Calling all carb tuning experts...

So I took the advice of Fitz and put the air box back in. For those missing my previous post on that, it is possible to get it back in without dropping or removing the engine.
Still running the Mac 4 into 1 exhaust and will be going back to the stocky when I can afford it.
The pod filters were nothing but headaches and so was the jetting.
Supposedly one doesn't have to rejet to install an unmodified Mac made to suit your specific bike. I have the one made to fit mine.
I rejetted the carburetors to 115 (only because I was able to trade an even swap for the 125 mains I was running. Stock, on the 550, is 112.5.
So Mac 4 into 1, 115 mains, stock pilots, and stock air box and filter.
I bench synced (paperclip method) but won't vacuum sync til I get a few things from chacal.
The bike, once warm, runs incredibly better. Throttle response is normal, smooth and consistant. No stuttering at cruising rpms.
This is my biggest problem (and I have been bugging Fitz for most of them)...
Somewhere there is a bug. Still havn't gotten on it enough to really narrow it down, but I have a quick hesitation and at times sputtering when I let off the throttle for a few seconds then open it back up. If I pull the clutch and give it a couple rpm shots it'll clear up.
Backfiring... a lot of quick and subtle backfires upon deceleration.
Very hard starting. Also, has to be absolutely almost at op temp before the bike will idle on its own without the choke.

What I do know... Have a bad coil. #2 pipe will be bone cold at times and the bike either won't start or will bun runs very bad. But that is to be expected when you don't get spark to a cylinder. Funny thing is... when it first happens, I instinctively push down on all of the caps to make sure they are tight on the plug. When #2 isn't sparking, I get a hefty shock when I touch #3. So the coil might not be bad but something is and it sends the pulse down the #3 wire instead of through the #2 and to the plug. Oh yeah... this happens only when it has rained or is raining.

Anyway... this is what I have and havn't figured out. Where do I go from here?

The shop guys said they didn't touch the needle but they might have and don't remember. How do I know what is stock, what has been shimmed, what has been changed, etc.

Also... anybody have little tricks that make carb removal and installation a tiny bit less painful?

 

Use wooden hammer handles as levers and tie down ratchet straps to push and pull. Use Vaseline.

 

Thanks, Time. Another question then... See I am getting past cleaning carbs and just setting everything as it was. Now I am going from an aweful pod filter disaster to as close as I can afford to stock. I'm slowly getting there.

For now... tuning as best I can to the 4 into 1 exhaust and 115 jets. This is a temporary set up til I get the stock exhaust and jet back to stock.
As far as I understand, in is lean and out is rich on these carbs.
What method can I use to tune the pilots in as best as possible. I play guitar and have a good ear if listening plays a big role in tuning.

 

There are nine ways to set the Pilot screws. (9).
Tuning by ear, and backing that up with the tach, and even a spray bottle on the exhaust pipes if needed.
Adjust the Pilot screw in slowly until the 1 CYL drops out due to leanness.
Adjust out until it picks up, then add a quarter turn.
Repeat for all 4.
If you are at 1,200 RPM, you will see when it drops out, so even the tone deaf can tune. Then there's the ColorTune plug, so you can see the exact color of combustion.

But ultimately, you drive under light loads, like 45, then pull over, and check the color of your plugs.
The goal is a light tan, with no hesitation on set-off from a light.
This is your final phase of tuning, and all (ALL) other aspects need to be in order.

(I did not list all 9 ways of tuning Pilots)

 

well I don't have a tach. haha. and the color tune plug I did have went awol when I had my stuff at the garage. but I can hear 1200 rpms well enough. I suppose I need to just figure the stuff out.

Here is where I am lost on tuning...
The pilots can be dialed in perfectly. but what do you do about the other areas of tuning?
When checking the colors of plugs... regular plugs... should I be in higher rpm range while driving 45 or just the proper gear for the speed?
Should I start off with brand new plugs or should, say... black plugs become tan if chopping under perfect tune. Like if I get the pilots tuned right by turning them in til the cylinder drops then back out and it ends up being perfect, will a black plug, after riding for 15 minutes or so, burn off the carbon and show the tan I am looking for?
So far everything seems good with load... cruising then giving it throttle. It's smooth and pulls nicely and everything in that area seems good. It seems more in the pilots so that is what I want to work out.
If I get those tuned in right, I think I'll have this bike running better than it has ever ran. If not it is right around what I had when I first bought it, cleaned the carbs, set the float levels, and bench and vacuum synced them with old fashion mercury sticks. That was before I learned about the YICS tool and what the YICS even stood for. Haha... I thought it was yamaha's company... like GM is to chevy and GMC. Hahaha... don't hit me, please.

On that note... see where being on this site has gotten me?

 

If you have done all the cleaning, clunking & syncing, all that's left is the pilot mixture screws. There is a lot of chat about plug chops should be under load, however, start with new plugs & hit the kill switch at high revs, check the plugs & adjust very small amounts at a time & er-check often, yes its APITA.

 

your going to want to get a running sync before you start setting pilot screws
set the screws to whatever the starting point is for a 550 and get the sync close
set the pilots however you decide to then do another sync
then tweek the pilots again
sounds like you should splice on some new plug wires too, maybe before you start on the carbs

 

if i read right, you increased your main jets from 112.5 to 115 but left the pilot jets and needle alone, right?

just wanted to point out that increasing the main jet will have little to no (if any at all) impact on how the bike idles.

in my experience - the 4-into1, however, will have an impact on how the bike idles.

 

I am going to be going back to the stock system for sure. Just have to work with what I have for now and that is the 4 into 1.
Now, from experience, I can safely argue that the 4 into 1 seems to cause more disadvantages than advantages. Had to learn the hard way. Just hope, when I do switch, I can get rid of the Mac on ebay or something.

 

Got er tuned! Sometimes the d**k-head motorcycle mechanic actually turns out to be really cool... just with bad social skills. Let me borrow his YICS tool and his 4 guage sync tool. All I had to do was pay for the hoses I needed to set my tank on the seat. Believe it or not, the carbs were balanced almost perfectly save a little heavier on the right two than the left. But just a hair. Used a colortune plug and ended up being extremely lean. Now running a really cool looking blue across the board.
This bike honestly has never ran this good and I am almost scared to go all the way back to stock now. I took it for a 20 minute ride, hwy and back roads and a little in town and not one single bit of a problem. I am stoked beyond normalcy. Haha. Thanks a lot, guys.

 

Polock makes a good point. I know I'm just a newbie here, but in all of my experiences with ignition trouble, if you are losing spark in moist weather, and getting shocked when near a wire, then there is probably one or more cracks in the insulation. Your coil might be bad, but wires might be a cheap way to start your process of elimination. Done that yet?

 

Oh the coil is fine... the solder, in more than one point, pulled away from the point and left it bare. I pulled the coil and went over the wires and resoldered and used a paint on electrical tape (that stuff is actually pretty cool) and now it's fine. Actually got caught in the rain, I think, the same night I did it and didn't have any problems. I am still going to replace them when i can just to eliminate the possibility of these problems in the near future. Thanks again everybody.