How to tell the carbs are out of sync
 

Another noob question here: As the titles say, how does one know when his carbs are out of sync? I have read may posts about how to sync them, but nothing saying what caused them to do so except re-jetting.

Thanks for the help!

Hook up a Synch gauge and chek them is about the only reliable way.

Yep... Attach a gauge or manometer.

That is what I have gathered. I just didn't know of there was a tell tale sign of needing to. Thanks for the advise, I think I'll check when I install the new fork springs and valves I'm ordering from Jamie.

IMO, it's kind of like maintence. When you do plugs, valve adjust, chain adjust, etc, you should hook up a gauge. So, basically, you should never be able to tell that they are out of synch. But when it starts to run really crappy, that's one of the things you should check.

Thanks for the clarification. I have just started exploring the upper RPMs on the hawk and it seemed to vibrate more than it should at 6500-8000 RPM (8000 being where I back off). This is my first bike with 2 or more carbs, its been single cyl for me until now. On a possibly unrelated note; the bike "howls" at 4000 to 4500 RPM in first gear going 25-30 mph, anyone else have this sound? It is constant and reliable to happen. I will see if I can get a video of in in the next few days.

I agree with msethhunter that the carbs should be synced regularly as maintenance on a annual basis or anytime you have been messing around with the carbs.

If you have the air box off the carbs imo you need to synced the carbs and naturally if you have the carbs off the motor you have to synced the carbs.

Stay away from mamometers that use mercury, the newer units use blue water or dial gauges and that is what I use is the dial gauge unit.

I don't know how many times I have dropped my old mercury syncing tool spilling mercury all over the shop floor I tossed it in the trash after my third spilled bottle of mercury plus you can suck it out of the tool and it goes through the motor vaporizing the mercury which is not good for health reasons and I finally bucked up and purchased a dial gauge tool which I have had at least five years now and it works perfectly!

Hope this helps!

SIRR1