[QUOTE=squale147;1250579]if it looks like gas was leaking out every ware you may want to check your float needles..[/QUOTE

Please elaborate? I know the floats and float needles were free-moving when I re-assembled. What should I be looking for with the needles?

The kit I purchased has replacement needles. I was thinking about throwing them in there.

 

I had this problem. The floats sag if there is no gas to support them. I had my carbs off and stored away, but the floats still bent under their own weight. All new floats and float needles were needed to correct my gas leaks. Also had to change new oil twice. Once before the new float needles I thought would fix my problem. And again when I found I needed new floats as well.

 

+1 on checking you needle valves and floats.

Your needle valves should have a perfect conical shape, with no concave at all - if they look "curvy", for lack of a better word, or look obviously worn, then just replace them - they're about $20 each... that seems pricey, but if your leak is at the float needles, which it might not be, but if it is, then fuel is almost definitely also leaking into your cylinders, and can end up contaminating your oil, in addition to putting you at the risk of hydro-locking your engine, and doing big damage.

The floats are non adjustable, but yeah, they can be damaged - the good new is, there is a float height checking routine in the manual, which will give you a range for where they should be - if they're out of range, replace... about $30 each.

This is what I would do, if I was having this issue:

Put your carb bank on a work bench, using blocks of wood, or something that will work for orienting the carbs at the same angle they would sit when mounted.
Then, rig a fuel supply of some sort, that will gravity-feed the carbs while sitting like this - I have a Motion Pro auxiliary fuel tank for this (see below), but there are a number of ways you can accomplish the same thing.
Finally, turn on this auxiliary fuel supply, and then examine the carbs, to see exactly where the fuel is leaking from. It could be:

1. The floats/needle valves - if so, you'll see the fuel leaking into the throat of the carbs, or,
2. Bad float bowl gaskets, or,
3. One or more of the four O-Rings that seal the two plastic T-joints that distribute the main fuel inlet to all the carbs.

 

Alright! New float bowl gaskets are keeping the fuel in the machine.

I can start it cold by adding a little throttle, but it won't idle when I turn the choke off. It will continue to idle choked for a few minutes at a time, but will start to sputter after a few minutes and I had to give it a little throttle to help it along. It will run un-choked, but only if I roll the throttle.

Bike is stock, so I set the idle mixture screws to 2-1/8 turns out.

All the jets are clear - I soaked them in carb cleaner and when I reassembled, I could see straight through them.

I know you guys like vids, so I'm hoping to post a few of the old girl.

Any advice for getting it to purr like a kitten? As always, your advice is greatly appreciated!

 

richen the pilots a 1/4 turn and see what effect it has on the idle and choke. If no effect, it could be that the pilot circuit inside the carb body is blocked and will need compressed air/carb cleaner shot through to clean them.

 

Me probably wrestling with throttle cables

 

While it was idling at full choke, it was doing so at about 2K RPM, which is high I understand. Idle adjusting hardware is missing and therefore bottomed out at lowest setting. This high idle is additional evidence of a lean mixture, right?

Unfortunately I haven't been able to get at it to try and enrich by qurter turns. The bike is garaged about 150 miles from where I'm currently living Weekends only for this guy.

 

I'm glad you found and resolved the fuel leak, I'm sure that takes some stress away!

Like gpfan1, I suspect you've got some blockage in your pilot circuit, pulling and soaking the jets is great, and definitely necessary, but you also have to spray carb cleaner through the various orifices, and be certain that it's flowing out the other end of the associated passage(s).
In the case of the pilot circuit, you would spray carb cleaner in the hole where the pilot jet screws in, and make sure you see a good flow of cleaner from the three small holes in the carb throat that are grouped together - if you're at all uncertain of whether or not you've got good flow through those three holes, let some cleaner soak in the passages, blow with compressed air, and repeat, until it's obvious those passages are clear.
Just out of curiosity, did you remove the four fuel screws and their associated parts, to clean that area as well? This is another commonly overlooked area, which can cause issues with the pilot circuit.

Also, like he suggested, you can turn the screws out 1/4 turn, to see if it helps - you've got nothing to lose, and the good news is, you can adjust the pilots with the carbs mounted to the engine. But if your bike is fully stock, including the air filter, I wouldn't go any further than the 1/4 turn, because if that 1/4 turn doesn't help, then you likely need to do some more cleaning to that circuit.

 

Maybe, but not necessarily... up until the bike is fully warmed up, engaging the choke will cause it to idle higher - after reaching operating temperature, let's say after at least 5 minutes running, engaging the choke should cause it to run rough and die, if the pilot circuit is within the ballpark of being tuned right. If the bike is fully up to temp, and engaging the choke does not cause the bike to run rough and/or die, then that would be another indication that the pilot circuit is lean.

Not knowing if the idle adjutment scew is set right, since you're missing things there, brings an unknown quantity in the equation, but aside from that, things that can cause a high idle and/or a "hanging" in revs after the throttle is blipped, other than an engaged choke ciruit when the bike is cold, can be a lean pilot circuit, or an air leak at one of the carbs, most commonly caused by the carbs not being fully seated on the inlet tracts, and/or loose clamps on either the engine or carb side of the four rubber boots.
You can check for an air leak simply enough, by spraying a little carb cleaner around the boots, and listening for the idle to suddenly increase, caused by the drawing in of the carb cleaner, at the place where there's a leak... reduce risk of fire by doing this test when the bike is not hot.

 

While doing what JNS has suggested remember DON'T LET CARB CLEANER ANYWHERE NEAR YOUR NEW FLOAT BOWL GASKETS. I screwed mine up real bad and had to drop 45 on some new ones.