The stock setting, per the service manual is 2 turns out +/- 1/4 turn. I usually take it out to just a tiny bit more than 2 1/2 turns out. (About a half of 1/4 more.)
Because you never know what the previous tech/owner has done with them (or indeed if they might have simply moved during normal operation) it's better to screw them all the way in and then back them out the exact amount. Some guys have a degree-wheel, but I just put a mark on my screw-driver to keep track.
When you screw the pilot screws all the way in, use a light touch and be careful not to crank them in too firmly. You don't want to mar the tapered shank of the needle. Just thread it in until it's lightly closed. And just for *****-n-giggles, count how many turns it takes to screw them in from their current settings. That will tell you if the previous owner screwed it up. If the needles are seated after only 2.5 turns or less, then I'm afraid the problem is somewhere else.

Let us know how your fuel economy is doing after you've done this. And good luck!
-CCinC

 

Just got the plugs out. One screw was at 1 turn out and the other at 1 1/4. I think US standards are 1 1/2 +- 1/4. I've got them set now at 2 1/2 perfect for a bike in Germany or Austria....Looking forward to getting it out and riding it and seeing what the difference is.

How's it going freedomfri?

 

???
Where are you located? I assumed you were in the US, but now you're talking about German/Austrian settings?
Please disregard my previous posting, I was wrong. I glanced in the manual and saw 2.25 turns and assumed they would put the US settings first, but this is a strange manual compared to my other bikes'.
If they were only 1 & 1.25 turns out, an over-rich pilot condition is probably NOT the problem. Opening the pilot screws further than they presently are will only make your idle (and low-rpm operation) RICHER.
There are pilot AIR screws and pilot FUEL screws, depending on the carburetor. Our 500 uses a pilot fuel screw, so backing it out further will mean a RICHER fuel-to-air mixture.

The correct setting for the US model is 1.5 turns out +/- .25 turns. Sorry for the error before.
-CCinC

 

Not a problem, should be easy to change now that the plugs have been removed.

 

so I turned the pilot screw out to where it should be and it runs alright, except for one thing. When I was testing it out after I changed it, I pulled the throttle all the way back and it started to sputter. This never happened when I had it where it was...

Also I've noticed that the left exhaust pipe is putting out blacker smoke than the right. Any ideas?

 

Black smoke means rich. Is it throwing black smoke at high RPM? Does the black smoke and stumbling happen immediately when you whack open the throttle, or immediately afterward?
This sounds more like a case of worn jet needles, but you might as well check the cheap-fixes first.
Have you checked the float levels? If one or both of the float valves have been tweaked or are possibly clogged with varnish/gunk after the bike sat a while, that could allow a rich condition like this.
If you're already confident about your float levels, the next thing I would look at are the jet needles. You'll have to remove the vaccuum chamber diaphragms at the top of the carburetor to get to these and they'll cost about 9-$12 each.
Hang in there.
-CCinC

 

So after a trip to the mechanic and $400, I got it fixed. It had a few problems due to age. They worked on the carbs and replaced the spark plugs. It also turned out that I overfilled the oil, too [sm=headbang.gif] I feel dumb...

anywho, it sounds better, accellerates much better, much more torque behind it and probably gets better MPG

 

hahaha, we need a full report on how the ride does now. You got my interest.