been riding and fixing sleds for a long time and this 97 Venture 600 with 2400 miles has me stumped 
It has a problem with stuttering and acting sluggish till you get past 5000 or so rpms. I have properly cleaned the smart carbs and did find a plugged pilot jet in one of them. air screws are 1 3/4 turns out, throttle free play is 2 mm, oil pump cable is 1mm before the factory setting and I get the 3 flashes when I first start it then the Diag Light stays off. I don't think its a fuel issue, plugs are chocolate colored. here is where it gets weird, one half of both plugs is chocolate colored, the other half is black. any ideas or suggestions? thanks if you can help!
It has a problem with stuttering and acting sluggish till you get past 5000 or so rpms. I have properly cleaned the smart carbs and did find a plugged pilot jet in one of them. air screws are 1 3/4 turns out, throttle free play is 2 mm, oil pump cable is 1mm before the factory setting and I get the 3 flashes when I first start it then the Diag Light stays off. I don't think its a fuel issue, plugs are chocolate colored. here is where it gets weird, one half of both plugs is chocolate colored, the other half is black. any ideas or suggestions? thanks if you can help!
My 98 SRX plugs looked the same, half and half. Not sure what the issue was , hopefully someone can shine some light on the subject
Also, have you gone through the clutches lately? Worn bushings,springs, secondary buttons, or weights can cause some crazy symptoms. Like a weak spring may cause the clutches to shiftout to quickly and cause bogging until the motor can develop enough rpm/power to catch up with it.
Welcome to the site!
Also, have you gone through the clutches lately? Worn bushings,springs, secondary buttons, or weights can cause some crazy symptoms. Like a weak spring may cause the clutches to shiftout to quickly and cause bogging until the motor can develop enough rpm/power to catch up with it.
Welcome to the site!
Id say your running rich. That 600 twin should be 1.5 turns out not 1.75.
Mark your plugs with a permanent marker on the side facing your carbs, then remove your plugs see if the black side is facing the carb and the lighter side is facing the exhaust. (that would be my guess)
Also what is your idle speed, and have you checked your clutches/belt?
Also when you cleaned your carb you blew out all the small passage ways inside the carb body? I had one so blocked it took about 100psi to blow it out and it was full of gunk. Also when you had your carbs off did you check the throttle valve to make sure they were at the correct idle height?
Mark your plugs with a permanent marker on the side facing your carbs, then remove your plugs see if the black side is facing the carb and the lighter side is facing the exhaust. (that would be my guess)
Also what is your idle speed, and have you checked your clutches/belt?
Also when you cleaned your carb you blew out all the small passage ways inside the carb body? I had one so blocked it took about 100psi to blow it out and it was full of gunk. Also when you had your carbs off did you check the throttle valve to make sure they were at the correct idle height?
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you nneed reed spacers in that thing . is what i would say, those motors all sputterd and were sluggish because of the blockage of the front port .the reeds are too far in and partialy block that port.. hence the reed spacers! While your in there ..check the reeds themselfs maybe thats all it is ...a bad set of reeds!
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all good ideas and thanks for the welcome 
carbs are coming back out for re-cleaning and I will check the reeds.
yep, I properly cleaned them and all adjustments are spot on. still coulda missed something though. the clutch is fine, I cleaned and inspected it. engagement is smooth and crisp.
carbs are coming back out for re-cleaning and I will check the reeds. yep, I properly cleaned them and all adjustments are spot on. still coulda missed something though. the clutch is fine, I cleaned and inspected it. engagement is smooth and crisp.
working on the Venture now, reeds are good, did find a lot of water on the petals. one of the air mix screws is missing a washer that sits on the o-ring. I will rectify these issues and report back, hopefully with good news.
I sucked all the gas out, dried the tank with a hair dryer, drained the carbs, put in new airjet o-rings and found a washer that was the same as the missing one, blew out the fuel lines and pump with lung power, put ten bucks worth of fresh non-ethanol and it runs like a raped ape!
it still has the factory mains in it, should I go down 1 or 2 sizes? Elevation is 1,073 feet
it still has the factory mains in it, should I go down 1 or 2 sizes? Elevation is 1,073 feet