[loudnlow7484]

If there was anything seriously wrong with the carbs/jetting, I would expect it to idle poorly, and have other driveability issues. I certainly would pull the carbs and clean them, but if I was a betting man, I'd say you have a choke issue. Pull the carbs, and take the fuel bowls off. Chances are, there's nasty red s**t in the bottom of the bowls. Spray them out with carb cleaner, pull the floats off and spray them, set them aside. Pull the main jets, spray them (I let them sit in a small container of carb cleaner. Take off the little rubber cap over the pilot jet and DON'T LOSE IT!!!! Pull the pilot jet and clean it off. Now, reassemble in reverse order. While you're in there, check the O-rings on the float assembly, and check the float height.

[loudnlow7484]

Now for the delicate work....... Take off the black plastic cap on the other side of the carb. Careful, there's a spring on the bottom of it, and a bitty little O-ring on the vacuum port. Now cram your finger down in the hole in the middle, and carefully lift off the slide and diaphram assembly. Do not, do not, do not manhandle it. Pinholes in that diaphram can cause issues. Look at your needles, sticking out the bottom of the slide, make sure they aren't worn funny. Open and close the choke, and look at the port that opens on the top of the carb. If there's gunk in it, clean it out. Look down at where the needle seats in the carb. Look for uneven wear in that tube. Spray it with carb cleaner. Reassemble everything again. Do all this to each carb. Then set your mixture screws, put the carbs back on and sync them. DID I MISS ANYTHING? Please let me know if I did.

[SweetLou]

Carb cleaner will make the diaphram swell.

Just a reminder.

I just used the words Diaphram and swell in the same sentence.

[loudnlow7484]

thank you. I'd hate to be the cause of somebody's carb issues

[SweetLou]

thank you. I'd hate to be the cause of somebody's carb issues

Its not a big problem if they swell. Once they dry they go back to size. You just need to dry them before putting them back together, or they can seal wrong.

[midqetsex]

I figured out that the problem was the choke rail (thanks md86!). It's difficult for it to open (to help the bike start when cold) and is practically impossible to close. Right now, I've been operating the rail by hand through the gap in the fairing. When I adjust the choke lever on the handlebars, you can see the cable working. My guess is that it just needs lubed. I went to Advance Auto Parts and they said they didn't have anything I could use to lube the cable (it's in a plastic shield). How do I go about lubing the cable and what tools do I need to do it?

Thanks so much for the help, guys!

P.S. The carbs looked phenomenal. The air filter looked brand new. I just need to get this choke rail sliding!

[md86]

Get a new cable , they're cheap . I hear that even once you lube them , they STILL may not work quite right . And maybe spray some WD around the choke pins to make sure they're moving smoothly , too .

[midqetsex]

Just an update for anyone who has the same problem and comes across this thread: I replaced the choke cable today and everything works perfectly.

[DreKat]

maybe try adjusting the carb screw a quarter turn at a time