Hey Folks,

My first post on the new site, yahoo! I was going to install a needle from a '88 Sporty to get my midrange back after new exhaust (as per forum suggestions) but my local dealer was out of stock. A guy down the street has needle he'll give me from a "no hassle jet kit" from Mikuni I believe. The kit is for the the '04 sporty, but I'm wondering if anyone has any knowledge regarding how that needle compares to the '88 stock needle. I'm not even sure how it compares to the stock '04 needle as I haven't pulled mine out yet. Any thoughts

I don't know how it compares with the '88 needle, but it is slimmer and has a more gradual taper than the stock needle. The "no hassle" needle is actually a genuine Kiehen part (#NOKH if I remember correctly) and I highly recommend it as a simple fix for the mid-range leanness. No drilling of the slide required. Just drop it in and you’re done. Leave your stock fast jet and up your slow jet to 45. I found 2 turns out on the mixture works for my ’04 1200C riding at about sea level. But if your idle is not rough with the 45 jet installed (and it probably won’t be), you don’t have to touch the mixture screw either if you don’t want to.