan or Taiwan? Performance will be much improved, starting will be easier, you will use less fuel, and replacement carb will last an awful lot longer than a pot metal Amal.

                  Obviously not an option for a show bike or someone looking for original type look, but probably a very good idea for anyone who uses their bike regularly.

                  I would love to fit a Mikuni!

                  I have one on a TriBSA road bike and its brilliant, but as Brian points out, its not allowed in pre-65 motocross. Pity really, as its cheaper than an Amal!

                  Cheers,
                  Andrew

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Hitchcocks are probably the biggest supplier of Amal carbs and spares,and have never yet not had the parts I want,mostly 2stroke.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Gents, I've read the pre-amble with interest and some confusion. Firstly I've found Hitchcocks to supply all my needs for two stroke Amal spares for many years without problem. I'd ridden my MDS, complete with mk1 concentric from 1986 to 2001, every season with only adjustment of the mixture screw to keep it running sweetly. My Hawkstone sports a 389 Monobloc and, once I'd got it sorted, carbeuration wise, it's been as reliable a beast as I could wish for. It starts hot, cold or anywhere in between.
                      Certainly there will be problems if you haven't got the carb set up correctly, four stroke parts in two stroke carbs etc, but set correctly the Amal carbs work fine.
                      As Brian rightly points out, if you want to ride in the Greeves series then these and Villiers carbs are the only option. Once you start allowing Japanese this and that then it wouldn't be long before there are no original parts left at all. Where would that leave Greeves and the classic movement in general!

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Amal Carbs

                        There seems to be several sources of Amal Carbs & parts.
                        Burlin Fuel Systems (the manufacturers & successors to Amal ?)
                        Surrey Cycles
                        Hitchcocks
                        Neville Lewis
                        and maybe others.
                        Burlin had a lot of publicity about themselves suppliing the ONLY genuine Amals & parts, so my question is are the Amals supplied from Surrey Cycles, Hitchcocks & Lewis manufactured by Burlin Fuel Systems & they are mearly acting as dealers. There also appear to be cheapo Chinese? manufactured Amal parts being sold, hence Burlins concern.

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Hi
                          For racing - not an issue using Amals. They are easy to tune.
                          For my 380 Griffon - I fitted a 36mm Mk2 Amal - it has been reliable and fast. As the 1000 series mk 1's are rare and also troublesome unlike the 900 sereis which are easy to find

                          For my Dad's MDS - I use a 'new' 32 mm 900 series mk 1 concentric - again no issue there - as a replacement for the original Monobloc.....although interesting too note that Adrian uses a Monobloc...adn it certainly doesn't slow him down

                          When I get a replacement Carb - my recommendation is to always strip it down and check it over - as mistakes can be made by any supplier - and better to discover in Garage than on the track.

                          For racing getting the jetting right and filtering out the bits is more important - best way is to ask the guys who go fast with the carb/bike combination you have ........I did this last year as the Mk2 was over jetted (360 Main jet) now runs sweetly on a 320 ! I also to fit an in line filter - and not to rely just on the Amal filter on the bottom of the carb.
                          Cheers Kim

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