sawracer wrote:
Yes I am. I bought a shtload of copper gaskets so I can raise it So you are saying that is worth a try? I can do that easy.
Unless you spring for new pistons you are kinda stuck between a rock and a hard place with these modded (shortened/decked) cylinders.
As I recall seeing in your pics the tops of your cylinders appear to have been decked a considerable amount by the PO likely to correct compression lost (to make up for the thick base gaskets). By you lowering the cylinders in an attempt to get closer to stock port timing the compression pressure has now likely gotten too high, even with stock heads. This will cause detonation issues. Also now your intake timing has even more duration as previously noted, which on its own tends to kill bottom end power.
I suggest you re-install the thicker base gaskets (will reduce intake duration), fit heads that allow around 155 lbs compression with a 1mm squish gap (possibly the heads that it came with?).
By going back to what it had when you got the bike it will likely pull even harder on top and hopefully give back some bottom power, due to the reduced intake timing and increased transfer timing that will result.
Lastly, fitting a longer intake (like plumbers pipe) between the carbs and the pod filters has been reported to greatly help improve mid range ride ability.
J
Edit, Alternately you could fit uncut pistons and have heads re-cut to get the compression to work with your decked cylinders (assuming the exhaust port was not raised too much).