rough idle

[usmc_scott]

well iv been trying to figure this one out for a while now. i get the bike started up with the erichener all the way out leave it there till it starts bogging down then push it in almost all the way the the bike runs fine for a second then starts to viberate and sputter and dies when i try to rev it up. the left 2 carbs also feel like theyr spitting fuel when i put my hand infront of them. but not the right 2. backfires also when trying to rev the bike. but hey...atleast the smoking problem is gone now =)

my research suggest a cam chain adjustment and a carb re-cleaning. but im terrified to take apart the carbs! is there a picture or vidio tut thats a little more clear than the faq one?? if i break something then im going to be downed for months...low budget =(

[motoman]

Just remove carb bank, Do NOT seperate carbs, remove float bowls and all jets that come out easily(take it you don't wanna fubar and have to fix), can or two of carb cleaner with the platic tip attached, spray directly holding plastic tip directly in each orfice. When it shoots out exiting out other end and hits you in the eye, your headed for success! If floats all look to be the same height when carb bank is on its side tilted a bit so seat closes with no float weight on the spring, NOT upside-down.....leave them alone as you may break a float post trying to remove unless your experienced. Just trying to save you an Ah-sh%t! Give that a go first as far as the carbs, carfully putting bowls back on and re-install carb bank. Won't be the total issue going on, but a start for you.

[CatatonicBug]

Not sure what you mean by, "leave it there till it starts bogging down". If you leave the enricher pulled out, the RPMs should shoot up over 5k. If they don't, you've got a problem in the carbs. Do as recommended and take the carb bank out and clean them. It takes maybe 2 hours and 2 cans of cleaner. The only tricky part is removing the pilot jets. Be sure to take ALL the jets out! They have tiny holes in the sides that cannot be cleaned without removal. Also be careful not to bend the float posts. They snap off pretty easily. I use a pair of wire cutters to gently pry them out of the holes.

Once you've cleaned the carbs, concentrate on syncing them, then tuning the air/fuel mixture screws. There is a tech tip for doing it by ear. I just used it today, and it works pretty good.

[DGXSER]

Leaving the enricher out until it starts bogging is not necessary. It should have two "notches" you notice as you pull it out. Pulled all the way out, start bike and push back to first notch after the idle goes up to about 2k-2500. If you push it to far in, all the way in right away, it will sputter and not want to rev, and pop or backfire when you try to rev it up and even die.

BTW, if I leave mine out, it will bog down before it hits 3500, or even 3k sometimes, from fuel fowling the plugs. And I guarantee you my carbs are clean, ask anyone who has seen my bikes and heard them run.

If this takes care of it, carbs can hold off until winter if needed.

Now, I do suggest you clean them if you never have, and you obvously have not since your afraid of pulling something and breaking it. Look for a thread titled "Carb Cleaning 101". Wildkat did a great job of putting together a picture post of great detail on what to do. Also, before you pull any jet or screw spray the living daylights out of it with PB Blaster or the like. Not WD-40 it does not break stuff free like Blaster will. Also, buy a couple decent small screwdrivers you can grind and file to custom fit the slots in the jets so you get a really good fit to them. A sloppy fit will lead to twisting the brass off and leaving you no slot instead of removing the jets and screws.

If you get stuck, somethign does not seem to want to come out, take pictures and post a question here. There alot of folks who have been through it plenty to give you advice, some if it will even be good advice. Get them good and clean, and then we can worry about synchronizing and tuning.

[oseaghdha]

Read this.

The carbs are mostly the same with a few differences, depending on year.

The worst thing is usually getting the idle jets out without buggering them up, but they must be removed to do a proper job of it. Find or grind a screwdriver that fits as well as possible.

And do yourself a favor: Throw all the Phillips screws away and replace them with stainless sleel Allen heads.