Power curve low at 2500 rpm

I have been tweaking and cleaning to get this far. I'm riding to break it in a bit and have not balanced the carbs yet. Who has the lead? In other words which carb do I set the rest to.
Also as I'm riding I notice that around 2500 rpm that the hills are too much for it. Idles a bit rough but still has loads of torque for take-off. Above 3000 it just keeps pulling hard and fast. I have a back road and let the revs go up and up. Crazy fast bike! I had my 170 lb. Son on with me and it was like he wasn't even there.
Just asking two things...
Which is the base carb for balancing and any ideas why no power at 2500 rpm?
Thanks,
H

 

What have you done to the carbs so far?
Are the intake and exhaust stock?
There's no point is doing a running synch untill the bog is solved.

 

2500 rpm is the transition point of the pilot jet and main jet

 

Cleaned and stock jetted the main at 125. The exhaust is a 4 into one that breathes pretty open. Not sure of brand. Idle needles seemed to like being out 3.5 turns.
Could it be sticking advance...? I haven't done anything under the engine caps yet.

 

As I crank the throttle open on a hill at 2500 it just makes more noise it doesn't bite. It doesn't balk or spit. Just no pep. Is it ok to just avoid that range and ride it?

 

1. You can't avoid transitioning from the pilots to the mains, unless your plan is to ride at idle the whole time.
2. Ignition advance is entirely electronic, non-adjustable, and not likely related to the problem that you are having.

When you cleeaned the carbs what exactly did you do?
Were they torn completely down, or were they just sprayed out with canned cleaner?

 

#3 is the baseline. it has the idle knob on it. everything is set to that. best to start with a fast idle, then as it gets in sync use the idle knob to slow it down,
if it ever fails to slow it down you did something wrong, start over.
no power at 2500 rpm in 5th is lugging it pretty low

 

Totally disassembled and ultrasoniced.

 

this is from owners manual and is shift points for maximum fuel milage

this would be for flat roads no traffic and slow easy acceleration. you need to twist that throttle a bit more before shifting, more so when going up hills
2500 rpm would have you going about 35 mph in 5th gear . if you have hills to climb and are in a 35mph zone you want to be in a lower gear than 5th

you want to be able to evade and escape in an emergency situation. stopping is not always an option.

 

Thanks all,
I see that that was lugging... I have a XV 535 with no tach but it just seems gutsier at the lower rpm. I don't think I ever Rev that higher than 6k. This is a bold new venture. Please forgive my naivety.

 

you can go to red line with no issues

 

Ahhhhh.......missing information (in this case me misreading a post) leads to improper diagnosis. Oops.

The inline 4 is a very different beast from a V-Twin. The twin has more torque, but the 4 keeps making power right up until (and a bit past) redline.
It'll take a few days of riding to get used to the difference. The shifting chart refrenced above was geared toward maximizing fuel economy, and as mentioned is just a guideline. Power really comes on at 5,000 RPM, and increases from there. Around town I tend to keep the engine between 3 and 4k.

 

I rode the twin for a whole year with an undiscovered diaphragm separation. Had no high end at all. Idled sweet. All was well until wife went with... Then the power was missed. So I find this misfit xj11 and rebuild the carbs to get the crystalline remnants and rust off the list of reasons why it might not live again. To my delight and surprise the thing fires up and gives light to the idea of rebuilding the carbs of the twin. So I discovered the carb issue and repaired with gorilla glue. Then first ride with both cylinders on fire I discovered a whole new range of torque and rpm. I seriously thought it had a Rev limiter before this find. Now I really was enjoying the twin and the kidney punches were somehow tolerated...enter the maiden voyage of the xj11 and the OMG how smooth and fast! So it has my attention...my wife is still on the fence and hasn't ridden this beast yet. Air ride! did I say smooth!

 

Kidney punches? From a Virago 535?

I've worked on and ridden the Virago 920 and it has no kidney punches. The 535 that I test-rode when new didn't either. It's not inline-4 smooth, but it's smooth.
Maybe the shocks are worn out and you're feeling that.

 

K-moe Brand new shocks and its our local streets not the bike... Even put adjustable on. Virago that is. The winter has wrecked most streets here. NY seems undetermined to repair right now...