VM22-133 vs VM22 26mm

[laruetou2]

This may be well known by all of the seasoned veterans on this board but I'll spell out a crucial difference for the newbies like me.

Considering a carb upgrade: for tuning access, you will be better off with the first one which, as marketed by all the vendors, has a good chance of being a genuine Mikuni. The 2nd one is an "almost clone" that works the same but is physically a little different. The main difference is that the air screw on the no name knockoff is on the bottom of the carb and access is tight (too tight) since the actual screw is about 1.5" above the cylinder head when using the manifold pipe that comes with the conversion kits. To adjust for the correct pilot jet and air screw setting, one will have to remove the carb and do an initial 1.5 turns out from the seat, reinstall and try to work from there with a tight space screw turner. It is tedious.

The Mikuni has much better access, all relevant screws accessible from the sides instead of the bottom. It's more expensive but maybe well worth it. One can tell the two apart most easily by the choke levers. The Mikuni (and it's true clones) have the choke lever on top and appears to be in an horizontal orientation. The almost clone has the choke lever on the side.

Perhaps there is an opportunity to avoid the tight space problem by careful selection of a kit that has a unique manifold pipe. I have not done any investigation in this area.

Good luck to all.
Larue