you would notice a fuel related problem much sooner in a bike than a car/truck/boat because the compression ratio is much higher and needs the fuel to burn much quicker than the other vehicles will

 

alright guys, thanks for all the input. to answer some of the questions, no, i am not showing an fi light and the plugs were carbon fouled. i'm in south florida so the temps run from the high 90's to probably the 70's at lowest lately. i didn't notice any rust in the tank but i will give it a better look. when the bike was running properly and started on a cold engine, it would idle high until it got warmed up then drop down to around the 1000 range i think it was. now when i get it started with an open throttle and let it go, it starts at around the 1000 range and slowly drops until it stalls. but even when i give it gas, i can feel it hesitating a lot. also got a bit of white exhaust from the pipe which increases when i give it gas. again, the gas smelled unusual and had a pretty dark yellow color to it. when i changed out the fuel pump the fuel seemed to flow properly when the pump primed so i dont' think that the lines are clogged. again guys, thanks for all the help. i'll let you guys know if i get it figured out and what works.

 

the 3000 down to 1000 range was what it needs to be at. if it jumps to 1000 on a cold motor, the idle is too low. and white exhaust could be a head gasket problem, have somebody tear it apart!!