[wiredgeorge]

Most fold interpret sooty plugs as "too rich"... I have a chance to see a lot of carburetors in my line of work and most of the "too rich" carburetors are ignition problems and/or lack of valve clearance. Btob mentioned checking all the plugs. If you find ALL the plugs equally sooty, then perhaps you should check your voltage at your coils. We have a tech article on our web site on "coil repowering" that is often useful for older bikes especially. We also have a tech article on valve clearances. If valves hang open, you lose compression... not only power is lost but you will get INCOMPLETE COMBUSTION which is the soot really points to. You can get plug fouling from "too rich" jetting but also from the wrong heat range spark plugs or wrong grade of gasoline. Before mucking with your carburetors, perhaps you should get a service manual and perform a tune up as well as look at coil voltages... Oh yeah, dirty air filters will also foul plugs in no time...