Carb Problems, could use some suggestions

[fred]

Hey there. I'm having some carb problems with my project bike. The idle floats like crazy and I'm starting to run out of things to try, so i could use some suggestions. Here are the relevant details:

The bike is a 1994 GS 500E (California model) with something like 30K miles on it (don't know for sure because the PO said the speedo wasn't hooked up for a great long while, probably between the time someone dropped it and later decided to tape the instrument cluster back together). It has a bone stock airbox and exhaust. When it got it, it wasn't running well at all, and I tracked the problem down to a cracked intake tube. I replaced the intake tubes, their clamps and the rubber boots from the airbox and those clamps because they also weren't looking so good. The choke cable was also broken, so I replaced it and at the same time verified that the throttle cable was routed correctly and not binding up in any way. I then went with a Buddha jet kit (40/125) and a washer and cleaned out the carbs. I got the float heights set perfectly after a couple of tires, and when I went to start the bike, the idle was still floating. I went back through everything again, and noticed on of the O-rings under the top caps of the carbs was missing, so I replaced both of them. When I fire up the bike, it idles fine, but when I rev it up the idle goes up quickly then comes down very very slowly. I've played with the mixture screws and anything from 0 to 4 turns out doesn't seem to make a huge difference. I've also sprayed everything down with starter fluid while the bike was idling to check for vacuum leaks (same way I found the first one) but didn't find any. I disconnected the petcock vacuum hose and plugged it and noticed no change. One interesting note: when I was messing with the petcock vacuum hose, I briefly left it disconnected, creating a massive vacuum leak and the bike seemed to actually run better...

What should I try next? I was planning on checking the valves next because the PO owned the thing for 10 years without ever doing anything but change the oil. He never even changed the brake pads, and they were pretty far gone when I got it. I'm hoping I'll find a super tight valve that will help fix the problem, but if that's not it, I'm not sure what else to do. What am I missing? Thanks in advance for your help!

[gearman]

Ditto.

[The Buddha]

Nope.
Leaky valves run and feel an awful lot like a cracked in take manifold.
The thing I think is going on is that you have a very high float or a stuck open float or one of the O ring letting gas in around the emulsion tube.
Also suspect a possibly clogged intake air jet. Poke it and clean it, do not try to remove them poke, spray whatever and clean it, its in the mouth that fits in the air filter housing on the bottom of the carb.
Cool.
Buddha.