Inside The Genuine Amal MKI Premier Concentric Carburetor

The Amal Premier Carburetor

The New Amal Premier MK I (Mark 1) Concentric Carburetor has currently been in Production for sometime now. Not really considered "new" anymore... but it depends on who you ask! Many folks to this day still have not heard of the Amal Premier carburetor, but I would like to change that and hope everyone from today's post will have an insight of just how "Premier" they really are.  

Always look for the "Premier Range" Sticker on the box to ensure it's the real deal. Made in England.

If you still have your old Original Amal carburetor that your 40+ year old Triumph, BSA, or Norton Motorcycle came with, chances are it's worn and its no longer performing to its full potential. There are many different options you can take into consideration when searching for a new carburetor. You can have your original carburetor re-sleeved or install a different brand of carburetor such as a Mikuni or PWK (On certain models). Always keep in mind that O.E.M. is preferred for those who want to keep it simple and to enjoy your motorcycle. Now don't get me wrong, there is nothing bad about other carbs being fitted to a British motorcycle, but if you want the tuning to be straight forward, we recommend sticking with an Amal carb. At the end of the day you want to ride your British bike with comfort and ease. Installing a genuine Amal Premier carburetor will do just the trick. Well, not just the Premier carburetors, but technically any new Amal Carburetor.

Amal Premier Advertisement. "Why Premier?" 

Amal today is still offering the standard MKI Concentric (or better know as the "Non-Premier") carburetor for sale. So many have asked what is the "Amal Preimer" Carburetor and how it is really different? The Basic Design of the MKI Carburetor has not really changed from when it was first introduced in 1967. Throughout the years internally and externally there where some minor changes, but none to take away from the New Carbs. As all of us British / Vintage motorcycle owners know, we want to keep our motorcycle looking original and performing as it did (or Better) when it left the Factory. The new Amal Carburetors really retain the original Design which makes it ideal for owners that really want to keep there bike looking original, but ultimately with a modern touch. Working or trying to fix a worn out carburetor becomes a nightmare. Often time you will spend more late nights in the garage fiddling with your old carb trying to figure out why it will not run properly. Not to mention, the new parts you spent rebuilding yours when you could of put your funds towards a new Amal carb... 

 The Amal Premier 930 MKI complete disassembled. Anodized slide, stay-up float, viton float needle and other goodies inside. 

Alright, lets get to the kniddy griddy- the good stuff. All Carburetors are prone to slide wear, some wear faster then others depending on the material of the slide and the body. I believe one of the key "Upgrades" for the Amal Premier Carburetor range is the forged hard anodized throttle slide. The reason why I feel that the anodized slide is the best upgrade is simply the old Amal carbs are notorious for premature throttle slide and body wear. There is really no way to fix a worn throttle bore other then to have it sleeved with a stainless steel insert. Installing a new throttle slide in a carb with a worn bore will not fix the problem but merely cover it up for sometime. The stay-up float is also a great addition especially with the new type of fuel that we use daily, ethanol. Ethanol can be a very destructive fuel depending on the material it makes contact with. Amal had to design a new float to coupe with today's fuel. The float is made from a solid military grade material and will never sink, hence the term "Stay-Up". Not to forget it has metal tangs in which you can adjust the float height which is key to tuning.

Early Concentric carbs from approx 1967-1968 had a feature in which you could remove the pilot jet upon dropping the bowl from the body. Concentric's from 1969-1978(ish) all had pilot jets that where pressed in and could not be removed which was ultimately a bad idea, especially for those who like to tune there motorcycle for racing purposes. That has been now been overcome with the Premier carbs. Each carb has a removable pilot air jet on the opposite side of where the air adjusting screw is located. Now you can remove the jet from your carb in seconds rather than removing your float bowl. Here at Classic British Spares we always used our original Amal carbs. Many times we have been in situations where we would spend time and money trying to make an old carb work. Most of the time they work fine. I am a strong believer and supporter of these new Amal Premier carbs. My two BSA Lightnings both have Premier carbs installed, and let me tell you... these carbs have made my motorcycle perform much better throughout the throttle range then it ever did before. It will idle beautifully upon start up and never miss a beat. So, are you now thinking about installing a new Amal Premier? The goal is to spend less time working on your bike and more time riding and enjoying it. You can achieve that by buying a brand new Amal Premier carburetor today. See our full range of Genuine Amal carbs for Triumph & BSA unit twins & singles from approx 1967-1978 which include the 600 and 900 Amal Concentric series carburetors. We also have a large stock of Amal main jets, pilot jets, throttle needles, throttle valve, Monobloc carbs and more. See our complete tuning guide  for the Amal Concentric carburetor. -C.B.S.

 My 1969 BSA A65 Lightning 650 on the test bench with new Amal Premier MKI carburetors installed.