I've got a stock '96.  Exhaust is too $$$ for me right now, but from what I gathered, I can DIY re-jet and get a K&N clamp on (can I use this with the stock pipe?  Or should I go K&N drop in for stock box???) for around $60-$70 (sound right?).  From what I've found (I DID look thru old posts before I wrote this) I should get 40 pilots and 127.5 mains.  I'm not real sure about needle shimming, (#4 washers?) as I haven't taken my carbs apart to clean them yet, and without a good diagram, I'm not sure exactly where the washers go or what they do, but I'm thinking maybe it'll come to me in a flash when I've got the bike in pieces.  Just looking for some confirmation/advice/suppliers for aforemention planned mod.  A cobra pipe may be in the works, but from what I've heard they're crappy and don't add any performance (perhaps better sound).

Cobra quality is crappy... and will fall apart... anyway stay with stock air filter and pipe just put in 40 pilots... and take out mix screws to 3. That will familiarize the carbs... so when you do the pipe and K&N lunch box pod... its easier.
Cool.
Srinath.

If you go clamp--on filter, you probably wanna use bigger jets than 127.5, even with stock pipe. 137.5-140 is what I would try. Not that I ever actually tried.

See my web page for detailed infor on DYI rejetting:
http://www.angelfire.com/mt2/mikesgs500/rejetting

Thanks Srinath...

Any tips on were the pick up the 40's?  I'm assuming I should get Mikuni's, cause I think that's what my carb's say on them.  And any idea what I should pay for them??...  I'm fairly new to bike wrenching, but know enough that too little knowledge and too many tools and you'll probably end up making it worse... (Hence the "what did I do to my poor bike" post the other day)  So I wanna have a good idea what I'm getting into before I've got springs and needles and jets and whateverthehellelse is in the carbs all over the place.  Does the Clymer manual have a decent section on carbs??...   :dunno:

Oh yeah, that number might have been 137.5.  But I'll probably just try the pilots first.  I've no notions of turning this 500 into a gixxer or 'busa, and would probably save my money for a new bike if I wanted a real rocket.  But the bike seems like it should get more than enough power for me to go out and scare myself shitty everyonceinawhile.  I'd just like to smooth out some rough idle and flat spots in the band.  But thanks again, and I'll check out that re-jet link.

Gibb