need mechanic on Long Island, NY

[jimmy boots]

hey guys, listen this is my first bike (79 standard) and it was running fine until i took it to get inspected last week. the next day it was a bit difficult to start up, the engine was missing (? backfire? cylinder not firing?) a fair amount until it lost so much power i could barely get home. i changed the spark plugs, they were pretty black and gross, had some chunks on 'em. rode down the block and then gasoline started gushing out of the airbox and down my #2 header. so i am pretty bummed out. does anyone know a good mechanic remotely close to amityville? also, any guesses as to what is wrong? my buddy says my float is probably stuck, but does that have anything to do with the other symptoms? thanks

[DiverRay]

jimmy,
You should start with the "Tech Tips" on the left side of the forum. There are a LOT of articles and instructions on how to fix your own bike. Most of the dealers can't or won't work on these, as the mechanics are usually yuonger than the bikes.
The problem does sound as if you need to clean the carbs, and rest the floats. If you do a search on carbs, you will find threads with the information needed to buy the kits online.
Welcome to the club, and don't be afraid to try it yourself. It does not take a lot to keep these running, and a "carb stix" tool is less than one hour of "shop time" at any good motorcycle shop.
Ray

[jimmy boots]

here she is, i got almost every speck of rust off with triple-ot steel wool

[Ken Talbot]

Nice looking scoot there, but that's a nasty cat you've got!