hi minimo, if you're taking the carbs out again, i'd be checking the needle valve operation if you still have the aftermarket needle and it's seat installed, just that alone will give you intermittent nightmares, and if that new set works well, you might be 1 remarkably lucky person, because they are very rarely ok. to check them in the carbs (i know you know this,) on the bench can add 15 more complete removals of the bowls to try again, so take them out, the needle and the seat, put the seat in the end of a plastic tube and then put the needle in so that you can at least test the amount of any failures based on the needle position (as it may spin around in the bike.) wet the jet first with some spit works alright, hold the needle in place w/tip of your finger, into the seat and with the tube in your mouth create a slight vacuum while touching the needle spring tip and released positions, and rotate the needle to various positions. you don't nor shouldn't have to inhale to do this, like drinking a chocolate malt out of a straw. if any one has trouble being consistent and you have tried rewetting it i'd take them out, along with any other aftermarket jet in the system (it should hold a vacuum with no effort at all, by just barely touching it, no slight leaks allowed.)
i didn't see in the post if you got the ignition set right on, if you did cool, if not, and the advancer looks good, cleaned and dry (no grease on the pickup blocks and if any on the inner advancer shaft, make sure it's very little, i run it dry,) and after you place the plate over the shaft with it's screws in place but not tight, to put the special nut on with the long 6mm bolt you can kick over the motor or use the starter with the kill switch in the off pos, to see if the bolt doesn't oscillate, if it does move around up and down or whatever, loosen it (by the way when making these ignition adjustments never bear down and try to tighten bolts and nuts tight, just a snug fit until you get it right then only a little snug more,) and reposition the big special nut to try to get it to run straight, if you have trouble with that, bolt might be bent and has to be straight. if it is, cool, be careful torquing that long bolt. the plate: if your bike is relatively new with under 5k miles, following the directions to time the ignition would probably be the way to go. if not, and your symptoms are showing that, following the settings instructions can be troublesome, either this time or times down the road, if you ride the bike daily, then every 6
to 12 months you'll be doing this again and it's good to know alternative ways to adjust that plate and points. because of play in the plate in it's housing moves it'll throw off dwell, and advance every time you move the plate for both sets of points. it'll have a mind of it's own, but getting this part set is the easiest to get to and get it right to rule out any thing to do with it. your symptoms again sound like ignition problems. iv'e used the same plug caps since early 80s, same plug wires and coils. same ignition. plugs last about 10,000 miles.
i was going to send the examples of problems you might run into following the manual directions, it's too complicated, but what i did to dial it in so easy that it surprised me. if you have problems with the f marks getting lined up using a strobe while the points dwells are set, then watch how far off the F mark is and which way the f mark moves or comes into range by adjusting the dwell while running, you might get the concept of the 2 relationships in a used bike. so to make it easy to start with is adjust the points 1-4 not to spec but off in the direction opposite of which way the f mark was moving, because what you want is to finish the timing adjustment by dialing in the dwell last, if you know what i mean, because going back and forth and timing the plate last will always throw off the dwell, so watching the f mark with the strobe while making the final dwell adjustment on the points, and if it doesn't line up the mark, move the plate again first in the range it was off, finish with the dwell settings. if you can get that then you don't have to move the plate again, then points 2-3 have no excuse to cause any problems that's a 2 minute operation. i've heard about making micro shims to keep the plate from having play, and or slightly peening the plate holder tabs to result in less play. both to me are only adding another part to have hold in and drop and can't find to have to work with. I know the plate is loose and this method i'm describing eliminates all worries and headaches. probably confusing, but it works like a champ. it's much harder to grasp the idea, than if i were able to show you, you'd be like trippin out. it's that easy. but it has to be nearly perfect to run like a 400f should. i forgot the advance check, they normally function right and if not bending the tabs on them or changing spring tension is a shot in the dark again. putting another advancer on it is better.
I wrote about it before and of course it didn't go over well with anybody that i know of, and if it is because of running a motor with far advanced ignition timing will damage a motor, so their remedy to prevent that means to follow the order of the manual's system of timing, they have a point, if the motor is bucking from way too far advanced shut it off then back the plate up a bit, the whole idea to my weird fix is to get the plate set with the dwell right on, without having to loosen the plate after setting the points correctly on. to me that's backwards, when you can't get the f mark to come into view the moment you loosen the plate screws. when you can't get it into view, then note which way it moves when adjusting the dwell and when you know which way it's moving, then you can start with the points but don't set it on .016, set it off the opposite direction so that when you set the "timing" of the plate (that couldn't hit the f mark) by guessing the distance off you need to set it, to have the dwell be the final adjustment that brings both together at one that dwell adjustment. hope i didn't step on anybody's toes, i'm not assuming anyone isn't experts at this, except me, and that's after over 35 years riding the same bike. I do all the work myself. just luck. never crashed it, and i ride it without babying it at all. they're built to run crazy high rpm. never throw any parts away (except maybe those jets.) 4 into 1 claimed they've never had anyone complain nor have had any problems with the thousands they sell. I was like, then here take em back and sell them to someone else, or at least look at them from the desk and try to get 3 out of 4 of the needle jets to even come close to sealing, I couldn't. they told me to assemble them and then test it. if i can't get get a seal even without a tube just put the seat in my mouth and put the needle in, i can tell immediately if it's ok or not. they were offended. 3 out of 4 couldn't seal by all attempts, even pressing very hard. why put them in? and the other jets looked extremely off from one to the other in visual orifice light that bore through. a pilot jet is so small that the light coming through distorts the actual circle on good jets, 4 into 1's were so large the hole was visible, the were stock sizes 40 and 75 mains and pilot. the mains looked like they were hand drilled. i asked them to check them and let me know if i was the one that was not right, i asked 2 times they wouldn't do it.
