sluggish of bottom

Went for a ride today, after bike almost not starting it was very sluggish right off the bottom, Had to crank the idle screw up as it was idling way too low.
Seems good once its above 4-5k. This has happened out of the blue as it appeared to be running great the last time I rode.
Whats the first things I should check?
I have had the carbs off twice in the last year to make sure all is perfect.
Feeling frustrated

A shotgun and sync are a good place to start.

"Yup" Same thing happened to me. Do the shotgun and see if it improves, if not do it again!

It ALWAYS requires attention and even a few days of sitting can clog parts in these carbs. I start mine every day to move the gas out of the bowls.
I have worked on carbs most of my life and when i bought my first vmax 3 months ago i could not believe the carb bowls set sideways!! Most bowls are on the bottom and for a good reason.
Start with the smallest jet- pilot fuel-shotgun usually works.

blaxmax said:

It ALWAYS requires attention and even a few days of sitting can clog parts in these carbs. I start mine every day to move the gas out of the bowls.
I have worked on carbs most of my life and when i bought my first vmax 3 months ago i could not believe the carb bowls set sideways!! Most bowls are on the bottom and for a good reason.
Start with the smallest jet- pilot fuel-shotgun usually works.

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Yes, it seems like everytime I start it or go for a ride some adjustments have to be made to the carbs.
Although I am a sometimes rider so the bike may go 2 months before receiving a start up.
As someone told me once the more you ride it the better they run.
I`ll try the shotgun again

If you go that long between rides you should pour some seafoam or stabil in the tank .

marsmax85 said:

If you go that long between rides you should pour some seafoam or stabil in the tank .

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+1 on seafoam or stabilizer. Sometimes you just have to tear the carbs apart for a good cleaning.

My last Vmax ( was #6 ), never needed much attention. I ran a couple cans of "start your engine" through it and that stuff worked miracles.... I am usually not a snake oil believer, but it worked. Its expensive. Like $8 a can for 1 oz or 4 oz, I can't remember.

But I synched my carbs a year later and they weren't far off. Now I did have a few sets of carbs I pulled over the years on my other Max's that needed complete going through.

I wanted to rebuild my last set, but honestly it just ran so good I saw no point. I wanted to change jets in it, but on the same hand didnt want to mess with it.

But yes, if you ride it more it will stay more consistent. Plus using different types of gas as well.

Do you run 87 in it? If not, switch to 87 and you will find the bike will run WAY better.

End of the day, if you just can't get it going, give Dannymax a shout. He can take care of you.

Thanks all
Shotgunned the hell outa it and did a sync.
Ran almost perfect after that, not 100% power of what I remember but its close enough, will be putting new exhaust system and jetkit on it in about 3 months so will be pulling carbs again then.

I did notice on carb 3 the a/f mixture screw was missing the small round gasket o`ring and the spring was rather corroded. And almost 1/2 the ammount of fuel in the float bowl compared to the rest.
I cleaned it up the best I could and used a small rubber o`ring (only thing I could find that was close) and re-fitted.
How vital is this small gasket? and why would this bowl have less fuel than the others?

I dont think the small oring is super vital....but will probably cause a small leak if its not in there.

I wonder if there is a bit of dirt...etc lodged in the float of the carb that doesnt have as much fuel in the others? The float can get stuck low....or high...causing a low or high fuel level.

huskyman510 said:

Thanks all
Shotgunned the hell outa it and did a sync.
Ran almost perfect after that, not 100% power of what I remember but its close enough, will be putting new exhaust system and jetkit on it in about 3 months so will be pulling carbs again then.

I did notice on carb 3 the a/f mixture screw was missing the small round gasket o`ring and the spring was rather corroded. And almost 1/2 the ammount of fuel in the float bowl compared to the rest.
I cleaned it up the best I could and used a small rubber o`ring (only thing I could find that was close) and re-fitted.
How vital is this small gasket? and why would this bowl have less fuel than the others?

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That question is most definately the answer to why your not running at 100%. All your carbs should have the same/correct fuel level to be running at full performance.

You can check the float levels on these carbs very easily w/o removing them. Just add a clear hose extention on to the black ones sticking out the sides and open your drain screw right there and take note of the level against the mark on the side of the carb housing. Again, all should be the same/correct levels.

Refer to your repair manual for the details and pics. If you don't have a manual, someone here might know where there is a link to a step-by-step here on the forum and if that isn't available just report back here and
i can write it out in more detail for you.

But definately worth chasing down and correcting IMO.................

Quick float level check I use. Cycle the key to fill all the bowls. Get the first carb set with a wet check using clear tubing. Mark a small jar after draining the first carb into it. Then check the rest. They should all be equal. Put the marked jar in your tool box for furure checks.
Steve-o