The carburetor, from the outside, looked to be in an alright condition. However, once I removed the diaphragms and the float bowls, it was clear that the carb could use a good cleaning and some of the parts might need to be replaced. Basically, the two options we had were to simply clean the carb with carb cleaner and brush, or clean the carb and replace and upgrade some of the components inside. While the simple cleaning was cheaper and took less time, if the upgrades were made then the carb would run much more effectively, cause less problems down the road, (get it?) and would make the engine run far smoother.We decided to go with the upgrades because we want the bike to last as long as it can without needing repairs, and something as sensitive as the carburetor would be one of the first things to go.
The ignition coil is a component that I researched a lot about but never had the chance to actually work with. The two stock ignition coils that I removed from the bike were dirty but in good working condition. However, further research reviled that stock ignition coils for the XS650 send out a rather weak charge to the spark plugs which could lead to incomplete combustion. Again we were faced with the same decision concerning the carburetor: Do we upgrade the system or simply clean it and leave it as it is? Eventually we decided to upgrade to a duel ignition coil, meaning we get one component that provides a charge to the spark plugs instead of two separate components. The duel coil also produced a stronger charge than the stock coil. One issue was that the duel coil was bigger than the stock, therefore putting it where the other coils were mounted wasn't going to work. Fortunately, Steffen and Mr. DS made a mount for the coil so it wouldn't be in the way of anything else. Cost was also an issue, but the coil came in a package with the new spark plugs and other components so it was a bit cheaper.
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