Go over the usual stuff (plugs, plug caps, carb balancing, fluids, filters, rear drive lube, etc). Check the rubber timing belt for degradation from old age. By that time they solved the stumble-off-idle problem the first year Wings were known for..
It kept wanting to idle low, so I adjusted the screw for a slightly higher idle and it helped. But a few weird things occured during a test ride:
It would backfire slightly from the left exhaust pipe on deceleration.
There was a little bit of bluish oil smoke coming from the right exhaust, but once it warmed up, that went away. (I think that is the fault of how it arrived in the trailer. It had slipped so that it was suspended from the tie-downs with the right side of the bike down. It hadn't hit the deck and it didn't "fall", just that the lowest point of the machine was the right cylinder head and I think some oil pooled in there and it burned out. Plausible?)
There seemed to be an oily/gassy smell whenever it ran (but it got a BIT better as it warmed up). Worse than my 400F, which also has a cat-free exhaust.
When I snapped the throttle open at low-ish RPM, it picked up speed, then there was a little POP! from the right exhaust around 5-6K and it SURGED forward, as if another cylinder lit off. Could it be running on three cylinders intermittently?
When the ride was over, it didn't want to idle again and kept sputtering at around 400-500 RPM or so unless I revved it. After a minute or two, it settled into a nice 900-1000 RPM idle.
The brakes took a LOT of pressure to use and didn't seem to slow it unless they were PULLED, which leads me to think I'm going to have to service the entire brake system.
When I deliver it this weekend, I am planning to replace the plugs, check and set timing, and check the carbs. These problems all sound most likely Carb related, perhaps skunky gas, clogged idle jets, improper float height, etc. Are these things a big deal on a 'Wing? Also, the PO installed a Dyna electronic ignition. Are they hard to set?
