Hi, I’m just after a bit of advice… I’ve been looking for somebody to balance the carbs on the vf1000r I’ve seen some of the Carb balancing kits you can buy… is it easy to do? And where do you adjust each carb.. Or is it something I should leave alone? Thanks Sean.
I did read the 4th carb is preset and you can’t adjust that! But Iam not sure
Carbie balancing is an art and essentially a pain in the ar$e. Yes, #4 is the master carbie and all others get their reference from it.
If I ever have the carbs off the bike I like to “manually” adjust them so all the throttle plates are open the same amount, I use a piece of 0.020" stainless lockwire to do this…so when the carbs are back on the bike, they’re usually very close to correct…and only minor adjustments are required to get them “spot-on”.
There are 3 adjusting screws aside from the idle screw which just acts on the #4 carbie, then all the other just follow the leader.
This is a pic of my VF1000R carbs, obviously upside-down, the 3 screws circled in red are the “other” adjustment screws.
I used to use a set of vacuum gauges but found them cumbersome and time consuming to use, I now use one of these below.
The nozzle of it fits perfectly into each rubber velocity stack and gives a quick and easy to read result.
You’ll also need one of these to get at the adjustment screws under the carbs, also a pain in the ar$e.
You adjust the idle screw first to get the idle speed you want, check the vacuum setting with the vacuum tool, then adjust #2 to the same vacuum value…then #3 and finally #1…Just be aware, ajusting one will affect the others so you’ll be going back & forth constantly.
Also be aware, poor valve clearance settings will have an effect on the final result…if they haven’t been set recently, it may be worth your time to get them right before you start fiddling with the carbs.
It’s well worth spending the time to get it right as the low end performance will suffer if the carbies not reasonably close to correct.
Hope this helps,
Smithy.
Hi that’s some great advice.. thankyou for your time Smithy 
Just set mine and used the tool smithy uses.
I used the vac gauges set up that have 4 side by side and attach to the vac ports on inlet track’s.
bit of a mission but can be done
I adjusted the one next to the number 4 first if this helps
I found to adjust on bike you have to shut engine down and wind on throttle a little adjust that one, rest throttle and check.
Don’t know how keen you are but compression test before adjusting valves as Smithy suggested and after might help
Ok, I’m a year late to the party, but I didn’t want to start a new thread when this one is appropriate.
My VF1000R starts perfectly, hot or cold. It seems to run perfectly, but without a baseline, I don’t know. It is responsive at any rpm and it will easily and rapidly hit 10,000rpm in any gear without resisting. Someone experienced with these bikes may think it runs “ok but needs some adjusting.” I have not checked to see if the carbs are properly balanced. 
It idles at about 1,250rpm, warm or cold. I have the vacuum gauge that Smithy referenced above. I don’t mind ordering the BikeMaster Extra Reach Adjustment Screwdriver 151578, that Smithy also referenced.
I’m pretty good mechanically. I’m a machinist for the last 30 years and am capable of engine rebuilds, etc.
Here’s my question. Should I just leave well enough alone, or is it worth the effort to get the proper idle speed? Of course this is my first experience with these engines and carbs.
Thanks,
Gil
I guess I’m going to do it. I just order this on Ebay, a pretty good deal, $31.67 with 2 day shipping..
Hi gil, going on the experience of my current R, I would say its best to bring thetick over down a bit to 1000 and ballance the carbs, I used to run mine at about 1200 revs, I found that the carbs were continually getting gummed up, my theory is that having the tick over that high, the throttle flaps were wider open allowing more hot gasses from the cylinders to back flow into the carbs when you switch off and evaporate the fuel which then condenses into a sticky mess
