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Jayson, while you have the carbs off, check the rubber holder that holds the carbs onto the engine for cracks. Also check the rubber connections between the air cleaner box and the carbs for cracks. A crack in these parts will cause an intake leak and it would show with a very strange idle, much like what you have. There *is* an air filter in there, isn't there? If it's missing you'll get a weird idle.

You really, really need to get the manual to take those carbs apart so you'll have pictures to put it back together. Maybe you can dowload the picture and print it from the BikeBandit web site.
Use an egg carton to hold the tiny parts. There are rubber washers under some of the screw-looking things, don't lose them. It is easy to strip the screws on a carb, it may help to hold it steady and tap the screwdriver with a hammer to help break the screws loose. Don't tap it very hard!

Don't let it overwhelm you, carbs are a very do-able job, it just takes a fair amount of time and patience. Ask questions, don't just throw a bunch of expensive parts at it. You'll learn a whole lot getting this bike up and running well, it will be worth the effort.

Thanks for the tips. I do have the book that came with my bike and it covers most everything. I don't have it with me but I'm pretty sure it has a break down of the carbs.

Suggesting an air leak between the air box and the carbs is interesting because even with a friends help we had a hard time pushing those rubber connectors as far onto the carbs as it should go. I'd say there is a 1/4 inch more it should be able to go but we could not get it and tightened it where it was. Any suggestions on this?

And yes, there is a clean filter in the air box.

jayson-

Rubber gets hard and brittle when old.

to get the carbs up into their holders, I have used a hair dryer to heat up the brittle old rubber. Use some lube, WD40 is not so very flammable (use your common sense with the heat and anything flammable, of course).

Another trick: I cannot get my carbs onto their holders on my Honda without using ratchet straps. Carefully run them up around the frame so that you can apply force that will make the carbs go into their warmed, lubed holders. You probably have them if you got the bike home. They're not expensive at all. Just don't route them where they'll scratch the forks or break the headlight or anything like that. Might take a few tries but for me, they work like magic on that old bike.