Topic: The smoke continues... Now with videos...

[bjbuchanan]

The breather hose will be a source of smoke. It is your bikes PCV valve really. A car with a clogged or blocked PCV valve will smoke and will have an overly pressurized crankcase. If you have ever had something with a valve that needed to replace you will know what I mean by that real whooshing you get from the oil fill cap

Bottom hose connects from oil tank to back of engine, the little sucker tucked down low near the swingarm. Just cap the top one with an 8$ autozone breather filter or in my case a small hose clamp and dark tshirt (dont judge me)

[Reganator]

Oh, it should have a filter?  I thought it just went directly to the air.  The other hose is routed properly now.  I had smoke for a second while idling at a light today, but that was it.  I rode it quite a bit today as well.

[scottly]

As far as the rich / lean debate is concerned I keep hearing that exhaust popping may have to do more with a lean condition than rich, however I think I have plugs fouling and they are certainly black,

Black sooty plugs are caused by too much fuel, or a choked off air supply.
Period.
The idle mixture screws don't have that much range. Check the fuel levels in the float bowls with the "clear tube" method. The popping in the exhaust is unburned fuel vapor being ignited inside the pipe. It also appears that the "smoke" is also mostly unburned fuel vapor. 

[Reganator]

The smoke... well the smoke isn't an issue any longer, but the plugs are still black.  I can smell a little gas at idle.  I'm not sure exactly what to say the smoke was, but the hose reroute took care of it. 

I guess what I need to do is figure out why I have unburnt fuel in the pipes.  From what I'm getting that can be one of a few things.  Misfire on the plug caused by any number of things or the mixture was to lean or rich to ignite and ended up in the exhaust where it found what it needed to ignite.

I posted a new thread about my final stages of adjustment now that the smoke is done.  I'm getting pops on one end of the air mix screw, and hesitation on the other.  Confusing to be sure.

[scottly]

Once plugs have been sooted up, it makes any further troubleshooting VERY confusing. I could explain how the carbon fouled plug will fire only with a rich mixture, but that would involve more detail than I care to get into. I've had experiences where I've corrected a carburetor problem, but the previously fouled plugs caused the same symptoms, even after the repair.
For now, I recommend you do a search for "clear tube". This measurement technique has been well documented here, and is one of the most simple tests that can be done. If the actual fuel level in the float bowl is too high or too low, no amount of fiddling with the idle screws will correct it.

[Reganator]

I've got a tube, so I'll check the float bowl height.  When I cleaned the carbs I did correct all the float heights to 26 with a caliper though.  It's that sort of meticulous stuff that I get into. 

As for the plugs, you've absolutely got me there.  I'm planning on cleaning / replacing them (sigh, again) if need be.  I would have done it sooner, but up until just very recently, like Saturday, the bike wasn't running well enough to do it.  I'd have had to clean them each time I ran it.  Now it does seem like it would be worth the time investment.

[scottly]

Don't rely on the 26 mm setting; the clear tube is the true word, the absolute gospel.
Depending on how you clean the fouled plugs, they may still not function properly. I prefer to burn off any carbon with a propane torch. A wire brush will usually make things worse. Bead/sand blasting works well, but it is hard to clean all the sand/beads out of the plug. I try not to introduce any abrasive material into my combustion chambers.

[Reganator]

I actually have this electrical contact cleaner I picked up at Autozone and a worn toothbrush that I've been using. Really does a great job.  I've got a propane torch as well, might try that.