Ok... I previously had backfiring out of the carbs.... IT was, as many were able to point out, missing O-rings in the carbs.  (both were gone and I've never been in the carbs.... stupid previous owner).  Anyways... here's a few final questions.

1.  MY bike's idle is nuts... it will idle fine for a bit then take off for no reason to like 5K!!!  What the heck can make it do this?  Is it just running lean?  My carb boots need replacing bad but I think I've sealed all the cracks... I'm puzzled.

2.  The bike drives strong... but any time I give it full throttle it bogs down/loses power/breaks up (however you'd like to describe it).  This is really annoying?  Any solutions/experiences with this?

3.  On my handle bars on the throttle/on and off/start controls (right side) (and yes... I realize this could be to blame for some of this) the metal tube (bout an inch and half long) that houses the throttle cable just spins around in a circle at will.  How does this tighten down?  I can't figure it out at all.  I'm not talking about the cable adjustment (the nut and piece that are used to adjust ide) but the entire unit its attached to.  Help...

Thanx to all you guys that helped diagnose the lean running/backfiring/carb o-ring problem.  You all are a lot of help!

Austin

1. You may still need to replace the boots.  Either that or your jetting is still too lean.
2. From where do you give it full throttle; at what rpm are you giving it full throttle?  There's a little difference between bogging (too rich) and hesitation (too lean).  If it bogs, the engine slows down and burbles/gives a deep, bassy sound.  If it hesitates, it jerks violently back and forth.
3. Is the tube you speak of curved?  If so, then yes it's supposed to spin freely.  This allows the cable to maintain a neutral tension as the handlebars are turned in relation to the frame/steering head.  Does the cable tighten up as you turn it to the right?  That's okay as long as you still have about 1mm of play.

I'll order new boots today... as for the bogging/hesitating... my bike is bogging.  When I'm cruising down the road and want get into it I'll even ease into full throttle and it begins to "burbble" (good description by the way) and lose power.  Any suggestions here?

Thanks,
Austin

Sorry but I didn't get to see from the original thread, what exhaust are you running?

Quote from: KYGS500E on January 25, 2006, 06:40:53 AM
I'll order new boots today... as for the bogging/hesitating... my bike is bogging.  When I'm cruising down the road and want get into it I'll even ease into full throttle and it begins to "burbble" (good description by the way) and lose power.  Any suggestions here?

Thanks,
Austin

Sounds like inproper jetting

The bike has a stock header with a Vance and Hines Pipe welded on about half way down the side of the bike. 

I checked the carb... it doesn't appear to have a different jetting than stock and my assumption is that a welded on canister wouldn't effect it that much... but i have larger jets coming any ways.

I just bought my GS last week but noticed it takes about 20 minutes to fully warm up.  Until then it'll gag at half throttle.

If it's still doing that when fully warmed up, you'll need to take the carbs off and check various things like float level, clogged jets/ports etc.  My XR100 had the same issue, turns out it was jammed with nasty green junk from sitting so long, and the float was way off.  I also had a boat with 2bbl carb/302 that would gag when given gas, and the thin metal supporting the float would bend down over time, feeding way too much gas and choke it off.

Depending on your finances it may just be easier to take the carbs in for a rebuild/adjustment.

Check your airfilter, and make sure it's clean.  If it's dirty, or clogged, it may make it run rich, or bog, at large throttle openings.

Make sure the brass plug is no longer over the mixture screw (1st sign of potential jetting).  The next thing to check is fuel level in the floatbowl with clear hose hooked up to the drain spigot.

If someone hasn't already mentioned it  there's  two orings on the carb boots that go bad with age. Too tight valves can cause the overspeeding also.