these things arent rocketscience
Before you ever crank the bike up, there are a few things that need to be done so youll be able to tune them to the bike.
Things like..(1)Indexing the rods to see where the taper is.
It also helps if you (2)sync the slides. You cant possibly expect your machine to run even close to right if your slides are all jacked up. They have to be level with one another..and they have to be strung on a tight cable. You can use those little brass fittings in the top of the carb to set the slide height. You can use that little arch in the back of the slide as a visual reference(THATS WHATS ITS THERE FOR) You can also use the #2 adjusters on the cable. Without syncing the slides first..youve got nothing..
that (3)brass idle screw is a waste of time and material and only confuses the cable. get rid of it and dont look back.(plug the hole first)
WTF is indexing..??
Its pretty hard to explain if you dont understand the concept behind the how the rod meters the fuel through the carb.
If you index the rods, that will tell you how much to take off the bottom of the longer of the two, or 3, or 4 rods so when you DO measure the length, (ex.)48.5 in the left..meters the same amount of fuel as 48.5 in the right..
For example, if the rods arent indexed properly(AND OFTEN TIMES THEY ARE NOT..!!) The metering face in the left carb is at a different location than the metering face in right carb...EVEN WHEN THEY MEASURE THE SAME LENGTH sticking out of the bottom of the slide.
Good things to know
There are three different generations of rods
FirstGenRods only work in carbs 40mm and below. Gen2Rods(marked by the letter "L") only work in carbs 44 and below. Gen 3 rods(XL) work in carbs 48 and below
I feel that the main reason dennis uses XL rods in smaller carbs is because it gives that extra little bit of tunability to the carb by creating a lean condition, and the way you tune out of that is to rub sandpaper on the upper portion of the rod close to the threads in order make rooom for more fuel at an idle.(please dont grind your rod with sandpaper)
It also helps if you measure in inches, 1.81, 1.85, 2.0, all good start points depending on which generation rod you have..
Finally..
(4)Get a cable that has a built in adjuster next to the throttle. I promise you, It makes your life so much easier.
Please dont call dennis and badger him because your bike doesnt run right..hes a busy man. IF you have to call him, then ask sensible questions like:
How important is it that my rods are indexed properly..?(Can you tell me how to check this for myself..?) and he will..it involves a dial caliper
How important is it that my slides are sync'd..?(and tips on doing so)
How important is the idle screw on a twin and higher..?
All this...Is the Tip of the Spear..!! Nothing, not temperature, not altitude, not fuel oil ratio, tire pressure, or paintjob on your sexy blubbering, non running machine makes as much difference to it's performance as whats listed above..
1)Index your rods..if you dont know how, ask your builder
2)Sync your slides and make them exact
3)DX the idle screw and plug the hole
4)Get a cable with an adjuster on all three ends(twin)
Peace..yo