Motorcycle Repair: 79 cx500 carb trouble, intake airflow, intake runners

Question
I just bought this bike but im having trouble getting its to idle or even run. I can get it to start but i cant get it to idle. I tried to block some of the air from getting in the carb with my hand and when i did the the bike would stay running but if i took my hand away it would die. i know im getting too much air in there but i dont know how to fix the problem

Answer
Do you have an air filter installed? I know that sounds like a dumb question, but some engines won't run right if there isn't enough restriction to intake airflow.

It could also be an air leak. When I got my GL500 it wouldn't idle properly and I discovered that one of the boots to the airbox or the intake runners wasn't on the carb right. I can't remember which it was (it happened about 10 years ago) bt either could mess up how the engine runs.

Another possibility would be a partially blocked passage in one of the carbs' idle or enricher circuits, but you can usually get it to idle (usually roughly) on the other cylinder when that happens.

If this doesn't help (or even if it does), You should consider joining a good forum that specializes in these bikes. http://choppercharles.com/cs/forums/ is one of the best.