Motorcycle Repair: CB350(G) Questions, 1973 honda cb350, adjustment screws

Question
Hey Rich, thanks for taking the time to answer my questions. I recently picked up a 1973 Honda CB350(G) for the wife and I to tool around town on. The bike was in fairly rough shape when I got it (non-running, bad exhaust & tires, etc. etc.), but the price was right, so I've been working on getting it road ready. I cleaned and adjusted the carbs, charged the battery, and the thing ran, much to my surprise. I've since replaced the air filters, gearshift spindle, spark plugs, oil, mufflers and other things. I've also done the maintenance recommended in the shop manual (valve tappet clearance, point cleaning and adjustment, timing, compression check, etc.). I've run the thing around the block a few times since I put the mufflers on, and it runs decently, maybe a little hesitant at low rpm's. Here's the issues I'm experiencing:

The left exhaust is noticeably louder and has more pressure (never noticed before because the muffler was gone), and I saw some whitish smoke coming from the breather tube. I first thought that the right cylinder might have low compression/blowby, but when checked both cylinders are at 170 psi. Can blowby happen without a noticeable loss in compression? My thoughts have shifted to a possible air leak somewhere on the right side, or synchronization problems (how to synchronize, I'm not sure). Any insight you might be able to lend would be great. Sorry for the rambling, thanks in advance.

Answer
Good work Anthony.  It takes some skill to coax these old bikes back to life.  There is always blow-by.  If you pinch off the breather hose, the crankcase will build up enough pressure to blow out the oil seals.  On those old bikes you have to sync the carbs by eye.  I usually back the idle adjustment screws all the way out so they are just off the stops on the carbs.  Then, I turn the screws in equal amounts until the idle speed is where I want it.  That should be pretty close for carb sync.  Next, you have to adjust the throttle cable length at the carbs so both carbs are opening a exactly the same time.  Then I adjust the idle mixture to get the highest idle speed.  Then readjust the idle screws to the required speed.

If you have good compression, I wouldn't worry too much about vapor coming out of the breather hose. There is alway a small amount of combustion gas getting past the rings. If blue smoke is coming out of the exhaust pipe that would be different.   

Regards,
Rich