Topic: WARNING Carb. OCD individuals do not view this post!

[KingCustomCycles.com]

   I have run into this problem a few times and thought it worth posting.  If you have carburetor obsession issues this one will keep you up at night.  The picture shows what attempting to un-stick a slide can do to damage the carb needle "carrier".  The picture shows the carrier bent .058" and is clearly discernable to the naked eye.  This can present a real problem with balancing and may explain why some of you have uneven threads showing on the top of the rack where the thimbles have been unevenly adjusted to compensate.  The cure is a disassembly of the carbs and a bending back of the "carrier" or lift rod mount.

[ekpent]

Good Post King. I too have seen that issue more than once and wondered if it could have been the root of some problems for folks. A quick way to tell if you have that problem is when you pull the slide the chromed aduster rod will not stand at attention but will just flop over and feel loose. Even Viagra won't help it 

[flybox1]

oooohhh....THE HORROR! 
...where's my medication!
i was doing so well 

~nice find KCC!

[DH]

Needle plates get bent often on bikes that have been sitting for extended periods with varnished up slides. When the throttle grip
refuses to turn, some just think simply turning it with more force will be just the ticket to unstick things.. 750s are more prone to
bent plates. IIRC, the 500/550 plates are much stronger and designed diffeently. And yeah, like you guys mentioned, syncing
is impossible with a bent needle plate.