VM29? Weird Choke needle

Howdy!

I recently bought a 78' KZ650 for a project bike. I'm super excited to be wrenching again after a few years living in small apartments with no where to store a project. I'm new to vintage bikes, so I apologize for not knowing the proper terminology.

So I think these are a set of VM29's that came off the bike. They have been sitting awhile, you can see all the crud in the float bowls.

In my efforts to clean this thing up, there is one part I can't seem to clean and effectively de-gunk. I'm pretty sure it's part of the choke circuit, but I'm not completely sure. I can't seem to remove it to clean, I think it's pressed into the carb body. I've attached a picture with an arrow pointing to it. How do ya'll clean\clear this circuit?

Thanks in advance!

P.S. Aerosol Carb Cleaners are worthless.

I doubt they are 29s - probably 26s or 28s. The exploded diagram for your carb is one of the ones at Partzilla and if you can identify it on the parts list, someone may be able to tell you what that piece is.

I think they are smoothbores because of the body of the carbs are smooth, not ribbed. Also the bottom of the float bowls have a 17mm hex drain plug. There is no angled screw or nipple, and no accelerator pump assembly. I'll post a better picture of the carbs tomorrow, but here are some I have already.

I can't seem to find the part, it isn't listed on the Partzilla list, or for any of the 650 models listed for 1978. The carbs look like these at Jetsrus . Still I can't find anything that is toward the back right of the float bowl under the starter plunger that looks like whats in my picture.

Here's a link from BrockSamson's thread on idenifying VM29 Carbs



It's that peg to the bottom right of the float bowl.

They are 29's. That is the choke pickup tube - not a replaceable part. Cleaning them is the issue - they clog when the carbs are crusty - and pushing a wire spike up them doesn't effectively clean them out. They can be carefully removed - they are a press fit, but it's not something you want to try unless you have some good tools to work on them. The brass is very delicate - it will crush and crack. I've successfully done this on a few of them, but I always had spare tubes salvaged from other bodies before I even try.

Ah thanks, I guess I'll have to do the best I can with dipping the carbs and trying to blow it out.