The metering circuits of these carbs are configured for the best 1/4 mile performance. No consideration at all was given for street operation or kick starting. ¹⁾
These were race only carbs for HD dragsters only, not for street bikes.
That didn't stop anybody from putting them on the street bikes which may be where the bad rap these carbs carry came from.

The one below has the 'street kit' that was made later to address the missing street manners.
The kit is the bolt on choke and the 1“ spacer between the carb and manifold.
After a while these 'G's were replaced by the next model (“GA” & “GB”).
They were a slightly re-metered idle/intermediate circuit to give some street-ability.
The 'GA' was identical to the 'G' except for the re-metering.
The 'GB' was a smaller throat (1-3/4” at throttle butterfly) and more importantly a smaller venturi than the 'G'-'GA' (1-7/8“ throat, 1-11/16 venturi).
The 'GA' was just passable as a street carb but it needed at least 70 ci to feed (if not it sucked).
The 'GB' actually was street-able on stock displacement bikes. It wasn't 'tame' though.
You had to cater to its narrow ''sweet spot” that changed with air temp, humidity, barometer, and most of all float level (that constantly creeped higher).
The floats & inlets were still race parts, made to be high flow at small float drops, combined with the metal to metal inlet valve, again a race thing.
The low gas consumptions of cruising on the street, barely opened the valve.
So the mile after mile of street riding vibration wore all the stuff and the float level crept higher.
So if you were OK with constant tinkering with float levels and jetting that needed to be tailored to small atmospheric changes;
(still drag race main metering circuit) you had a carb that lit your bike up like no other. A redhead girlfriend of a carb.
This amount of tinkering and the devotion it took to be on top of it was too much for all but the most race oriented owners.
So, enter the 3rd models.
The infamous 'L' series“ ('GAL' & 'GBL'). The 'L' series are great street carbs as long as the right carb went on the right bike.
These are actually totally different carbs from the predecessors as the 1st “street carbs” with real drag tendencies.
All metering circuits are made to be totally street-able as 1st consideration while leaning towards being as drag like as full street-ability will allow.
Boy did they work as intended.
But to the untrained eye, they look the same as the 1st two versions, so they get the same bad rep.
They also have the same fitments. 'GAL' needs 70” min. or they ain't street-able enough.
The 'GBL' is the product of all the previous lessons and it's unsurpassed for 900 or 1000 bikes.
So if the 'GBL' is so great how come it's so obscure? Maybe because, of the 5 versions of side bowls, S&S carbs are usually grouped as only one version.
(if you really knew there were 5 different carbs before the rare “Super A” , you are in a small group).
And 4 of the 5 work like crap on a stock street bike. So those 4 get taken off and sold a lot (adding to the rep).
The last 2 versions, the real L series units were sold from 72 to e75, and bikers being bikers, “if I'm gonna get a S&S, I'm getting the big one.
So not as many “GBL” got sold and the guys who had one didn't ever want to sell it. The one size fits all Super A & B was the response to guys buying the wrong size.
Little known fact: The venturi on a “GBL” is smaller than the venturi on a Tillotson. The Super B is the same as a Tillotson.

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