Motorcycle Repair: jet needle retaining clip, honda cb200, jet needle

Question
I recently rebuilt my carbs on my 1975 Honda CB200 and when I was removing the jet needle retaining clip, the clip went flying and is nowhere to be found.  I have scoured the internet and I am unable to find one.  This is the clip that keeps the needle in place within the slide.  Any thoughts?

Answer
Robert, The needle and two clips (e-clip and spring clip) are part of the jet needle part assembly. I think the carbs are about 20mm, and so a lot of other models, like the CB/CL160-175s would use the same dimension parts. Other bikes that use a 22mm carb are the 100-125cc singles from that era.

Check with a local m/c repair shop to see if they have any junk carbs or a junk drawer where there are some spares that might fit. If you are talking about the W-shaped spring clip, you could substitute that part with a flat metal piece that will fit down inside the recess of the slide and has a small central hole for the end of the needle. As long as it is strong enough and big enough to support the slide spring pressing down on it, the needle should stay in place. Maybe a dime coin could be whittled down to fit in there. Be creative!

Bill Silver