-
Welcome, Guest! We hope you enjoy the excellent technical knowledge, event information and discussions that the BMW MOA forum provides. Some forum content will be hidden from you if you remain logged out. If you want to view all content, please click the 'Log in' button above and enter your BMW MOA username and password. If you are not an MOA member, why not take the time to join the club, so you can enjoy posting on the forum, the BMW Owners News magazine, and all of the discounts and benefits the BMW MOA offers?
-
Beginning April 1st, and running through April 30th, there is a new 2024 BMW MOA Election discussion area within The Club section of the forum. Within this forum area is also a sticky post that provides the ground rules for participating in the Election forum area. Also, the candidates statements are provided. Please read before joining the conversation, because the rules are very specific to maintain civility.
The Election forum is here: Election Forum
1994 R1100RS Throttle Syncronizer
- Thread starter tibork
- Start date
m_stock10506
Well-known member
People are going to say you should build your own, the $4 manometer. Personally, I don’t care for that.
Carbtune is a good one, TwinMax is another. If you can find a Harmonizer, that’s the best by far, but they aren’t available new at this time. These are all in the low to mid one hundred dollars price range.
Pictured is what I made when I had an oil head, and it worked fine. The feet were not glued in and can be removed while storing it. The brass fitting between the sight tube and rubber hose was soldered closed and then drilled with a small hole. What ever tool you use I suggest leaving it hooked up and driving down the street to dial in the cables. I found it to be more accurate putting the engine under a load. 2cd or 3rd gear at a steady moderate speed.
Attachments
tibork
New member
senseamidmadness
Neglected Bike Adopter
If you're looking to buy a tool off the shelf, I wouldn't call any of them "affordable". Even a used Twinmax or Carbtune is usually $100 for a tool you'll use once a year. The most affordable option by far is to build your own tube manometer like the one pictured above.
tibork
New member
Well, I just went with the Carbtune Pro 2, Beemerboneyard had one for $99, it will pay for itself on the long run - plus I had the wife pay for it for taking her to a 350 mile trip (one way) to visit some of her relatives 
.
I don't understand why the throttle body synchronizers cost literally 3 times the price of a carb synchronizer? I can get a carburetor synchronizer for $30 and even less.
.I don't understand why the throttle body synchronizers cost literally 3 times the price of a carb synchronizer? I can get a carburetor synchronizer for $30 and even less.
pglaves
#13338
Where? What? Balancing air flow should not care whether the venturi is in a carburetor or throttle body.
tibork
New member
$35 for 4 cylinder ( https://www.ebay.com/itm/165675211364 ), the same for 2 gauges available for $27 and I already had the 2 gauage. I tried these and the needles just bouncing all over not showing any specific values. So I watched a video on synchronizing throttle bodies and the person there also said that you need a tool specifically for fuel injected throttle bodies otherwise carb gauges will just bounce. I also don't understand it but that is exactly how it was. On the picture is my carb synchronizer which did not work.
Last edited:
m_stock10506
Well-known member
Those would have worked too. The only thing that appears to be missing is some kind of venturi (right term?) that would have reduced the interior diameter of the air hose. Reduce the volume of air moving would have minimized the bouncing of the needles. Most carb balancers and throttle body balancers have something in the hoses to reduce the volume of air. Plenty of videos out there showing two gauges mounted on a board being used to balance throttle bodies and carbs. There's no difference.
tibork
New member
So why people pay $100-130 for a tool when a $30 does the same thing too? These 2/4 gauge synchronizers are available in mess numbers anywhere, all you need to type is 'motorcycle carburetor synchronizer' in your browser and your screen will be filled with them yet sounds like people don't even know about them? I am very confused here ...
Last edited:
m_stock10506
Well-known member
The difference is the ease of use. I was glad to pay $100+ for the TwinMax that I used for a long time. I know it's not currently available, but I wouldn't part with the Harmonizer that I use now for ANY reasonable amount. While the U-tube manometer and pair of gauges both work, I personally wouldn't use them.
I have one of those. It came with adjustable flow reducers. I've used this with good success to balance my 2003 RT.
First thing I did was connect both gauges using a T to a hand vacuum pump and adjusted them to read the same.
senseamidmadness
Neglected Bike Adopter
I have no idea how you got so lucky, tibork and rogerc60 -- the one time I ordered a 4-pack of those cheapo vacuum gauges, I got gauges that each read a different number at the same vacuum level. Couldn't calibrate it out of them either. Total garbage, worth their weight in poop. Ended up going with a 4-column Carbtune and haven't regretted it since.
There is such a thing as too cheap for diagnostic tools and gauges in my opinion, at least for ones you buy. A homemade tube manometer is as cheap as those Chinesium ones, but if it doesn't leak it will give you a perfect relative measurement.
There is such a thing as too cheap for diagnostic tools and gauges in my opinion, at least for ones you buy. A homemade tube manometer is as cheap as those Chinesium ones, but if it doesn't leak it will give you a perfect relative measurement.
tibork
New member
Like I said I never used it and ended up getting the Carbtune Pro 2, however there is a video where this guys shows the 4-packs working and how to use them properly: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1WJr8ez-gU
Far as building one on my own - like some people did, I thought about it but just not worth my time, I work on other projects at home (house, cars, classic car ... etc.) save us far more $$$ than the time I would spend on building one so the $99 for the Carbtune Pro was a good investment for the long run.
Last edited:
