Carb Adjustment question...here's the symptoms

[bbmlpoole]

I am a new owner of a 80 GS1000g...so far, love the bike. The previous owner indicated he just had the carbs rebuilt last year but had not ridden it since the rebuild, and it has a petcock issue. So he plugged the vacuum lines on both the carb and the petcock to ensure gravity flow. The bike is running OK, but not great. I am running carb cleaner through it, making sure it didn't gum up since the rebuild. It appears to only be running on cyls 1 and 2 at idle, but give it gas and the rest kick in eventually. Does it's share of backfiring through the carbs.

It has aftermarket performance single air filters, so I took them off and found that if at idle, I put my hand over the air intake on 1 or 2, the motor bogs down and dies. If I put my hand over the air intake on 3 or 4, idle speeds up. Also, when it is idling, appears to have a light greyish smoke coming from the carb area...smells rich?

So, my question is, does this sound like an individual carb adjustment issue or a sync issue? Or could the non-restricted flow of gas from the petcock be the culprit?
Thanks!

[Larry D]

Welcome !!

PO's will tell you anything to get your cash. That being said, you really don't know what's been done to the bike. Your problem sounds like a jetting issue or the carbs aren't really clean. The petcock issue needs resolved as well. Could be a host of other issues. The point is, you don't know until you see it with your own eyeballs.

The best way to know is follow the carb cleaning series on the homepage, rebuild them with new o-rings, check the jetting for your pods, float heights, etc......

Sorry there's no shortcuts.

[reddirtrider]

And check your intake boots and o-rings (if you have them) for leaks.

[rustybronco]

and don't forget a proper sync when you are finished.

[bbmlpoole]

Thanks..

Thanks for all the suggestions. you are right...probably no shortcuts. I have ordered the petcock rebuild kit. I will pull the carbs, clean, set the jets, check the boots, etc....and sync. Then hopefully hold on tight!

Any recommendations on the sync tool...I have seen both guage type and mercury type. Probably invest in one or the other....

[rustybronco]

sync tool... morgan carb tune...

If the jets in the carbs are stock, find a stock air box.