The gap is normal. I would follow shepdog's advice and apply some sealer there, although i have never had to do this myself. Which clamps are you using? The t-bolt/aitcraft style clamps are the best.

I am not expert on the internal operation of these engines, but oil in the intake tracts might be draining down thru the valve guides or perhaps seeping past the rings. I would not think this is part on the problem getting the engine running well. Unless someone more knowledgeable chimes in on this i would ignore it for now.

Light tan with carbon around the edges is a good looking plug.

According to the Haynes manual the line is the TDC mark for your year bike, and the dot is the front cylinder advance mark. It would be worthwhile to check this. Rotate the engine until the front cylinder is at TDC then check to see if the line is in the hole [EDIT: oops, you have done this and it is confirmed correct]. This is important as it may not have the original flywheels in there.

If it has the original electronic ignition or has been converted to points then when using the light you may also see a rear cylinder mark in addition to the TDC mark as both plugs are firing simultaneously.

It is important to get the ignition timing right before running the engine much. Set the plate so that the standoffs are in the center of the slot. Then try again with the timing light. Run the engine at 2500 to 3000 RPMs [i find that at slower speeds the mark does not sit still in the hole]. I use a 1" length of rubber oil line hose, with one end flattened on a grinding wheel, and that end jammed in the hole tight against the flywheel. That keep most of the oil from spewing out.

This process requires some patience. If your friend has more experience then watching him do it is a good idea.

It may be getting worse as the correct problem has not been accurately identified yet and the changes are not helping so far. We'll keep trying here.

160/52 are the stock jets. If it has the original air cleaner and baffled pipes then these will still work reasonably well. In any case once any problems have been cleared up 165 to 175 and 55 to 58 may be better. But leave it the same for now.

The factory service manual has a procedure to check the VOES. It is also in the Haynes manual. I disconnect the VOES when checking the ignition timing. Ask your friend about this when he is doing it.

You might also print off some of the suggestions we have been making and have your friend review them. It is different when you have the bike in front of you. He may have different ideas, and sometimes it is best to follow just one expert. And let us know what he thinks of our ideas.

 

I didn't use any sealer on the bands. Not saying it was right but there was nothing on the old bands so I didn't think I needed to use any when I put the new ones on. I've got some Indian Head in the garage, that's pretty good stuff. I also have some copper Permatex out there somewhere.

I'm sure the rubber plug covering the slow jet is in there snug because I used the new one that came with the carb kit and it was a pretty good fit. I always get kinda confused (more than normal) about which way to adjust the float. I think in this case I want to set the level lower or so that it shuts off sooner? I had no flooding problems before I got my fingers into the carb.

There is no crossover pipe. I know they're not the best choice but for now I'm still running the 2" drag pipes with lollipops. All I have are 3 sets of drag pipes, the other two are 1 3/4" with no baffles or washers. It runs much better with the washered 2" vs the open 1 3/4" so I'm gonna leave them on until I get some of the carb issues figured out. I haven't noticed any black around the pipes but it can't hurt to put some sealer on them I guess.

It'll probably be next week before I can get over to my buddies to have him look at the timimg. I can give it another shot. I didn't want to fool with it too much because I know if you move the timing plate just a little it makes a big change. But I do have it marked so I can go back to the starting point. It does have electronic ignition too.

Back to the garage, pull the carb back off, reset the float, give everything a second look inside, check the timimg, seal the intake bands, seal and check for exhaust leaks, might as well do a compression test while I'm in there. I sure would like to ride this thing instead of work on it all the time......

 

When setting the float you really need to have the pics from the manual that show how to measure. The spec is 16 to 17 mm, so it has to be precisely set. It is like this ...

With the bowl off, hold the body so that the float is hanging vertical; tilt it very little, but just enough to seat the needle. The distance from the mating surface of the carb to the far edge of the float must be 16 to 17 mm.

 

You have the stock jets for 1983 in there now. If you have a high-flow aftermarket air cleaner in addition to your drag pipes, you probably need larger jets as well as an idle mixture screw adjustment. Even if you think it runs better with the 2" drags, you should use the 1-3/4" ones and add lollipops, if that's what you like. You'll probably never get it to run right with 2" pipes. The stock intake bands you get from H-D are much better quality and fit than the aftermarket ones, BTW.

 

i know most people have trouble with the 2" drag pipes, but i have been running them for years, got them dialed in pretty good, the bike really likes a set of baffles about 4 to 6" long, have ran them with the hehin butterfly and now im running a cv both took alot of tuning to get it as good as possible,(ran ALOT stronger with the butterfly kehin)has no stumble at all with the baffles,

 

So....anybody have a carb float in their back pocket? Mine seems to have developed a hole in it....after I dropped it on the garage floor DOH! Off to Terre Haute in the morning to The Shop to get another one.
Btw the float was set at about 14 mm when I took the carb apart again, so much for trying to set it by eyeballin' it.

Shepdog what brand of baffles are you runnning in yours? I bought a cheap set of 4" baffles off of Ebay but couldn't stand the woosh woosh sound they made and took them back out without even going for a test ride. I like the deeper tone and the look of the 2" pipes but I have a new set of 1 3/4" that I'll probably end up going back to. I also have an old set of 1 3/4" goosenecks that I would be willing to cut down and experiment with shorter lengths of pipe if anyone thinks there is any benefit to running shorter pipes........of course, after I get my current issues lined out and the bike running right.

 

+1 on this.

 

It runs better with 2" pipes and lollipops vs 1 3/4" pipes and no lollipops is what I meant.
More than likely I will go back to 1 3/4" with...something in them. I just don't want to make that change until I get the other problems figured out.

 

not sure of the brand, i had the in and out a few times "bending" the little cut outs until i got the sound that i liked, with them in now there isnt alot of diff. in the sound, still can hear me coming from far away!

 

Finally! I think I've got the hesitation cured and am on the right track now.
Went to Terre Haute this morning and picked up another float, needle and a complete carb minus the fuel bowl all for $10 bucks at the best little bike shop in this area. So after replacing the float and going all through the carb again I put it all back together with another set of intake bands with sealer and new clamps. It runs 90% better now. The hesitation or hiccup is all but gone when I crack the throttle open. It did still cough and pop back through the carb a couple of times when I first left on the test ride but after a couple of miles it quit that. Feels alot stronger now and it actually has throttle response now. It's still not 100%. Still need to get the timing checked, still need to check for exhaust leaks after I switch back to the 1 3/4" pipes and still need to do some fine tuning.
The other carb I got today had the spring I needed for the choke so that works like it should again and also has a 170 jet in it. Unfortunately it has a 48 slow jet in it. I have the 52 and 160 jets still in now. Should I try to bump the 52 up to a 58 or so? Do you guys think the 170 would be too much or should I try a 165 first? I'm out just about 1 1/2" turns on the mix. It still has a random miss at speed and I can't help but feel like it's still running a little lean. I'm gonna look at the plugs tomorrow and go from there.
This is a big relief after working on this thing for a month with no improvements. Only thing that worries me is I'm not sure what I did this time to make it better.