So my bike is really acting up....

[fred]

If your plugs are black, your bike might be running super rich. Next time you go to start it and it won't catch, pull the plugs and smell them. If they are soaking wet with gas, you're probably flooding the engine... Also, while you've got the plugs out, make sure you've got decent spark on both sides. Then check your float height. I know you just took the carbs apart, so you want to verify that your floats are doing the right thing now that you've put the carbs back together.

As for the idle screw, it doesn't go in a specific place, you just warm the bike up, then adjust the idle screw until it idles at 1200 RPM. The idle screw is just a stop on the closed position of the butterfly valves. It simply holds the butterfly vales a little bit open when you've released the throttle all the way. If you've backed your idle screw out way too much, you might have trouble getting the bike to idle at all because the butterfly valves are closing too much. You might try giving it throttle when it starts and if you can keep it running by constantly giving it a bit of gas, you might just have to put the idle screw back where it is supposed to be...

[JHoffy8]

I am giving up.. I am frustrated and to busy with school to deal with this thing. I am going to bring it to the shop...  From everything I've heard its the carbs. I guess I didn't clean them very well. How long should this take the shop? I want to make sure I am not getting ripped off, well not too bad at least. Thanks.

[trumpetguy]

Have you checked fuel levels in the float bowls?  One could be way too high, making that carb run rich.  I honestly cannot imagine oil burning on ONE cylinder only.  I suppose it could happen but the mechanics of only one set of rings or only one valve guide being worn are pretty unlikely IMHO.  I'm betting one side is running rich, possibly due to float levels being wrong.

The fuel level is easy to check with the carbs installed on the bike by attaching one end of a clear vinyl hose to the carb drain valve.  Raise the other end of the vinyl hose up alongside the carb body.  Open the valve and observe the level in the hose.  If the fuel level is ABOVE the seam between the float bowl and carb body, it's too high and will be dumping fuel into that carb.  Adjust the float level and try again until the float level is correct.