1949 WL - Carburetor Questions

[1962300]

My 1949 WL has an M-16 Linkert.
I understand the correct carburetor should be an M-52.

I am not familiar with the differences of an M-16 versus an M-52; performance wise to the 45 motor or any other differences.
Can anyone tell me what the variances might be?

I am also having throttle cable routing issues; I have a left hand throttle....I know...weird.
Can any tell me what the overall height of the Throttle Lever should be?
(How many inches tall it should be?)

I am concerned since I have an incorrect carburetor, I may also have a Throttle Lever that is the wrong height.
So maybe the cable is tweaked too high or low in its connection to the carburetor.

Thank you for any input.

[RUBONE]

Matt, the M16 is a Servi-Car carburetor and is a 1" body with a small venturi. It is designed for good low end performance for the low geared and overweight Servi-Car in city traffic. It will stifle the performance of the WL which uses a 1-1/4 inch body carb. The M52 is relatively rare due to low production of 45s during their last few years, however an M51 is essentially the same and was used for a long time on both 45s and ULs. The throttle lever is only offset about 1". It is shown in the documentation section.
As to your left hand throttle do you have right hand shift as well? That was a combo used on Servi-Cars also.
Or do you just have the wrong grip sleeves on your bars? WLCs used left hand throttle with right hand advance also, perhaps your bars came from one of them. As I recall you may have the wrong bars for a '49.

[1962300]

Thank you ALWAYS for your fantastic advice & knowledge! About 25 years ago I bought a basket case for $1,000. It was my engine (stamped 49), my solo frame, the front end, pair of rims and the tanks (yes...right hand shifter / gate with reverse). My wife found me a transmission (with reverse) for X-Mas and then I bought repro fenders, etc. I had no handle bars. Bought the factory ones & set it all up as a left hand throttle / right hand advance. All was fine until my idiot pal bashed Into me with his '57 Triumph; which bent my bars. I had always liked the look of the "Hollywood" bars; so I bought a new pair of those. The spirals are twisting as they all should & feel fine...UNTIL...I actually thread the cable into the carburetor ferrule. And then it is NOT smooth to twist anymore. So once there is resistance applied to the cable end; it feels like it wants to bind up a bit. Wasn't sure if it was an incorrect height of the Throttle Lever.

So maybe I seek out an M51 to have a better performing machine.
It is clear I bought parts & pieces that came from a Servi-Car, with a color frame.

[1962300]

Thank you ALWAYS for your fantastic advice & knowledge! About 25 years ago I bought a basket case for $1,000. It was my engine (stamped 49), my solo frame, the front end, pair of rims and the tanks (yes...right hand shifter / gate with reverse). My wife found me a transmission (with reverse) for X-Mas and then I bought repro fenders, etc. I had no handle bars. Bought the factory ones & set it all up as a left hand throttle / right hand advance. All was fine until my idiot pal bashed Into me with his '57 Triumph; which bent my bars. I had always liked the look of the "Hollywood" bars; so I bought a new pair of those. The spirals are twisting as they all should & feel fine...UNTIL...I actually thread the cable into the carburetor ferrule. And then it is NOT smooth to twist anymore. So once there is resistance applied to the cable end; it feels like it wants to bind up a bit. Wasn't sure if it was an incorrect height of the Throttle Lever.

So maybe I seek out an M51 to have a better performing machine.
It is clear I bought parts & pieces that came from a Servi-Car, with a color frame.

[kitabel]

The M-51 is an excellent choice.
You also need the 1936-52 1-1/4" manifold for this, since the bolt patterns are different.
You may find other 1-1/4" carburetors, including the very common (but slightly smaller venturi) M-88 used on WLA. If performance is important, a larger venturi can be swapped in to an M-88 as long as it has the air entry notch at the leading edge, or the other type can easily be modified to work. All Indian venturis have the correct feature.
Almost all H-D 1-1/4" main nozzles are the same (except 1936-39 EL), all Indians are quite different, use the one it came with.
Your M-16 is the type (but not the number) used on some low powered Indians such as 741, you may get a good price for it.

[RUBONE]

M-16s are popular with the TROG crowd for use on "J" series bikes.