Help with idle mix and top speed:
So last night around midnight I moved the needle to the richest notch. I'm running CV carb with 17.5 pilot, 120 main, big exposed K&N filter, and bazooka with the hot pipe removed. Just got back from my test rides and this is what I've found:
When setup by the dealer, idle screw setting was way out... didn't measure it, but it was somewhere in the order of 6-8 turns out. That always ran great with my stock setup.
2-2.5 turns out is my highest idle speed. I brought it to 3 to be on the rich side. When I rode it down an exit or two on the highway though, it could barely maintain 55 comfortably (using 1/4 to 1/2 throttle). 1/8 throttle was super quick to respond, but lacked the gusto once it got to 1/4 throttle. No real power per-say.
Stopped at a gas station, and brought the idle screw to 5 turns out. Did the same highway test, and this maintained a higher comfortable cruising speed... almost 60 mph at half throttle. Still not super comfortable there, so I did it again.
At 7 turns out, it can maintain idle once warm (no throttle needed to keep it from dying at stop lights), has a delayed attack when blipping the throttle, but has some serious gusto once it hits. Also, I can easily maintain 60 mph or slightly more at about half throttle. Anything higher than that and I get these 'over-revving' sounds that I (maybe falsely) attribute to dryness, leanness, and/or overheating.
It still feels fairly dead when cranking any higher than half throttle at highway RPM's, but what could this mean? Shim it richer than the richest notch on my needle? Go to a larger main jet? Also, is it bad that I have my mixture screw set so much richer than its 'sweet spot' as far as idle is concerned? I don't mind the 'calm before the storm' delayed response when blipping the throttle if it means I have more power at the useable range. Plug is a chalky brown... a little lighter than hershey's chocolate, not white.
I'm tempted to try my 122.5 main. I also have a 125. From what I've read, the AVL is known for this low end power that I'm getting, and that is great. Should I try and get more out of the top end, or will everything else suffer?
Comments, questions, pointers, and the like... let me hear it all. I know nothing about this besides what I've read here and last night I finally popped my 'getting inside a carburetor' cherry.